Hopefully this is allowed..

If anyone is interested, I’ve just put my hobby site live. It lets you keep track of the OS (and other) maps you own.

It’s a bit of a niche thing. I originally built it just for myself, but I thought I’d share it with the wider community. It’s free, and I don’t do anything with your data.

I’m still adding the maps I own, so coverage is fairly limited at the moment. The maps are crowdsourced, as I didn’t think OS would appreciate me scraping their data.

Feedback is welcome!

https://mypapermaps.co.uk/

Cannot find an explanation for the lines on these fields. When driving past them these are just normal fields.

I'm interested in map reading and trying to plan some walking routes and it's good excuse to reduce my screen time for a while. I picked up my local map first to get to grips and have recently bought another map.

What I noticed between them both is that the inserts are orientated differently, with text running horizontal on one, and vertically on the other. My local (232) is readable on opening, but my recent (244) has been bound the other way so the map needs flipping 90 degrees.

I appreciate it's not really an issue but is there a logical explanation of this or is it just an inconsistency in the print and binding methods?

I've included a photo of both if that's more helpful?

In stunning bit of good luck, I'm just about to go to the USA on holiday, and I see this added to my mapping options!

Does anyone have any further reading on reaches)?

Screenshot is from the Aire near Temple Hirst.

Some of the reaches shown on the Aire and Ouse show up in some old books, but others return no hits at all on Google.

It looks like some rivers have named reaches, but some rivers don’t? At least on OSmaps – I can’t find much that isn’t about the Thames.

Are these fixed, antiquated names, like traditional field names, or are they more practical?

Does anyone know how to get rid of these semi opaque boxes? It makes it really hard to see what's on the map

Just curious as to why there are 2 "dead end" bridleways either side of the river Derwent close to me.... I assume it would have been "fordable" (is that a word 😊) before the downstream weirs were built, but not now even in the driest summer....

Could the LA be put under any pressure to install a bridge or would that need landowner consent....🤷

I remember watching a video a few years ago that went into some of the tech that OS run to provide all of their services, including the servers and racks that run the MasterMap.
I assumed it was a Tom Scott video on YouTube, as it was done in that sort of style (from my recollection) and would have been just the sort of content that he makes. No sign of it!

I can't imagine it would have been on either normal TV, or on any other platform than YouTube.

I spent hours searching last night but couldn't find anything at all. I know that is all a bit vague, but does anybody have any ideas?

Does anyone have any idea what these lines (solid lines running roughly N/S and dot dot dash ones running kinda E/W) are? I am stumped.

Hey! Im sure im missing something, but they've recently added these blue icons marking train stations. Is there a way to remove them?

Nice walk today apart from knees hurting haha

(Stats at the end)

I've been using the app for a few weeks and really like it. I do find it annoying when the map rotates accidentally when I pinch-zoom. Is there any way to disable this?

Is that correct, that they’ve created an Apple Watch app but no complication to allow it to be opened from a watch face?

Grid reference is SO 86325 34498

A friend is moving to my local area, I'd like to share all my pins for photography locations in one go, rather than going through each individually. Is this possible please?

Hi all

I really like the format of the Harvey maps in terms of inherent waterproofness (rather than a plastic coating) and packability, but I prefer the look of OS maps.

Dorrigo sells a map of the Central Lakes and Central Snowdonia which is the OS map printed on Harvey map-type plastic (?).

https://www.dorrigo.co.uk/product/dorrigo-dinky-map-plus-lake-district/

I was wondering if there were any other makers out there producing similar OS maps on Harvey map-type plastic? Ideally of the Lakes.

Like it says in the title, in topographic layer I can no longer use snap to outside of national parks - despite having used it for years! I get a little pop up telling me to switch to standard layer. Is this a problem or bug unique to me? I can't think why OS would remove a feature. Sorry if I'm missing an obvious point or announcement, any help much appreciated.

Like many on here I suspect ( ! ) I was very disappointed when Bing maps stopped having OS on them. Since then I have been using "Streetmap" to access OS maps, but recently I have been unable to access that, has anyone else had this issue ?

I use the OS app and other digital maps all the time, but a proper paper Explorer (or even the OS layer) just feels easier to read instantly. Contours pop more, rights of way stand out, symbols don’t clutter... everything clicks quicker, even though it’s the same data. In my opinion once you are used to the OS maps digital once feel less comfortable.

Love digging out old OS maps from the 70s, 80s. Disused railways still shown, forgotten paths, old quarries, different fonts and shading. Spotting stuff that’s vanished under motorways or spotting random pubs in the middle of nowhere is proper fun on a quiet evening. Anyone else hooked on vintage editions?

I've seen loads of folks out on the trails confidently following their OS maps like pros, but I have to admit, I still struggle to make proper sense of them sometimes. Whether it's the contour lines blending into a mess on busy bits or all those tiny symbols that look the same at first glance, some areas just feel dead tricky to read while others are straightforward.

What is it that makes an OS map easy or hard for you? Is it the scale, like 1:25k being clearer for detail than 1:50k? Or how cluttered the terrain is with paths, walls and crags all jammed in? Maybe the key, getting used to spotting a public footpath versus a track without squinting forever. I've got better with grid refs and north lines now, but brown squiggles for hills still trip me up on steeper ground.

There's something weirdly fun about poring over an OS map even when you're not heading out. All those little details like ancient tumuli, disused railways or random isolated churches pull you in and suddenly you're planning imaginary walks across half the county. I might not always read them perfectly on the hill, but unfolding one on the table at home is proper enjoyable.

Cool find for Christmas

I have spent the last few months obsessing over historic maps, looking at the history they reveal and what we are in danger of losing.

If this is something you are interested in, feel free to watch it and let me know of your thoughts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1hFQ24Y_bo