Map(s) of Wales

[mcallaghan]

The OS Survey maps look like they'd be great, but I'd need about a dozen of them to cover the areas of Wales I will be touring.

What I'm ideally looking for is a map with all the roads and points of interest/camp site locations. Does something like this exist or do I have to get a dozen or so maps to get that sort of information?


I'm planning on leaving my laptop and GPS at home this go around, travel a little lighter because of it (will have camping gear, which is heavy enough). I do have the Sustrans NCN 8 Maps but want something a little bit better then those.

[Tail End Charlie]

OS do 1:175000 scale maps for North and South Wales which are good. They are called tour maps and mark the roads and many campsites. I presume it won't mark all of them, but it's a good start and I tend to use smaller ones and they're on. They don't appear to mark drovers roads and tracks.

[raybo]

If you have an iPhone, I'd suggest the Pocket Earth app. It lets you download maps for use off-line. It works with the phone's GPS to show you where you are on the off-line map (that is, no data connection required).

I just finished the Lon Las Cymru (NCN8) and used the Pocket Earth app. It was much better than the maps, since I could see where I was. Also, you can decide what points (layers) to show on the map. In addition to roads, it had cycling and walking trails on it.

I used it in the UK, Germany, Italy (hiking), and in the US. While the maps take up a lot of space, they are very detailed.

Highly recommended but it is only available on iOS devices.

[Tigerbiten]

Take a couple of relevant pages out of a £1.99 road atlas and just mark in where the campsites are by hand.

[beicmelyn]

I have in the past used the OS tour maps and they're ok but lack particular details like contours which Wales has in abundance and means that on occasion you end up on some horrific roads, the A475 is one in particular out of Lampeter to Newcastle Emlyn, my god those hills!!!
When I had my shop I had numerous cycletourers asking for alternative routes as they where using 'pages out of road atlas' and were finding themselves on busy trunk rds which are plainly dangerous. This is when I started to advocate the idea of 'buy, donate or swap maps' as you go along, also means that you pass info. on either through conversations or writing notes on the map itself.
I never rely on electronic maps, especially as having connections to mountain rescue I'm aware of the faults and reliance on power, and due to the geography of Wales GPS sucks the life out of batteries.

I will add DO NOT use the A470 between Cardigan and Aberystwyth it's a lethal section of road, heavy fast traffic and narrow, a total 'mare of a road.

[Richard Fairhurst]

See if you can get hold of any 1970s/early 1980s Ordnance Survey quarter-inch or half-inch maps of Wales. They're ideal touring maps, and rural Wales hasn't changed much! The quarter-inch series covers the whole of Wales in two sheets (South Wales, and North Wales with Lancs): each will set you back about £4 from Abebooks, eBay or map dealers.

Sustrans has a new series of pocket maps which now cover the whole of Wales. They're not quite as pretty as the older single-route series but they're very practical. You can get the whole set for £20: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/shop/route-m ... wales-pack

[mcallaghan]

Trying to avoid bringing my phone as well (I live in the US) due to the international charges etc. I think I can pickup a prepaid phone for cheap in case of emergencies? Or count on my mate who lives in the UK that is going to come with me on having a phone. I do have a GPS (Garmin 500 I think) but it has a battery life of 8 hours before needing a charge, and I am not sure how frequent I'll have access to electricity while camping most nights. I got away with it in Ireland as well (but did have my Laptop + GPS and did the B&B thing the whole time).

Those CycleCity Wales maps look pretty decent and at that price, much cheaper than the other options I've seen. Something to give me an idea of what is around the route, potential hills, campsites, castles, etc.

[Vantage]

Philips Navigator at 1:100,000 has been recommended on this and other forums for years because of their clarity. Just rip the pages out that you need.

[Miles_Back]

+1 for the Philips Navigator atlas for any touring in the UK. I use mine in conjunction with a Garmin Edge Touring GPS

[Flinders]

Trying to avoid bringing my phone as well (I live in the US) due to the international charges etc. I think I can pickup a prepaid phone for cheap in case of emergencies? Or count on my mate who lives in the UK that is going to come with me on having a phone. I do have a GPS (Garmin 500 I think) but it has a battery life of 8 hours before needing a charge, and I am not sure how frequent I'll have access to electricity while camping most nights. I got away with it in Ireland as well (but did have my Laptop + GPS and did the B&B thing the whole time).

Those CycleCity Wales maps look pretty decent and at that price, much cheaper than the other options I've seen. Something to give me an idea of what is around the route, potential hills, campsites, castles, etc.

My American friends get prepaid phones when they come here. In fact, I think they arrange it from the States, but not sure how they do it. I think you can PM me, if you want me to ask them how.
Good luck with your trip.

[mcallaghan]

Will do a bit more research on my trip this week. I suppose I really won't know until the spring, when I fully load up my bike and do some training rides. Will figure out where to cut weight etc once I do that.

[Norman H]

mcallaghan wrote:

The OS Survey maps look like they'd be great, but I'd need about a dozen of them to cover the areas of Wales I will be touring.

As an alternative to carrying lots of bulky OS maps, have you considered a digital mapping package.

Memory Map, here in the UK, currently have them on offer (£50 for the whole of the UK at 1:50K) http://shop.memory-map.co.uk/acatalog/maps-ordnance-survey-landranger.html

It comes on a single DVD and includes the OS road atlas at 1:250K. Compared with the cost of the equivalent paper maps it's a very good deal.

The 50K maps and bundled software are great for planning tours on your PC and when you've decided your route you can print paper copies, A4 size, of just the sections you need. They also sell waterproof paper on which to print your maps. For a lot of tours the 1:250K map will be sufficient.

The maps are licensed for use on more than one device and if you have an android device there is a free MM App available.

[Mr.Benton]

Sustrans has a new series of pocket maps which now cover the whole of Wales. They're not quite as pretty as the older single-route series but they're very practical. You can get the whole set for £20: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/shop/route-m ... wales-pack

I used this series of maps in the summer when cycling from Cornwall to Worcestershire. I thought they we good, the quiet roads were highlighted and hills shown. Not quite as clear as OS maps but I managed to navigate using them without problems. They don't show campsites but I manually marked these on. The maps aren't printed on waterproof paper so a map case is certainly recommended.