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Detailed classification of type of feature that the RouteLink represents which the non-vehicular traffic can travel along or alongside.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
No physical manifestation – examples
In these examples, public rights of way exist but there is no physical disturbance on the ground. These are indicated with a descriptiveTerm value of “No Physical Manifestation”.
If a RouteLink feature is attributed with one of the following DescriptiveTerm values, it can be considered as being along or alongside a road depending on the user:
A Road Minor Road
B Road Local Road
For example, the actual route may be along a pavement (if present), a verge or the carriageway itself dependent upon the user. A cyclist may use the road carriageway, a pedestrian the pavement, and a horse rider and their horse may use the verge.
The OS Detailed Path Network data does not currently include information on the presence or absence of a pavement and / or verge.
The descriptiveTerm attribute indicates the nature of the route. Any right to use the RouteLink feature needs to be identified from the following attributes:
RightOfWayValue
NationalCycleRoute
OtherCycleRoute
RecreationalRoute
AccessLand
The description of a RouteLink with a descriptiveTerm of Local Road or Private Road does not indicate that any right of use by motorised vehicles exists.
A Road
Route is along or alongside a road classified by the Department for Transport as an A Road.
Alley
Route is along or alongside a vehicular route that provides secondary access to land or properties.
B Road
Route is along or alongside a road classified by the Department for Transport as a B Road.
Cableway
Route uses a form of scheduled cableway service, for example, a Cabin Cable Car, Chair Lift or Ski Tow.
As a minimum, it can be assumed that the cableway will carry pedestrians; the carriage of other users is not recorded.
Ferry Crossing
Route uses a boat or ship that provides a scheduled service to cross a body of water. As a minimum, it can be assumed that the ferry will carry pedestrians; the carriage of other users is not recorded.
Local Road
Route is along or alongside a road providing access to land or houses and is not generally intended for through traffic.
No right of use for motorised vehicles should be inferred, see Usage – further information.
Marked Or Signed Route With No Physical Manifestation
A route that has sufficient signage or waymarking to make it easy to follow, but where there is not a visible continuous or near continuous path to follow on the ground.
Minor Road
Route is along a public road or alongside a public road without a Department for Transport (DfT) classification of Motorway, A or B. Where the road connects to B and higher classification roads.
No Physical Manifestation
A linear route that is not easily identifiable on the ground but where there are rights of use.
For example, a legal bridleway across a field where there is no evidence along the route such as a worn strip of ground or a constructed surface of gravel or similar (see Figure 2).
Path
Route is along a surface built for pedestrians or cyclists or created by the passage of pedestrians or cyclists over a natural surface.
See SurfaceTypeValue for further information.
Private Road
Route is along or alongside a road not maintained by a Highway Authority. Note: For Private Roads where the only right to use is because the road is in Access Land, there may not be a right to use the road itself. No right of use for motorised vehicles should be inferred; see Usage – further information. The right of use by pedestrians, cyclists and horses being ridden may be restricted; see RightOfWayValue
Towpath
A towpath is a way alongside the bank of a river used for inland navigation, or canal whose original purpose was to provide access in support of inland navigation. Not populated in current release; where present, will be described as Path.
Track
Route is along an unmade way created by the passage of vehicles although no right of use by vehicles is implied. The right of use by pedestrians, cyclists and horses being ridden may be restricted; see RightOfWayValue
The following codelists documents contain the permitted values for each attribute and an explanation where required.
State of a surface in the context of the origin of the surface and resistance to environmental elements.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
As a general note, it can be problematic to precisely differentiate between surface types. For example, the difference between an unsealed road and a track is open to interpretation. The images in the three following figures illustrate typical examples of different surface types.
The LevelCode value is used to indicate when a route is above or below normal ground level. The attribute is only applied where the level difference extends for distances greater than approximately 50m.
Routes that cross at different levels are not split at the intersection; those that are in tunnels or on bridges less than 50m long are given the default LevelCode attribute of Surface Level.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
The LevelCode value is used to indicate when a route is above or below normal ground level. The attribute is only applied where the level difference extends for distances greater than approximately 50m.
Routes that cross at different levels are not split at the intersection; those that are in tunnels or on bridges less than 50m long are given the default LevelCode attribute of Surface Level.
Above surface level on structure – example
Below surface level tunnel – example
Non Motorised Vehicular Route Network
Route usable by pedestrians, cyclists and ridden horses.
Core Path
A route in Scotland identified as part of the Core Path network.
Not populated in current release.
European Long Distance Path
The European long-distance paths are a network of long-distance footpaths that traverse Europe. While most long-distance footpaths in Europe are located in just one country or region, each of these numbered European long-distance paths passes through many different countries.
The European long-distance paths were designated by the European Ramblers' Association. Not populated in release 1.
National Cycle Network
A route which is part of the Sustrans® National Cycle Network (NCN).
National Trail
An extensive route of national importance supported by Natural England, Natural Resources Wales or Scottish Natural Heritage.
Recreational Path
A named route that:
is at least 10km long;
is fully and distinctively waymarked;
is endorsed by all of the local authorities the route traverses
is supported by a Guidebook or Leaflet; and
has a responsible person who informs Ordnance Survey of future route amendments.
Scotland's Great Trail
Great Trails, formerly Long-distance routes, are named routes in Scotland established under the Countryside (Scotland) Act of 1967 and are nominated by Scottish Natural Heritage. Not populated in release 1.
Made Sealed
A constructed surface, commonly mineral based, that consists of a solid material that is bonded (i.e. is not loose), such as asphalt or concrete (Figure 3)
Made Unknown
A constructed surface, commonly mineral based, that may be bonded or loose. This value is used where the revision method employed does not allow it to be differentiated into ‘Made Sealed’ or ‘Made Unsealed’.
Made Unsealed
A constructed surface, commonly mineral based, that consists of an un- bonded surface (i.e. the material is loose), such as gravel (including self- binding gravel), cinder or hoggin. Also used to describe surfaces that are bonded but which have been employed as a mesh / grid or similar form to allow vegetation to grow and water to drain through the surface (Figure 4).
Unmade
A surface that has not been constructed but has evolved through use by pedestrians, cyclists, horses being ridden, or motorised vehicles, and where the use has removed or minimised the natural vegetation and fully or partly exposed the underlying mineral surface and / or mud.
Surface Level
The route is at the same level as the surrounding terrain. This is the default value for RouteLink features.
Above Surface Level On Structure
The RouteLink is supported or suspended above ground level on a manmade structure that extends for more than 50m.
For example, a road, track or path may be on a bridge, footbridge or viaduct (Figure 6).
Below Surface Level Tunnel
The route passes through a specially built construction underneath the normal terrain surface primarily to avoid or reduce the effect of the terrain surface or to avoid an obstruction such as a river or mountain (Figure 7) and extends for more than 50m.
Rights of way information for England and Wales has been sourced from Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster mapping and inferred from Ordnance Survey road network data.
The allowable uses for RightOfWayValue are summarised in the table below; this reflects the accepted legal rights for public rights of way (https://www.gov.uk/right-of-way-open-access-land/use-public-rights-of-way) Further rights of use are also possible and are described in the Additional rights to use a RouteLink– England sub-section.
In all circumstances, information from the Local Highway Authority takes precedence, and any local signage should always be observed. For example, temporary restrictions may exist that override rights of way or access rights in Access Land.
In Scotland, rights of way do exist, but they are not included within the OS Detailed Path Network product as for recreational purposes, they are superseded by rights under the Land Reform Act 2003 (see Rights to use a RouteLink – Scotland).
Classification of the designated rights of access and use assigned to the RouteLink.
| Value | Description | Confirmed allowable users |
|---|---|---|
Other rights may exist, but these will need to be determined from the Local Highway Authority.
Most RouteLink features with a descriptiveTerm of Local Road will have a RightOfUse value of ‘Normal Permissible Uses’. However, in some cases, a more restrictive value applies; when this is present, this more restrictive value should be used to determine who may use the route.
The preceding table summarises the type of user who may travel along a specific RouteLink in England and Wales where a right of way exists. The right to use a RouteLink may also be indicated by one or more of the following logical attributes in the table below being set to indicate:
These values may co-exist, for example, a cycle route may pass through an area of Access Land and be coincident with a Restricted Byway.
For ease of use of the data in routing applications, all RouteLink features in Scotland have the value of the AccessLand attribute also set to ‘TRUE’ even though the concept of Access Land is not relevant to routes in Scotland.
In Scotland, the rights of access have been established by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003; these are described in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/). The following is an extracted summary: The following is an extracted summary:
A summary of the access rights:
Everyone, whatever their age or ability, has access rights established by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. You only have access rights if you exercise them responsibly.
You can exercise these rights, provided you do so responsibly, over most land and inland water in Scotland, including mountains, moorland, woods and forests, grassland, margins of fields in which crops are growing, paths and tracks, rivers and lochs, the coast and most parks and open spaces. Access rights can be exercised at any time of the day or night.
You can exercise access rights for recreational purposes (such as pastimes, family and social activities, and more active pursuits like horse riding, cycling, wild camping and taking part in events), educational purposes (concerned with furthering a person’s understanding of the natural and cultural heritage), some commercial purposes (where the activities are the same as those done by the general public) and for crossing over land or water.
Existing rights, including public rights of way and navigation, and existing rights on the foreshore, continue.
The main places where access rights do not apply are:
Houses and gardens, and non-residential buildings and associated land
Land in which crops are growing
Land next to a school and used by the school
Sports or playing fields when these are in use and where the exercise of access rights would interfere with such use
Land developed and in use for recreation and where the exercise of access rights would interfere with such use
Golf courses (but you can cross a golf course provided you don’t interfere with any games of golf)
Places like airfields, railways, telecommunication sites, military bases and installations, working quarries and construction sites
Visitor attractions or other places which charge for entry
Local authorities can formally exempt land from access rights for short periods. Local authorities and some other public bodies can introduce byelaws.
Access rights do not extend to:
Being on or crossing land for the purpose of doing anything which is an offence, such as theft, breach of the peace, nuisance, poaching, allowing a dog to worry livestock, dropping litter, polluting water or disturbing certain wild birds, animals and plants
Hunting, shooting or fishing
Any form of motorised recreation or passage (except by people with a disability using a vehicle or vessel adapted for their use)
Anyone responsible for a dog which is not under proper control
Anyone taking away anything from the land for a commercial purpose
Statutory access rights do not extend to some places or to some activities that the public have enjoyed on a customary basis, often over a long period of time. Such access is not affected by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and will continue.
| Value | Description | Confirmed Allowable users |
|---|---|---|
Bridleway
A route where there is a right to travel on foot, on horseback, to lead a horse and to ride a bicycle
Pedestrians, horses, cyclists
Byway Open To All Traffic
A highway open to all traffic.
Pedestrians, horses, cyclists, motorised vehicles
Core Path
A route in Scotland identified as part of the Core Path network. Not populated in release 1.
Not applicable
Footpath
A route where there is a right to travel on foot.
Pedestrians
None
A route where no permissive or conventional right of way has been identified. Use may be allowed if the route has been identified as a cycle route (see NationalCycleRoute, OtherCycleRoute), as part of a RecreationalRoute or as lying within an area of Access Land.
See NationalCycleRoute, OtherCycleRoute, part of a RecreationalRoute or as lying within an area of Access Land
Normal Permissible Uses
No known restrictions on pedestrians, cyclists or horses being ridden. Restrictions may apply to vehicles.
Pedestrians, horses, cyclists – used for public roads without a restriction
Other Route With Public Access
A route that is the responsibility of Local Highway Authorities and maintained at public expense. All Other Routes with Public Access (ORPAs) have rights for pedestrians. Beyond that, any particular ORPA may, or may not, have rights for cyclists and equestrians, and may or may not have rights for motor vehicles. OPRAs are sometimes known as unclassified unsurfaced roads (or unclassified country roads).
Pedestrians1
Permissive Bridleway
A route where the landowner has permitted travel on foot, on horseback or leading a horse, and to ride a bicycle. This right may be withdrawn by the landowner.
Pedestrians, horses, cyclists
Permissive Path
A route where the landowner has permitted travel on foot. This right may be withdrawn by the landowner.
Pedestrians
Restricted Byway
A route open to all traffic except mechanically propelled vehicles. Formerly known as Road Used as Public Path (RUPP).
Pedestrians, horses, cyclists
adoptedByNationalCycleRoute
= TRUE
A link part of the National Cycle Network
Pedestrians, cyclists
adoptedByOtherCycleRoute =
TRUE
A link part of a Cycle Network that is not part of the National Cycle Network
Pedestrians, cyclists
adoptedByRecreationalRoute
= TRUE
A link part of a Recreational Route
Pedestrians
withinAccessLand = TRUE
A link within Access Land
Pedestrians. Note that for Private Roads where the only right to use is because the road is in Access Land, there may not be a right to use the road itself.
This attribute indicates that part or all of the RouteLink passes through an area that may pose an impediment to passage for users or a level of risk.
Only RouteLink features with the descriptiveTerm of ‘No Physical Manifestation’ or ‘Path’ are eligible to have the potentialHazard attribute populated. Values may be multiple if appropriate.
This attribute is particularly relevant where a RouteLink feature has been provided with a descriptiveTerm of ‘Route Without Physical Manifestation’, as some legal rights of way may pass over problematic or even dangerous terrain and may need to be excluded from any route options.
For all other navigableLink features, this value is null.
Classification of hazardous terrain that may pose a risk or impediment to passage.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
Foreshore is added to all links that are intertidal.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
This attribute indicates whether a RouteLink in England and Wales falls within an area of Access Land as depicted on Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 Scale Colour Raster mapping. For ease of use in routing applications, all RouteLink features in Scotland have the value also set to ‘TRUE’, even though the concept of Access Land is not relevant to routes in Scotland.
Only links with the following descriptiveTerm are eligible to have the accessLand attribute set to ‘TRUE’:
Alley
Path
Private Road
Track
This includes Access Land of the following types where access has been agreed:
CRoW land
Forest Enterprise
National Trust
Other Access
Section 16
Woodland Trust
No information on the type of Access Land is provided
The Extent of Access land has been simplified to create a routable network
There are sections of RouteLink features within areas of Access Land that are disconnected from the wider network. This is due to the differing resolutions of the network data and the underlying Access Land data.
Work is ongoing to reduce the incidence in future releases. In Scotland, this attribute is always set to ‘TRUE’.
In England and Wales, RouteLink features with this attribute set to ‘TRUE’ can be used by pedestrians.
For Private Roads where the only right to use is because the road is in Access Land, there may not be a right to use the road itself.
Other users may only use the route if another attribute indicates this is permissible. For example, a Track in Access Land may also be a Bridleway or there may be no other usage rights.
Boulders
The route passes through an area of boulders.
Cliff
The route passes over an area of cliffs.
Quarry Or Pit
The route passes through an active or disused excavation, for example, a pit or quarry.
Foreshore2
The route passes through an area that is covered by the tide at normal High Tides in England and Wales and an area that is covered by the tide at normal Spring High Tides in Scotland.
Note that paths near the High Water Mark may also be covered when tides are higher than the marks that Ordnance Survey record – normal High Tides in England and Wales and Spring High Tides in Scotland.
Marsh
The route passes through an area of marsh.
Mud
The route passes through an area of mud.
Sand
The route passes through an area of sand.
Scree
The route passes through an area of scree.
Shingle
The route passes through an area of shingle.
Spoil
The route passes through an area of deposited material.
Rock
The route passes over an area of surface rock.
Tidal Water
The route passes through an area of permanent tidal water.
Inland Water
The route passes through an area of permanent non-tidal water.
Junction
The point where three or more RouteLink features intersect at the same physical level where a choice of route is available.
Pseudo
A node which represents a point where one or more attributes of the RouteLink features connected to it change their value.
Terminal
A Terminal node represents the start or end of a set of RouteLink features.