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Updated version now available.
"Difficult paths" now include both paths with technical difficulty and paths with bad visibility.
Download and install from https://voluntary.nichesite.org - always the latest version for both LoMaps and Openandromaps.

The latest version described above is now available for installation from the Locus store (free).

New versions of the Voluntary themes are now available.
Main points:
– Improved visibility of paths.
– Added option to Hiking overlay to further increase visibility and clarity of paths, especially in mountain areas with close contours, UK crags and 3d shading on.
– Show wilderness huts/alpine huts with permissive access (bug).
– Rationalise the display of bike access on service roads and pedestrian ways so markings are unobtrusive and work the same for both.
– Various other cosmetic improvements to the display.
Download from the link below.

Great. Dropbox support works once again. Thanks.
(Google Drive is still offered as an option when setting up backup from scratch.)

Locus Classic is no longer performing backups to Dropbox since January 2026. Is this something you intend to resolve, or is it part of support having ended?

PS. Google Drive also does not work for backups.

Thanks for pointing this out. What you suggest is what I had always intended but somehow I hadn't noticed it wasn't working.
It will be remedied tonight.

The latest version has some significant changes.
– I've added emojis to style menus to provide visual clues when selecting options.
– Changed caption colours and intensities to help manage visual clutter caused by over-mapping in certain areas. The subtly different colours help to restore a sense of order to an otherwise cluttered map.
– Also altered zoom-appear levels for peaks, emergency access points, parking and some other items for the same reason.
– Added new symbol for customer toilets.
– Despite my best efforts it is increasingly difficult to satisfactorily resolve the differences between OAM maps and LoMaps. Although Voluntary LE continues to work well on both OAM and LoMaps, I have added an OAM-specific theme for Locus.
Everything available from the link below.

OAM users, new maps are out, I initiated the download via OAMs "Map and Poi" button, so a Locus Task managed the download.

But it does it now multiple times. Also after every restart of LM. Download and unpack. Erm wut.
BEWARE

The same happened to me today. I downloaded Great Britain from OAM, generating a Locus action, and while it was downloading queued a download of Spain, which downloaded successfully as did the download of great Britain. When I restarted Locus and started to download elevation data I found that Great Britain was downloading again. I then cancelled the download and manually deleted the temporary zip file.

That does seem to be the way to go. See Emux's post: https://github.com/mapsforge/mapsforge/discussions/1698#discussioncomment-13332663
If I might suggest and if it is possible:
1. Duplicate the protected_area with a different key instead of boundary, lm_boundary=protected_area (say) and inherit all its attributes.
2. Remove all attributes from the first version except boundary=protected_area; do force_polygon=line; and add a new attribute fpl=fpl_yes. This object will be used for drawing the perimeter with no changes needed to current themes. Third party themes can choose to fill this area in (eg) OAM maps but not in LoMaps by testing for fpl=~. If a theme is left unchanged the display is no worse than at present for either current LoMaps or revised ones.
3.  No changes are needed to the copied area. Forests etc will display correctly with no changes in the themes. Third party themes can use the lm_boundary key to fill protected areas in LoMaps if they wish. Again, if the theme is unchanged the display is no worse than currently.
4. The rules become (in outline):

Code Select Expand

rule: natural=wood|forest
  draw fill of wood
/rule

rule: boundary|lm_boundary=protected_area, closed=yes
  rule: fpl=~
    draw fill of protected area
  /rule
/rule

rule: boundary=protected_area
  draw perimeter of protected area
/rule

[EDIT] If Locus uses additional tags to determine the perimeter lines to draw for protected areas, such as National Park, Nature Reserve and protect_class=*, then these would have to remain in the first object (protected_area) and be renamed in the second object (lm_protected_area).

In LoMaps is the protected area  processed with force-polygon-line="true"

Which also means that I can't reliably use a fill for protected areas. Some protected areas apparently remain closed however.

I generated a completely new England map using the latest official Mapsforge writer and reviewed the reported issues.

I can't tell from your screenshot of Summer Leys whether the issue is now resolved. The perimeter line appeared fine before (and still does) but I couldn't do a correct fill with my theme as the area wasn't actually closed. I don't think the internal themes do any kind of fill on nature reserves, so your screenshot doesn't help.
The problem with Everdon Stubbs is more complicated. Not only is the area not closed, but the natural=wood attribute seems to have been lost. It won't even do an incorrect fill of the wood (though it will do an incorrect fill of the protected area). I'm not sure what attribute you are filling in your screenshot. Also, looking at the OSM data, the first node is the same as the last one, which I assume means that this is a closed area.

I've been testing the functionality with old V3 maps.
An old OAM V3 map from 2019 displays perfectly using both the internal themes and external V4 themes. Good.
However I have an old LoMap V3 map from 5 November 2021 of England. If I select that map, instead of showing it Locus displays the latest version England map I also have installed. If I uninstall the newer map, Locus shows a blank map when the older map is selected.
The older map displays perfectly in Locus Classic.

[Areas broken for nature reserves]

Areas broken for nature reserves
Summer Leys nature reserve - https://www.openstreetmap.org/query#map=14/52.26535/-0.70384 is broken in LoMaps.
Using the latest LoMap of England (18 September 2025), the perimeter of the nature reserve is not closed, although it is closed in the OSM data and also on OAM maps.
I have tweaked my theme to show this in orange on the screenshots below.
If I modify the theme to test for closed=yes, the nature reserve does not show, so for some reason the area in LoMaps is not closed.
This problem has existed here in LoMaps for a considerable time.

[Edit] I have since found exactly the same issue occurs with Sherwood Forest NNR https://www.openstreetmap.org/query#map=13/53.20855/-1.08195
Like Summer Leys above, the area is not closed in LoMaps but is in OAM maps, consequently it will not fill correctly.

[Missing wood]

Missing wood
The wood (Everdon Stubbs https://www.openstreetmap.org/query#map=15/52.20507/-1.11537) does not display on the latest LoMap of England (18 September 2025). I have checked it using the internal Hike theme as well as external themes. However the wood is displayed if the latest OAM Great Britain is used.
Using Locus Classic, an older LoMap shows the wood but using the latest LoMap it is not displayed.
The wood is displayed if the online LoMap is used.
It may be relevant that the wood is also a protected area (nature reserve) as I have another problem with a nature reserve where the LoMap version has the area as not closed, while it is clearly closed in OSM and in OAM maps. See my next post.
[Edit] The wood appears at zoom level 11 but disappears at higher zooms with the latest map.

Latest version now available from link below.
Changes: Hide obtrusive gates that are not on paths, tracks etc at low zooms. Improved logic on access restrictions on paths. Improved rendering and legibility of suburb and farm names. Removed a number of persistent bugs.