Hi all
New on here after saying hello before
I would like to start planning some routes after completing a few walks this year which we've been really enjoying. I've been looking at OS maps online with the view to saving the route as GPX and uploading to my Fenix 3, but I haven't yet subscribed. Looking through the forum, Where's the Path, also looks like a great route planner which I may well start using
I've noticed a few discrepancies with where footpaths are and would be very grateful for people's thoughts. I would like to point out I class myself as a novice map reader. Despite planning my own routes over 30 years ago when in the Scouts, I'm still a novice and have forgotten a lot of the symbols but am trying to re-familiarise myself.
I've attached a few screenshots of what I hope to explain.
Llangollen 1 - OS online of an area just east of the Ponderosa cafe, horseshoe pass. The footpath on the left ends and turns in to a thin solid black line (divider, wall/fence?). Goes to a road leading behind the building then joins another solid black line, leading to another footpath. On this screenshot, the footpath on the far right also leads in to a solid black line, and the footpath at the top leading from the stream doesn't seem to go anywhere. Comparing this to Lllangollen 2 screenshot, the footpath simply leads around the building and away.
Another example is an area to the west of the Ponderosa cafe. Horseshoe 1 shows a footpath leading north from the A542, turning in to a bridleway? which then takes you to the Ponderosa. Horseshoe 2, again OS online, shows a number of footpaths leading to the Ponderosa confirmed in the aerial snapshot of the area in Horseshoe 1.
My question really is does anyone have any experience of using the OS Maps online? It seems to have detail of many other footpaths not shown on WTP for example, yet sometimes these 'footpaths' indicated simply lead in to the solid black lines which I'm unsure of whether you can walk along these or not. Other times the footpaths aren't even there from looking at other areas in North Wales. Left of Bronaber heading to Coed y Brenin forest for example.
This has felt a bit long-winded but any comments on the above, advice and experience of route planning from more experienced walkers than myself would be very greatly appreciated
I would like to plan fairly accurate routes and to have some confidence in using one of the route planners, rather than dig out a paper map, a pencil and a ruler again
..although I think there's probably a lot to be said for that method.
Thanks