ORPA

What is it?

Ordnance Survey maps at the Landranger (1:50,000) and Explorer (1:25,000) scales show rights of way that are on the definitive map on the date stated in the key. They also show routes described as ‘Other Routes with Public Access’, often spoken of as ORPAs.

How does it work?

The Ordnance Survey asked highway authorities for details of routes in their areas that should be shown as ORPAs in the last century. Generally, ORPAs were routes that were on the list of streets maintainable at public expense but not on the definitive map, which highway authorities thought would be usefully displayed to the public on OS maps, perhaps to show connectivity to other routes.

Constraints

It is unclear whether any updates are applied to the ORPAs currently shown on the Ordnance Survey maps.