Wednesday 22 April 2020

Finding My Way

During this stay-at-home period of life I've been absorbed by my maps of the area, searching out possible routes I might take when, one day in the future, this old dog is let off his chain once more. That's how most of my walks start, looking at maps and trying to link together interesting places to visit. Here are some thoughts about maps and route-finding in general, illustrated with some photos from last summer.



Although I have a complete set of 1:50,000 maps of East Anglia (everywhere within about 100 miles of home) I usually use the online maps available for a small subscription to the Ordnance Survey, which is Britain's official mapping agency. This makes maps available down to the very detailed 1:25,000 scale which is ideal for walking. These are the maps I print off on to A4 size paper to take with me.



What else to take? I usually take the relevant 1:50,000 map in case I want to identify a distant landmark, or if I manage to lose my other maps. And I usually take a compass, which may sound like overkill in this far-from-wild landscape but which has come in useful from time to time. Then I take a cheap pair of boots, rucksack, camera and spare battery, binoculars (sometimes), sandwiches (occasionally) and a water bottle or flask (most of the time) and a phone (switched off and only for use in an emergency).

On such clear paths as shown in the two photos above what could possibly go wrong?



At certain times of year this can happen - or worse! Paths get blocked by fallen trees, large mean-looking bulls in fields or unsympathetic farmers who simply (and illegally) block paths for their own reasons. At certain times of year this can happen....



Farmers are quite within their rights to plough up the paths across their fields and carry out other agricultural work. Our "footpaths" are legally defined as "rights of way", in other words they are merely places you can walk, there doesn't need to be a clear path on the ground to follow. After a while, on a popular route at least, a track soon becomes established on the ground.....



As you might be able to see, a guide post has been erected in the middle of this field to help you on your way and prevent crops getting unnecessarily trampled. At other times there's no help and you might be the first person to travel this way.



Nothing for it but to strike out across the freshly ploughed ground, as my brother is doing here. This is one place where the compass comes in handy to work out exactly where to head. 



At other times you can have too much information with arrows pointing in all directions leaving you scratching your head. That's my brother Les posing for the camera and it's just as well I had printed off that detailed map so we knew just which route to follow. The problem is that you can never be sure on the level of signing on any particular path, though there are usually metal fingerposts where paths leave the road. Some of these aren't particularly helpful....



….like this.....or this.....



At other times you really need all the help you can get: you'd have to be pretty sure of your map-reading to proceed here.....



If not for that little yellow arrow you'd think you were entering someone's back garden. As indeed you are, but that's where the path goes! Over the years I've followed paths which lead through gardens, between pig-pens, across farmyards, under someone's washing-line, through a scrapyard, across golf fairways and even through a rifle range (watch out if the red flag is flying).



Then there's the vexed question of permissive paths, which may or may not be marked on the maps. These are usually supplementary paths offered by landowners, sometimes allowing you to link other rights of way or even visit places of interest like old ruined churches. Others are provided to allow you a safe way around a working farmyard rather than go directly through, as the legal path does. Again it's best to have the detailed map to make sure you know exactly where you're being sent.



I'm not complaining though. Our footpath network allows us to take a huge variety of walks through the varied landscape of these small islands. It's a wonderful resource and, to my mind, one of the secret glories of the country, along with our rural churches. You can be sure I'll be exploring more of both as soon as I can. 



This landowner has clearly got fed up with walkers ambling lost across his property and is making sure they find the path!


Take care.


28 comments:

  1. Hi John - this is wonderful ... but I bet most people aren't as thorough as you or as prepared as you and are brother are for their walks. Just such magical photos of the English countryside ... gorgeous ... congratulations to you for us! All the best - Hilary

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  2. Wonderful photos. There just aren't the walkways here that there are in U.K.

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  3. We have a footpath that crosses along our front grass verge which has a stile at either end of it, but strangely very few people find it. However, I suspect that you would not have a problem locating it.

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  4. Poring over maps is surely one of the simple joys in life. I will never be a devotee of Google Earth and nothing quite replicates the feel of a paper map, but it certainly is interesting that before I ever visit anyone I can actually look at their house!

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  5. John, I would dearly love to have available the paths you have! I live in Illinois, and am surrounded by a subdivision (think houses, sidewalks and concrete) which is plopped in the middle of corn and soy fields. I must drive to find walking paths. State paths are closed now, so it's harder to find places to walk. We aren't really supposed to drive to walk. I have a good walking friend, and we just try to muddle through! We did find a Federal park whose paths are open, which has a resident herd of Bison. Lovely to watch and photograph. I so enjoy your blogs, and your pictures of your rambles!

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    1. Nice to hear from you, Karla. I'm well aware of how lucky we are in the UK to have all these paths available to walk. We don't have any bison though!

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  6. Thanks again for taking me along on one of your wanders...though with all the maps and signs, it might not be considered a true wander, which implies just going hither and yon. But I truly appreciate seeing your wonderful walking paths...which do give such variety indeed! So it's more like a guided wander.

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  7. I feel we were cut from the same cloth as I have loved looking at maps since I was a kid, now I have the whole of the UK OS maps on my laptop curtsey of Anquet who I subscribe to now, Great fun searching out things on it. Used to like finding old railways and their courses. Footpath around here as like you find though I have not come across anyone blocking them yet though have elsewhere. The maps are where I find most of my churches

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  8. Some of these footpaths look SO inviting John - especially the first photograph.

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  9. What a lovely hike!!I love the landscapes!!Maps I never do but may be I should :))

    Very Nice post!

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  10. Such a wonderful way to spend a day! Your photos show such a lovely and varied landscape. And that one metal sign, bent and banged up with no lettering at all -- priceless.

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  11. The scenery is breathtaking John.

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  12. I've only done a couple of walks along paths in Norfolk and loved it. We really have nothing that compares over here, that I know of anyway.

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  13. I'm not aware of anything like this over here, but I'm enjoying going on these hikes with you. The photos are just wonderful. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

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  14. That was a wonderful walk you and Les had there. It's good to get out there.

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  15. I sure enjoy some of the fruits of your walks...the photos.

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  16. Beautiful scenery accompanies you on your hike. It's nice and I love it. The first photo is my favorite.
    Take care, John!

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  17. You're lucky that you have such a widespread network of footpaths that are freely open to walk on. Be wonderful to have that here!

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  18. I love how the first number of photos draw you into the scene.

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  19. Well you certainly have to keep your eyes open for some of the arrows John, quite exciting not knowing where you might have to pass through 😊

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  20. This inspired me to travel too without having a map.
    The scenery that you pass is impressive.

    Greetings from Indonesia, John.

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  21. merci pour toutes ces indications concernant ces "footpaths" bien bucoliques :)

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  22. What a fabulous post about walking - and I so wish I still lived in Devon where walking Dartmoor and my neighboring fields (which sadly seem to have a lot of houses standing on them now when I go home) took up so much of my childhood years!

    Great details of your walks John and although it's lovely to 'meet' brother Les ploughing through the mud, how about a photo of you one of these days! You certainly know the correct gear for serious walks - I just walk my neighborhood these days with my phone - in case I fall down, as there's not much traffic passing now.

    Stay safe and well - Mary

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  23. This is a great tutorial, John, interesting and entertaining while sharing useful information--which is what good teaching is! I too envy those networks of paths, although I can walk pretty much anywhere I want right from my house, for miles. But the terrain is so hilly it takes a lot more strength and surefootedness than I have now. When I was young, though, I'd go off on all-day rambles by myself with no phone, no map and no one even knowing I'd gone. I laugh now at the foolhardiness of youth--and have some serious regrets for all those years behind a library desk.

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  24. In spite of the surprises, you are fortunate in England to have access to cross private lands. So many places in the U.S. that look intriguing are well posted with No Trespassing signs.

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  25. We're fortunate, aren't we? OS maps are so good. I rarely stray from the well-known routes though, I'm not as intrepid as you.

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  26. Thank you for the ID on the pussytoes!

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  27. I love this, I enjoyed this post immensely!

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