Before you can add a route to TrailWise you only need to know just a few basic facts about it. Firstly you should decide exactly what you are going to enter! Bear in mind that a lane or path may run from one tarred public road to another tarred public road, or to a junction with another way. It may also have junctions or crossings with other ways. The general rule is to enter a way from a junction with another way or road, to another junction (or dead end).

TrailWise stores the information in units called 'Tracks', which run from one significant point to another. Take a simple case of a lane from one tarmac road to another, with a second lane branching off. In TrailWise, that first lane would actually get recorded as two 'Track' segments, because the junction is a 'significant point'. Think a little about how or if your new entry should be segmented in this way, and plan how you will enter the segments.

The most important piece of information that you need to know is where the track is. You will be asked to enter the start and the end National Grid Reference (NGR) for both extremes (see 'Map Refs' FAQ). The 'start' is considered to be the most westerly or southerly end, but don't worry too much.

Additional you will need to know how this lane fits into the rest of the highways and byways network. You add this information by stating what is at each extreme of the track - a tarred public road, a dead end or a junction with another lane. Finally you need to know how the lane is shown on the latest version of the Ordnance Survey LandRanger map (see OS 'Get-a-Map' website).

You should also make sure you know the grid refs of any junctions that occur with other lanes along the length of the lane you wish to enter.

As the endpoints and/or junctions may already be known to Trailwise in connection with other ways, you might like to use the Search features to see if they are. It's good practice anyway, as some ar all of the way you're proposing to add may already be known. The Google Map tool is useful for this.

As well as the above, you may wish to enter additional information -although this is not necessary in order to add the lane to TrailWise. Additional information includes the Highway Authority, Road Name, details of Obstructions, Problems or TROs, a description of any Historic Evidence and general comments about the lane.

You should also split your intended entry into track segments at a 'waypoint' where significant civil status changes occure - this might be a crossing of a county boundary (so the highway authority for the two sections would be different) - or perhaps a change of actual status ( a BOAT becomes a normal county road).

Don't worry if you don't have this supporting information to hand, it can always be added later