Why there is no single map
Unsurfaced public roads are recorded in two different places, by two different processes, and neither was designed with the other in mind. Rights of way live on each council's definitive map. Unclassified roads live on the same council's list of streets. A lane can be perfectly legal to drive while appearing on only one of them, and nothing stitches the two together nationally.
That is the whole difficulty, and it is why two lanes a mile apart, identical on paper and identical underfoot, can carry completely different rights. If you want the rules themselves rather than the maps, they are set out in thegreen laning guide.
What Ordnance Survey maps show, and what they do not
OS Explorer and Landranger sheets mark recorded rights of way, and they are the best paper starting point. On Explorer maps the rights of way are green; on Landranger they are magenta. Four symbols matter.
| Symbol | Means | Motor vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| Short dashes | Public footpath | No |
| Longer dashes | Public bridleway | No |
| Dash-dot | Restricted byway | No |
| Line of crosses | Byway open to all traffic | Yes |
Two limits matter more than the symbols. The first is printed on the maps themselves: the representation of a road, track or pathis not evidence that a right of way exists. OS maps what is on the ground and what councils have recorded, and makes no legal claim about it.
The second is the bigger practical gap. Unclassified roads are not shown as rights of way at all. They appear as ordinary minor roads, usually uncoloured, indistinguishable from a farm drive. A substantial share of the lanes people legally drive are these, so a map read for green dashes alone will miss them and a lane you dismissed may have been open all along.
The definitive map
This is the legal record of public rights of way, held by the county or unitary authority. Most now publish an interactive version, and it is the thing a court would look at. It shows footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways and byways open to all traffic.
It is definitive about what it contains, not about what it omits. Rights can exist that have never been recorded, and the definitive map is subject to modification orders as claims are settled.
The list of streets
The less famous record, and the one that answers most of the hard cases. It lists highways maintainable at public expense, which is where unclassified roads appear. Councils publish it, usually less prettily than the definitive map and sometimes only as a document rather than a map.
If a lane is absent from the definitive map, this is the next place to look rather than the point at which to give up. And if it appears on neither, treat it as unestablished and leave it alone.
Digital and community maps
Several county councils now expose rights of way as map layers, and OpenStreetMap carries a good deal of lane data contributed by people who ride and drive them. Community sources are often more current than an official record and carry no legal weight whatsoever, which makes them excellent for finding candidates and useless for settling a question.
The sensible pattern is to find candidates wherever you like, then verify each one against the two council records before you commit to a route. Which networks are where, and how each area differs, is ingreen lanes by region.
Turning a map into a route
Knowing where the lanes are is the first half. The second is linking a handful of them into a day that actually works, which means ordinary roads in between, fuel and food within reach, and some idea of what the surface will be like when you get there.
Overlandi plans across the mix and grades every section from 1 to 10, so a lane is a known quantity before you set off rather than a surprise at a gate. There are profiles for adventure bike, enduro, gravel bike and 4x4, and the plan navigates offline, which matters where the lanes are.
It grades the surface, not the right of way. The two records above are still yours to check.
This page explains how the records work and is not legal advice. Rights change, orders are made and revoked, and responsibility for knowing whether a lane is open rests with the person driving it.
Common questions
Is there a national map of green lanes?
No. Rights of way are recorded county by county on each council's definitive map, and unclassified roads sit on a separate list of streets. No single national map combines them, which is why two lanes that look identical on an Ordnance Survey sheet can carry completely different rights.
Do Ordnance Survey maps show green lanes?
They show recorded rights of way, including byways open to all traffic, but Ordnance Survey states that its depiction is not evidence that a right of way exists. They also do not distinguish unclassified roads, which is where a large share of legally drivable lanes sit.
What do the green dashes on an OS map mean?
On Explorer maps rights of way are green and on Landranger maps they are magenta. Short dashes are a public footpath, longer dashes a public bridleway, dash-dot a restricted byway, and a line of crosses a byway open to all traffic. Only the last of those carries rights for motor vehicles.
How do I check a green lane is legal before I drive it?
Check the council's definitive map for recorded rights of way, then the same council's list of streets for unclassified roads, then current traffic regulation orders. A lane missing from one record may still be legal because of the other, and an order can close any lane regardless of classification.