If you’ve clicked on one of our maps and felt a bit lost, you’re not alone. Interactive maps come with their own language, and if nobody’s explained it to you before, it can feel overwhelming. This is a plain-English guide, written for anyone using our interactive maps for the first time.
This guide applies to all of our maps – the main Art Trail map, the wheelchair-friendly route, our Advent Trail maps, the Poetry Trail map, and the smaller maps found on some venue access guides. They all work in a similar way, so once you’ve got the hang of one, you’ve got the hang of them all.
Getting past the jargon
Talking about an interactive map brings its own technical language. Here’s what the words mean:
Marker
This is the pin or icon on the map showing where something is. Think of it like a flag stuck in the map to say ‘this is here‘. Every venue, bus stop, and toilet on our trail has its own marker.
Clusters
When you zoom out, markers that are close together get bundled into one green circle with a number in it. This prevents the map from becoming cluttered and makes it easier to view and navigate. When you click on a circle, the map will zoom in and the map markers will separate back into individual markers. If a cluster has more than 10 markers inside it, the circle turns yellow; more than 100, and it turns red.
Base map / map layers
This is the background the markers sit on top of, like a street map or a satellite view. If you see a stacked-squares icon, it means you can switch between different styles.
Pop-up
This is the box of information that appears when you click on a marker (it could include the address, links, or other useful details).
What the icons mean
Each marker is colour-coded and features an icon or number so you can tell what it represents at a glance, for example, a venue looks different from a bus stop, which looks different from a toilet, and so on. Exactly which icons appear depends on which map you’re looking at, since not every map shows the same things.
Main Art Trail map
Venues
(yellow, numbered) location of the art trail venues.
Mural trail
(yellow, letter M) locations of murals, public art, and any live mural painting.
KAT letters
(yellow, letters KAT) location of the giant Kirkstall Art Trail letters.
Activities
(light orange) locations of activities, workshops, and demonstrations.
Information point
(orange) location of the information point.
Bus stops
(red, bus) location of nearby bus stops.
Train stations
(red, train) location of nearest stations.
Bike parking
(bright green, bicycle) location of bike stands.
Car parking
(bright green, letter P) location of car parks.
Toilets
(light blue) location of toilets.
Food and drink
(bright pink) recommended places for food and drink.
ATM
(blue-purple) nearest places to take cash out.
Other maps
Advent venue
(teal, Santa hat, numbered) used on the Advent map, locations of windows, the date window is revealed
Advent star
(teal, Santa hat, yellow star) used on the Advent map, location of bonus supporting windows.
Wheelchair-route
(yellow, wheelchair) used on the Wheelchair-route map, location of accessible venues.
Poetry Trail
(teal, numbered) used on the Poetry Trail map, location of the poems.
Directions
(light pink) used on venue maps to mark the start of the journey.
How you find out what a marker means varies a little from map to map.
- On the main Art Trail map, look for an icon that looks like two squares with pins on it clicking it brings up the full list of categories shown on that map. Each has a tick box, so you can also turn categories on and off to see just the ones you’re interested in.
- On other maps, such as the Advent Trail map, there’s no toggle icon. Instead, what each marker looks like is explained directly on the page, just next to or below the map itself.
- The smaller venue access guide maps don’t have a key at all, since they usually only show one or two types of marker, the venue itself and the starting point.
Whichever map you’re looking at, the icon graphic above shows every marker we use, so you can always check back here if you’re not sure.
How to use our maps, step by step
- Zoom in and out. Use the + and − buttons (or pinch to zoom on a phone or tablet) to see more or less detail.
- Move around. Click and drag (or swipe) to pan across the map.
- Click a marker. A pop-up box will appear with more information about that spot – tap anywhere else to close it.
- Click a cluster. If you see a coloured circle with a number in it, click it to zoom in and split it into the individual markers grouped inside.
- Show only what you want (where available). Click the markers icon (two squares with pins on them) to bring up the full list of categories on that map. Choose “none” to clear the map, then tick just the categories you’re interested in – handy if you only want to see, for example, toilets or bus stops. Smaller maps, such as individual venue maps, won’t have this option since there’s less to filter.
- Go fullscreen. The fullscreen icon (four arrows pointing to the corners) expands the map to fill your screen for easier viewing. Click it again to shrink it back down.
- Switch map styles. If you see a layers icon (three stacked squares), you can switch between different map backgrounds.
- Reset the map. The home button returns the map to its original zoom and location.
- Using a keyboard? Tab to the map to select it, then use the arrow keys to pan, + and − to zoom, tab to move between markers, enter to open a pop-up, and esc to close it.
If an interactive map isn’t working for you, don’t worry – the main Art Trail map is also available as a downloadable PDF, and paper copies are often available at venues and our information point. Some venue access guides also include their own smaller map to help you find harder-to-spot entrances.
Any questions about our maps, or anything else about visiting Kirkstall Art Trail? Just get in touch – we’re always happy to help.