use maps?

u05harrisb

do you find using good old fashioned OS maps usefull to show you bridleways and if not what do you use instead/in addition?

Willrideforcake

OS maps are brilliant. They work in any conditions, will happily function under tree cover, don't need batteries, and don't rely on tech. Nothing finer.

bartimaeus

OS maps all the way... I always carry my local OS map in my rucksack. For route planning I tend to use Bing on the computer - but it's the OS view I use.

bike-a-swan

OS- paper maps if have them for the area. I have landranger maps for loads more areas on pc and print off the ones I need.

slowslowslow

You cannot go wrong with a map and compass. I have them for all non trail centre rides even if I have a rough idea where I am going. Very usefull for finding extentions to rides and the al important get outs in case of emergancy.

bennett_346

Bartimaeus wrote:

OS maps all the way... I always carry my local OS map in my rucksack. For route planning I tend to use Bing on the computer - but it's the OS view I use.

+1

bike-a-swan

I keep meaning to buy a laminater. A friend has one and laminates his map printouts at a size he can ziptie to the bars- hey presto, waterproof mapping, on your bars, never runs out of batteries and doesn't matter if you fall off and break it.

u05harrisb

just tried the bing OS map stuff, what color are the bridleways? looks like an awsome idea, i live just on the cut off between 2 OS maps so looking to north of me for bridleways is new and im just trying to figure it out between google maps street view and this bing one WOW!

bartimaeus

On 1:25,000 the bridleways are heavy green dashes, while footpaths are more like squares. The difference is generally easy to see though where you have the overlay diamonds for a 'National Trail' it gets a little confusing.

see:

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsi ... legend.pdf

ravey1981

i use good old fashioned OS landrangers or bikehike.co.uk for online OS mapping and gps planning.

cooldad

I follow somebody with a sense of direction.

mobilekat

We always carry an OS map of the area. its brilliant if you fancy going a different way when out!
Plus if all goes wrong you can give the rescue services a map reference to find you on!!

slowslowslow

'I keep meaning to buy a laminater. A friend has one and laminates his map printouts at a size he can ziptie to the bars- hey presto, waterproof mapping, on your bars, never runs out of batteries and doesn't matter if you fall off and break it.'


Do not know how much they cost, but Zefal do a really nice map case for handlebars. Waterproof and got a card insert to keep things nice and flat.

most national trails have fingerposts so should be easy to follow in real life even if they are not that clear on a map.

Happy Harry

I never go anywhere without the relevant 1:25000 OS map. It's a work of art, the amount of information on it. But some of the areas I ride have farm tracks and forestry tracks that, through years of use, have superseded the rights-of-way which have grown over. So sometimes I get lost or take the wrong track and end up thinking I'm somewhere else.

So I also carry a compass to make sure I'm heading in the right direction and a cheapo GPS which I can fire up to get the co-ordinates of my position, then check it on the map to see if I'm where I think I am. They've saved my hide on several occasions.

Herbie The Dog

OS Langranger map of area being ridden, Garmin Oregon 300 GPS, compass on Suunto Core, good old fashioned compass.

But sometimes it's fun to just get lost!

.blitz

OS maps are da bomb. Can't beat getting the plastic ones out in a storm, plotting an escape route and then running down the hill after the map when it blows away

fletch8928

I too love paper maps. I have been toying with getting a gps thing. I like to ride wherever i fancy and sometimes i can't make my mind up. Left, Right ect ect, it tends to be how i am feeling.

So i am in the middle of the moors, looking at a unventured track and out comes the map. Usually you can see landmarks and you get the big picture of where you will end up. be able to see if there is a trail back or are you going to have to road it back or retrace what you've just done.

I have been known to end up compleltly in the wrong place though.

BorisSpencer

I plot routes using Memory Map and then print off the relevant portions to take with me.
I carry a really simple GPS (Geko II) to trace my route, but it can also display an OS grid reference that I can use to pin point my location on a paper map (invaluable in the dark or fog).

stingmered

Harvey Maps - IMO much clearer than OS for MTB'ing. First came across them for Fell running, and haven't looked back. I still have OS too and they certainly have their place, but Harvey's rock for areas where you might actually get lost!

singlespeedexplosif

OS maps rock. Customised OS maps, centred on wherever you want, rock even more. When we moved house the first thing I did upon getting the call from the estate agent was to order a map centred on the property and spend lots of evenings planning routes with mates, learning all the new trails and finding some stuff you wouldn't otherwise even knew existed.

Happy Harry

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

OS maps rock. Customised OS maps, centred on wherever you want, rock even more

Up to a point. They're great if you're in an area where the standard maps meet but there are a couple of limitations. They don't show the reference code for the grid square (e.g. ST) which could be useful if you're giving a grid reference to the emergency services. But more importantly, they don't show the longitude and latitude co-ordinates so you can't use a GPS to locate your exact position on the map.

So you might only want to use them if you know where you're going. Oh wait ... in that case you won't need a map anyway

BorisSpencer

Two grid references without the letters, that are the same, are at least 100km apart, the emergency services should be able to work out where you are.

Buckled_Rims

I love maps. I bought the maps on disk version Anquet (at the time fairly expensive) 50k of the whole of the UK. I now own most of the Memory-Map 25k series.

I just print out the section I want and either stuff it in my pocket or laminate it. Or, I can (legally) download it onto my PDA.

I'm not sure want the modern today stuff does as I'm still more then happy with my first choice.

Anonymous

I use the phone for tracking but paper OS maps for detail and something I can rely on if the phone dies.

I get the big OS maps in the sales in shops, then photocopy the sections I'm interested in, put into a plastic pocket and stuff it in my bag.

Generally only use them first time out in a new area or if I'm really lost. OS maps are detailed, but they only show bridleways and footpaths. I use them more for a rough idea of where I am and where the big paths and roads are if I need to get somewhere specific.

Actual trails just require either riding with someone who knows them or looking out for signs of trails at the sides of paths. I have a habit now of driving along country roads and spotting things thinking "ooo, wonder if that's a trail!" .

Once I've been around a couple of times I generally know where I'm going. Although I remember the look of places so I may not know the next turning until I've got to it, then recognise it and off I go.

Still find a few places on Leith hill I can lose my sense of direction as trails can wander all over the place there. Tunnel Hill is good at getting me lost too even though it's a tiny place on the map. OS map is no help at all there, though GPS on the phone at least gives me an idea of what I'm near.

Miggins

The sun and the stars. But if it's cloudy, I use the earth's magnetic field determined by the feel of the steering.



Or an OS map