MAGIC Map

Introduction

Multi Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside. This government sponsored map allows you to view detailed maps of the UK and overlay on them various colored layers of land areas where permission to place caches is required. It is a very useful tool for checking a location. It will also show you information about such areas and may also provide contact information for the particular land owner/management organisation.

The map is primarily for England. Although it does cover Wales and Scotland it doesn't show all the land areas. For Wales and Scotland you will also need to use the Natural Resources Wales (previously the Countryside Council for Wales) map and the Scottish Natural Heritage map.

These are the land owners/managers or types of area where permission is required. These are the layers shown by default on the MAGIC map when opened using the MagicMapIt! link. If you use the MAGIC map directly from it's website you will have to manually select the layers you want. The MagicMapIt! link is much easier!

Each layer shows whether it displays for England only or the whole UK and shows the layer color as it appears on the map.

Landowner/Area	England or UK	Layer color
Local Nature Reserves	England only
National Nature Reserves	England, Wales & Scotland
Sites of Special Scientific Interest	England, Wales & Scotland
Scheduled Ancient Monuments	England only
RSPB Reserves	England, Wales & Scotland
National Trust land	England only
Forestry Commission	England only
Woodland Trust	England, Wales & Scotland

For more information about the organisations or areas, click on the names above. Use your browser back button to return here.

Please note that the MAGIC map is a little slow to load and is frequently updated (often at weekends) with a major update once every month (first Wednesday). During this time the map is unavailable. You can check when updates are due on the Magic website.

The Magic MapIt! link allows you to enter coordinates (in any format) or a post code to display the map with the appropriate layers showing. Your location is shown by the arrow. Click here to learn how to get coordinates from Google maps or Streetmap to use in Magic.

Opening a location on the MAGIC map with the Magic MapIt! link

Click here to open Magic MapIt!. Below is the the main Magic MapIt! screen with examples of the colored layers shown. The location is near Avebury in Wiltshire. Please note the warning about moving the map and using the zoom + and - zoom in and out. If you have moved the map or removed layers and want to get back to the original coordinates and view simply press the Submit button again to redraw the map at the coordinate location.

Understanding the Layers

The layers shown by default are those for which proof of permission is required in the UK. The quickest way to find out what the colored layers mean is to click the Information button (i) on the toolbar then click the cursor at the location your want to check. In the information box that pops up you'll see the layers and there may also be links which give you more detail about that location. In the example below the cursor is on an orange hatched area within a larger greenish area. The info box shows it as National Trust land and a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM). The link for the SAM gives you more details about it.

If the colored layers are too complex you can 'declutter' the map and remove layers. The layers that show by default appear in the Table of Contents with a tick in the box. If a layer has no tick then that land area doesn't require permission. The layers appear in a confusing series of sections in the Table of Contents and each has a different color as explained below.

Table of Contents - Designations
Click the + sign by the name to open that section.

On the left are the layers under the Designations section. Below are the 5 layers showing the color that layer appears on the map.

As shown on the left of the screen, if you click the + it opens up that layer to show you the color. If you then untick the box, the layer is removed from the map screen. Ticking the box brings the layer back again.

There may be a few seconds delay in removing and redrawing the layer when you untick or tick the box.

Table of Contents - Habitats and Species

The Habitats and Species section only contains a single layer for Forestry Commission woodland in England.

Note that only a boundary shows for FC woodland, the layer has no shading. If you are not sure use the information button and click the area to see what is there.

Table of Contents - Land Based Schemes

The Land Based Schemes section contains two layers for Woodland Trust woodland and National Trust land (although it says 'properties' it shows land areas as well).

Below are the layers showing the color that layer appears on the map.

Controlling the Layers

You can 'de-clutter' the map by removing layers. In the initial view of the area you are zoomed in quite far. As you zoom out layers will automatically disappear to clear the map. In the example below of Avebury the area to the right and above the red marker arrow is displayed with multiple layers showing. Using the information button you can see what layers are there; in the case a National Nature Reserve, SSSI and SAM.

If you want to remove the layers you use the Table of Contents, identify where the layer is and simply untick the box against it. In the example below the SAM layer is removed from the screen by opening Designations in the Table of Contents, scrolling down to find the SAM layer and then unticking the box. Note that the layer will disappear almost immediately from the map. If you tick the box again the layer is added back. There may be a few moments delay before the layer disappears or reappears.

If you've been playing around with the layers and are not sure what you are seeing just go to the top of the page and click the Submit button again and the map redraws with default settings for those coordinates.