Curious if anyone still uses paper maps or keeps them as a backup source these days. I did a short video on the topic after a friend handed me a paper map with routes highlighted for a bike trip he did.
Yes, me. They’re much, much better for planning longer rides as one can see more of the country than on a screen. I do use base camp for plotting routes for the sat nav and sharing with others but I do still like a paper map.
I always use maps for planning a route, so much easier and more satisfying than trying to do it on a screen. If I'm travelling to an unfamiliar area I usually carry a map like Traveler as a back-up.
No phone, No APPs, no GPS, no Sat Nav, no TFT (whatever that is), so I have to use a map, otherwise I'd get lost
As @Pegscraper above but also.... A paper OS map for a new location offers so much more information than simple route finding. Often a look at 1:50k or 1:25k will result in ideas for days out or points of interest. Waterfalls, swimming spots, motorhome stopovers etc.
I use MyRoute-app for route planning and then download them onto the satnav for use on the bike. I do carry paper maps as back up though.
As far as hill walking goes I also actually enjoy navigating with a paper OS map and my trusty Silva compass, no batteries required!
Here's part of one of my paper maps framed and mounted on the wall. This one is quite large and behind glass hence the unavoidable reflections. Temple Newsam 1935, they even drew individual trees on the map in those days to signify woods..
For the benefit of those less local than some @Gary Morgan et al and just for general interest. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Newsam
Old county series OS map. I use them in work and overlay over the latest OS every day. Useless for plotting biking routes though. LOL.
I do use Google maps but you can't beat sitting in a hotel room at night after a long day on the bike with a cold beer working out where your going the next day
I'm either driving (occasionally riding) for work or riding / driving for pleasure / leisure both in the UK and across Northern Europe for holidays. For pleasure / leisure: Always paper maps first when planning a route and on route. They tell you so much more about the area you're riding through, use no power and have no requirement for tech geek knowledge / skills to use or understand. I've tried programming Satnavs / phones after devising a route on a map and its just to difficult. The easiest Satnav I've found to use in conjunction with paper maps is the Beeline, whose symbols are very close to the old direction notes I made and fixed to the top of my tank bag back in the 1980's. On our European tours, Mrs RevPaul (equipped with maps and road atlas) is a far more accurate, flexible and responsive satnav than any technology I've come across. The problem now with that technique is that local councils are assuming we all use satnavs and so road signs and street names are disappearing. For work: Satnavs (for me); they're really only useful for A - B journeys in the quickest or most direct manner.
satnavs are great for finding a specific address in a town or city, which I used to do with work. Modern satnavs allow you to put the house number in so are very accurate. Maps are best for planning and plotting routes on but bugger all use on a bike if you have to keep stopping to put your glasses on first!
Are you even really using a map if it doesn't involve a compass?!! Kidding aside, using a GPS if I need to be at a given destination at a given time and also useful for traffic updates/ road closures etc. If not on a schedule, then paper it is! When towing, GPS was also good as it incorporated restrictions etc.
Good post. I meant to mention the point on power or no requirement of power, in the video. Which is important. We've all been at that point where your battery, on whatever device, is about to die. Others have said the Beeline nav is pretty awesome. I'll have to check it out.
I alway carry a small map in my rucksack......no sat nav.....I use a combination of a road map and or Google Earth on my PC to pre plan my route.....GE......very very useful. I then draw my route on a sheet of A4 paper. I can fit a sat nav if req....but to date have never needed to....I find you never really know your position if following blindly. I have to laugh when I hear tales of folk who end up 100s of miles from there destination...due entering the wrong details.
Paper map for planning route. Google maps or sat nav to know exactly where I am on that map at any given time.
I have an extensive collections of paper maps, most are waterproof, as a serious previous mountaineer that is all you need, apart from the skills to use the said map and compass. I do have the connectivity on my machine but only use it for the go pro function.
