Merestone shows the UK's environmental and heritage designations - SSSIs, ancient woodland, priority habitats, listed buildings and 90+ more layers - on a fast native map for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, streamed live from official open data.
Need help or found a bug? Email leonfigueira@gmail.com, or use Send feedback in the app's Settings, which fills in your app version for you.
A layer says it's waiting for zoom. Dense national layers hold back until you zoom in, so the map stays fast. The pill at the bottom tells you how many are waiting - tap Show anyway to force them at any zoom.
How big is "Download everything"? About 2.4 GB all told - the Habitat Network and Priority Habitats inventories are most of it. Use Wi-Fi and leave it running; you can also download just the layers you need, per layer.
Does it cover Scotland and Wales? Yes - designations from NatureScot and Natural Resources Wales are built in alongside the England layers, and site-name search covers all three nations.
How do I get the Watch app? Open the Watch app on your iPhone, scroll to Available Apps, and install Merestone. On your wrist it shows the habitat you're standing in, or the nearest designations with distances and grid references.
My location isn't showing on the Mac. Allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services, then click the location button again.
Is this the same data as the government sites? Yes - Merestone streams from the same official services, live. It's an independent app, not affiliated with Defra, Natural England or the MAGIC service, and boundaries should always be verified against official sources before professional reliance.
Merestone has no accounts and no tracking. See the Privacy Policy.
Merestone is made by Leon Figueira.