[Openstreetmap] Sucky sucky OS maps

[David Cantrell]

One criticism often levelled at efforts like Openstreetmap is that
cartography is as much an art as a science, and that knowing what to
include what to leave out; which features to emphasise and which not to;
which colours to use - to do this well takes a great deal of skill and
experience.

Pity, then, that the dumb bastards responsible for the OS's "Outdoor
Leisure" maps of the Lake District decided to go with bright purple
lines a couple of millimetres thick to denote the boundary of National
Trust-owned land, completely obscuring the roads, footpaths, bridleways
etc along which those boundaries run.  It is not easy in some cases
to determine whether a footpath coming towards such a boundary, touching
it, then appearing to leave it was just a bend in the path or a
junction.  Likewise with minor roads, whose yellow colouring is
completely washed out by the useless bright purple boundary.  This makes
it Quite Hard to plan a route, and if you can't tell people which route
you're following when walking across the fells at this time of year that
is dangerous.

Thankfully, there was a hand-drawn and photocopied map stuck on the
noticeboard of the Youth Hostel we were staying in, which was much more
helpful.  So much for professional cartography.

-- 
David Cantrell