All ride organisers try to mark their routes as clearly as possible, BUT every ride suffers from marker vandals, people who deliberately remove (or worse re-direct) markers for whatever reason. And every rider gets lost sometimes, even on the best-marked routes. So it is very important to be able to read your map, and ALWAYS follow your map as well as the markers.Reading the map might seem difficult at first, but like everything practice makes perfect.
Types of MapYou will usually get a black and white map with your ride pack. You are strongly advised to go out and buy a colour OS map, either Landranger (1:50000 scale), or Pathfinder or Explorer 1:25000 (more detailed). Pathfinder maps are currently being updated to Explorer, which are the same scale but cover larger areas, and may be double sided. Contour linesEvery 10 metres on 1:50000 maps and 5 metres on 1:25000. Learn to recognise the shape of hills - is it a steep slope (lines close together), or shallow one (lines far apart), is it a round hill with an obvious summit or a plateau. Don’t forget hills restrict your sight - you can’t see a church on the far side of a hill! SymbolsAll maps have a key down one side - make sure you know what all the symbols stand for. Some of the most useful are: |
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churches - with a tower (top), spire (middle). Churches without either (bottom)can be harder to spot, as they can just look like normal buildings. | |
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pylons (1:50000 top, 1:25000 bottom) are a great way to navigate. They are easy to see from a distance and run in straight lines so you can get some idea of direction. | |
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rights of way(red 1:50000, green 1:25000) should be signposted on the ground, so look out for them, particularly when you are on the road. | |
| Forests can be very hard to map read through. In plantations, forestry tracks tend to move, so don’t expect them all to be marked on the map, or all the ones on the map to exist. Look out for any streams, lakes or houses you may pass or any pylons you can see. | ||
| Schools are usually marked as Sch, and in rural areas telephones and pubs (PH) may also be marked. Single farms often have their names on the maps - a good way to pinpoint your location exactly.
When on road, is it straight, or does it have any sharp bends on, to the left or right, are there any junctions you have to cross? |
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