The Definitive Map

🥾 Do you know what the Definitive Map is, and why it might differ from your Ordnance Survey map? 🗺️

If you’ve ever compared an OS Explorer or Landranger map to local council records, you might have noticed some subtle differences!

Here’s why:

📌 The Definitive Map is the legal record of Public Rights of Way. If a route is on the Definitive Map, it exists in law, regardless of what is on the ground.

📌 OS Maps show topographic features. While OS maps are brilliant for navigation, if you look closely at the disclaimer at the bottom of a paper map, you’ll see that the representation of a road, track, or footpath is not evidence of a public right of way!

You can find links to the Definitive Maps for WBC and CWAC below:

Wirral Borough Council 🔗  Wirral Definitive Map

Cheshire West and Chester 🔗 Cheshire West and Chester Definitive Map...

Interested in how these legal records came to be? The Ramblers have a brilliant guide on the history of Public Rights of Way:

🔗 Ramblers Article

Reporting a PRoW Issue

There are many issues that can be reported to the council:

• Ploughed/cropped field*

• Physical obstructions

• Animals (e.g. dogs, bulls** etc)

• Surface issues, e.g. flooding

• Damaged stiles/gates

• Overgrowth

• Damaged bridges/boardwalks

• Damaged/missing Waymarkers or Fingerposts

• Mapping issues

• Anti-social behaviour (e.g. cyclists/mootorbikes)

• Lots of litter

Government Advice 

*Ploughing/Cropping

The landowner must not cultivate (eg plough) footpaths or bridleways that follow a field edge. The minimum width they need to keep undisturbed is:

• 1.5 metres for a field edge footpath

• 3 metres for a field edge bridleway

They should avoid cultivating a cross-field footpath or bridleway. If they have to cultivate, they have to  make sure the footpath or bridleway:

• remains apparent on the ground to at least the minimum width of 1 metre for a footpath or 2 metres for a bridleway, and is not obstructed by crops

• is restored to at least the minimum width so that it’s reasonably convenient to use within:

• 14 days of first being cultivated for that crop

• 24 hours of any subsequent cultivation, unless a longer period has been agreed in advance in writing by the highway authority

**Animals:

Bulls of recognised dairy breeds (Ayrshire, British Friesian, British Holstein, Dairy Shorthorn, Guernsey, Jersey and Kerry) that are over the age of 10 months are banned by law from fields containing a public right of way.

Bulls over 10 months of any other breed must be accompanied by cows or heifers when in fields with public access.

Any warning notices relating to a bull are displayed only when it is actually present in a field.

Horses may be kept loose in fields crossed by public rights of way, as long as they are not known to be dangerous.