Promotional walking maps to encourage visits to the Blackwater Valley in Hampshire
Requirement
Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust, in partnership with the Sussex Community Rail Partnership, had a requirement to produce display boards to promote local walks in the Blackwater Valley in Hampshire. This was part of a ‘Rail to Trail’ initiative to encourage people to use the rail network in order to explore the Valley and reduce their carbon footprint. The requirement was defined as an overview map and four larger scale maps, each centred on a railway station to show access to the walks. Each of the four station maps was to be laid up on a board to be placed in a display cabinet with information about the surrounding area.
Solution
Lovell Johns engaged with the client via meetings and phone calls over several weeks to understand their specific requirements. The promotional maps needed to emphasise the ‘green lung’ that the Valley represents within a relatively urban environment along the North Downs Line and also to clarify the links with public transport. OS open data was restyled to make a base showing the arterial roads, also stations and rail lines relevant to the walk area. The green area along the Valley and major waterways were highlighted and a 37km riverside path shown in a bold red line to emphasise the route and its proximity to transport links. We then laid up the maps with text and photographs to create display boards to be located at each station.
Result
The display boards will be erected as soon as Covid-19 restrictions permit and it is hoped that these maps will encourage visitors to the Blackwater Valley to explore the surrounding area. Chris Smith, Trustee of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust, was happy with the resultant display board designs: “I would like to express my personal gratitude and the thanks of my BVCT colleagues, to you and the Lovell Johns team, especially Clare and Louisa, for the help and expertise throughout the whole process.”
