UK Or Europe based Apps for useful travel info?

[Tim]

Hi All,
Been thinking about this on and off for a while, mostly inspired by seeing others travelling about and finding great campsites and tracks to drive. Does anybody know of any apps like iOverlander (I guess) that offers easy access to information based on location for our region?

To a certain extent it feels like what this forum should be for but it doesn't seem that easy to search for the information. May be it's in the planning to make this easier in the future? Perhaps like @nickburt list of Ovelanding resources it's just a list of places to find the information?

 

[peteillingworth]

Wikicamps uk on android is pretty good for campsites etc

 

[Tim]

Wikicamps uk on android is pretty good for campsites etc

Thanks, I’ll check that one out.


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[nickburt]

Hi All,
Been thinking about this on and off for a while, mostly inspired by seeing others travelling about and finding great campsites and tracks to drive. Does anybody know of any apps like iOverlander (I guess) that offers easy access to information based on location for our region?

To a certain extent it feels like what this forum should be for but it doesn't seem that easy to search for the information. May be it's in the planning to make this easier in the future? Perhaps like @nickburt list of Ovelanding resources it's just a list of places to find the information?

Hmmm ..... OK, so what we need is a similar list of places to go to find info .....

Such as Cumbria County Council's Hierarchy of Trials, for example. Or Lancashires Rights of Way website, which has a link to a map etc....

 

[Tim]

Hmmm ..... OK, so what we need is a similar list of places to go to find info .....

Such as Cumbria County Council's Hierarchy of Trials, for example. Or Lancashires Rights of Way website, which has a link to a map etc....

To a certain extent yes but I’m also thinking that we need something that interfaces to all the great stuff that members upload here. Maybe just more links on a page?

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[Tim]

So if I’ve understood this right, Michael has updated the member map to allow POI to be added. So we can add things like campsites, places to eat and starts of routes, trails etc. I’m not sure how much detail you can add but it would be good to think you can add links to routes or write-ups else where on the forum. I think these need to be approved by an admin. @Kevigizmo is this correct?


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[Kevigizmo]

So if I’ve understood this right, Michael has updated the member map to allow POI to be added. So we can add things like campsites, places to eat and starts of routes, trails etc. I’m not sure how much detail you can add but it would be good to think you can add links to routes or write-ups else where on the forum. I think these need to be approved by an admin. @Kevigizmo is this correct?


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Indeed, once you add a new pin on the map as location, it then needs to be moderated by an admin (Moderator) before it's "live"

 

[nickburt]

The big thing with marking routes is making sure someone is keeping an eye on what's legal etc...

As we all know in the UK, the legal status of a track, lane, byway etc... etc... can change overnight - TROs, voluntary restraint, etc.. etc...
If we add the entry/exit points of any tracks that are currently legal, it must have the disclaimer that it is the individuals responsibility to check it's legal status and that OB, or the person who added the POI cannot be held responsible. I would hate to be the one who posts a POI for a track, only for an OB member to end up with a Section 59 notice, or worse, seizure and destruction.

All boring stuff, but with sensitive areas such as Lake district, Peak district, Yorkshire Dales etc.. etc.. we need to be promoting responsible Green Laning.

So, if a moderator has to vet a POI before making it live, how does that moderator ensure that the entry point to a track is correct and the driving of that route won't get an OB member into trouble? Nearly all the OS maps, while good for showing BOATS, Byways, ORPAs etc... etc... they are only accurate on the date they were published, and even then, by the time they go to print can be out of date. The Definitive Map, held by each County's ROW officer, is the only 100% reliable source of correct status. Also, GLASS area reps are nearly always willing to help out and offer advice about the legal status of various tracks because they work closely with the ROW officers.

GLASS have been doing this for years and Trailwise is the fruits of those years of hard work. BUT, it is only as good as those who add information and detail and keep it up to date.

Adding POIs for 4x4 friendly campsites (with notes about fires allowed etc...) and good places to stop for lunch or evening meal would be good - we would all benefit from the collective information, as long as it's kept up to date.

I know I probably sound negative, but I've seen a mate lose a very expensive 4x4 to a Section 59 seizure for driving an illegal route, unfortunate, but he only has himself to blame for not checking properly for himself and going off word of mouth.

 

[Tim]

The big thing with marking routes is making sure someone is keeping an eye on what's legal etc...

As we all know in the UK, the legal status of a track, lane, byway etc... etc... can change overnight - TROs, voluntary restraint, etc.. etc...
If we add the entry/exit points of any tracks that are currently legal, it must have the disclaimer that it is the individuals responsibility to check it's legal status and that OB, or the person who added the POI cannot be held responsible. I would hate to be the one who posts a POI for a track, only for an OB member to end up with a Section 59 notice, or worse, seizure and destruction.

All boring stuff, but with sensitive areas such as Lake district, Peak district, Yorkshire Dales etc.. etc.. we need to be promoting responsible Green Laning.

So, if a moderator has to vet a POI before making it live, how does that moderator ensure that the entry point to a track is correct and the driving of that route won't get an OB member into trouble? Nearly all the OS maps, while good for showing BOATS, Byways, ORPAs etc... etc... they are only accurate on the date they were published, and even then, by the time they go to print can be out of date. The Definitive Map, held by each County's ROW officer, is the only 100% reliable source of correct status. Also, GLASS area reps are nearly always willing to help out and offer advice about the legal status of various tracks because they work closely with the ROW officers.

GLASS have been doing this for years and Trailwise is the fruits of those years of hard work. BUT, it is only as good as those who add information and detail and keep it up to date.

Adding POIs for 4x4 friendly campsites (with notes about fires allowed etc...) and good places to stop for lunch or evening meal would be good - we would all benefit from the collective information, as long as it's kept up to date.

I know I probably sound negative, but I've seen a mate lose a very expensive 4x4 to a Section 59 seizure for driving an illegal route, unfortunate, but he only has himself to blame for not checking properly for himself and going off word of mouth.

Yep, totally agree. I’m not sure how it works in other countries but here being sure of your right to be on a track here in the U.K. has always seemed a bit daunting to me. Not sure if OB has some standard disclaimer or advice here.

Hopefully moderation of the information added will help but yes the info needs to be kept up to date or at least have a field that says when it was last updated or verified. I’m thinking along the lines of the apps that give the fuel prices in an area... they have a date last checked etc.

It’s our community so as you say, it’s only as useful as we make it.


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[nickburt]

Trailwaise is a good resource, but to get the best from it you need to be a member of GLASS.
There are other resources, but I get the feeling they aren't as well promoted, maintained etc... and there's always going to be a risk, it's also possible incorrect info has been added and without some sort of "policing" could lead the innocent into trouble.

I haven't done much green laning in the UK for a while, so to get back into it properly, I'd probably start by getting in touch with the GLASS rep for the area of interest and make sure the checks are done.
A few years ago, I used to be out roughly twice a month, but that made the checks easy because I was on top of it. To start from scratch can be daunting, but the Councils are getting with it and adding info to websites etc... I think I've linked before to Cumbria CCs webpages which are a brilliant, and up to date resource.

As you say @Tim - dates of last checks etc... would be a good way of helping.

 

[Kevigizmo]

Personally I dont think marking UK trails on here is sensible simply for the reasons both of you have mentioned, TRO's crop up every so often and it would be yet "another" database to maintain to ensure the correct info is out on there,

In my own personal opinion, the Marks should only be for useful locations such as National Park entrances, maybe a interesting POI but outside that I dont really think we should be adding much to it - Outside UK the rules for trails ect is different

A good read if anyone fancies it (As i bought a copy a while back) is the "Rights of Way - Restoring the Record" which is in its 2nd Edition (ISBN: 978-0-9574036-1-1)

It is a useful resource to flick through as to what the actual rules are and what laws it relates to along with some case studies inside,
Ideal for any Rights of Way Officer in any club

but as mentioned there are now a few sites out there which look after this aspect
Local Authority usually has a list of UCR's with TRO info, Here is one Example for the area I'm in
https://maps.norfolk.gov.uk/highways/

Then theres -TRO Club, GLASS, apparently All Terrain UK have now been doing their own thing from what I've seen recently
Tread-lightly I believe has a small presence here in UK

 

[nickburt]

So, the resource we should be looking to put together is a list of websites etc... that already hold the info - i.e. Council websites, GLASS, Trailwise etc...

Would be a quick reference point for us UK dwellers, and good place for overseas visitors to start looking for the info they need to check if coming to the UK and want to go green laning etc...

The map pins, as we've all said, would be good for other POIs.

 

[Kevigizmo]

So, the resource we should be looking to put together is a list of websites etc... that already hold the info - i.e. Council websites, GLASS, Trailwise etc...

Would be a quick reference point for us UK dwellers, and good place for overseas visitors to start looking for the info they need to check if coming to the UK and want to go green laning etc...

The map pins, as we've all said, would be good for other POIs.

Sounds like a plan to me!!

Would be lovely if the rules were the same for everyone, but as we know it doesn't quite work like that haha

Don't get me wrong It's not gospel that the Map pins must only be for POI's ect - I just think due to how our greenlanes are it would be safer to use already populated lists which are fairly regularly updated with the correct info,
Like you said Nick going down a lane which is incorrect runs the risk of being in breach of laws which is the last thing we want to see happen (and the impact it has on "greenlaners" reputation)

So yeah, if we can get a list together of the UK websites which has these resources I think that would be a good way to go,
Who knows maybe in time there may be something developed in the backend on here to support this

I've made a start on a new thread so we dont "clog" this one up too much
https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/uk-useful-offroad-greenlane-websites.15539/