OS Motoring Atlas of Great Britain

OS Motoring Atlas of Great Britain, 1993 Edition. Ordnance Survey, in conjunction with Hamlyn. £8.99 (spiral binding); £6.99 (perfect binding).

Having rallied in many parts of the world, I reckon I have reasonable knowledge of what maps are available where, and how reliable they are. Right on top of my list of preferences is Ordnance Survey’s 1:50,000 Landranger series which replaced the old inch-to-the-mile maps some years ago. I have used these (and still do) for rallying, flying, finding shortcuts and escaping from traffic jams, but if you’re travelling a long way you also need something which gives you the overall picture of your route, to supplement the more detailed coverage over several sheets each 25 miles square. Ideal for this purpose is the Ordnance Survey Motoring Atlas of Great Britain, the 1993 edition of which became available last September. Based on completely updated digital mapping, it covers the country in 55 double page spreads, and there are many other pages of town plans plus an index of 20,000 place names.

Central London is given more detailed coverage, whilst the Orkney and Shetland Islands are shown at five-miles-to-the-inch rather than the larger three-miles-to-the-inch used in the bulk of the atlas. Contouring is such that the lines cannot be confused with roads. There is even a guide to the frequencies of national and local radio stations. Although the perfect-bound version is cheaper, my preference is for the spiral-bound version as it is easier to use in the car and can be folded over readily.

G P