Ancient paths

[Dryland]

Thanks Val x

[alun]

LMAO.  Should have known it was you Dylan,  nice one.

[the-BANGOR-citizan]

Get a current OS map and a copy of the same area on the first edition OS map and see how many footpaths have disappeared in the intervening 180 or so years. 

[Val Beechey]

I always find it difficult to correlate the information between old and new, some major changes in some areas.
An area I have been looking at is an example.  I now have 3 points of ref. on my area so what I do is get Google Earth up then minimise it and open another window to 'Vision of Britain' and have the map out as well. Then start comparing.
Last night,  I looked at the old map, which showed a Farm on the east side of a road/track but it's on the west side on modern map and Google. Looking more closely I suddenly realised the road had been moved.
What I find interesting is the number of 'dead end' tracks that are still showing. If you look closely enough, on Google, you can usually make out double hedges, which were the old tracks  went to buildings, now long since gone. Very often they lead to small enclosed fields or grown over patches.
On Google you can drag down the little man for a road view. Now that's even more interesting. You get more of an idea of the lay of the land and what it looks like now.

Val

[the-BANGOR-citizan]

I am also amazed at a lot of the dead end roads in my area Val according to the tithe map lead to common fields which were all gobbled up by the Enclosure Act in the 1830,s. Very productive sites Roads that lead to nowhere. 

[Da Monkey]

Www.old-maps.co.uk is an old favourite but printing them off is not as easy as it used to be. Worth getting a Google aerial shot and marking on with a pen anyways so you can follow it better when on the ground...

PS. You could borrow my dog but you'll have to feed him...

[Dryland]

Thanks for that Andy, as for the dog, couldn't you feed it first before I borrow it ?

[Da Monkey]

If you wait till the postman's been he'll have had his fill...