Navigation Abroad

availability of maps

the walk in to the Matterhorn

When walking abroad it is as important as it is in the UK to use a current map of the correct scale.

However you are forced with the choice as whether to source a map before you leave home or to wait until you arrive at your destination before buying.

Buying in the UK :

It is possible to get maps for popular walking areas from outdoor equipment shops and large book stores.

For more remote areas there are a number of specialist map shops

When you buy foreign maps in the UK you must expect to pay a price premium for the import of them. There is also no way of knowing how up to date they are.

Buying abroad :

Usually (but not always) maps are freely available in local shops and are cheaper than in the UK.

(it is hard to get some maps of developing countries both abroad and in the UK)

However if you buy maps abroad you have less planning time than if you had the map several weeks earlier.

a good place to look for maps is one of the many sites on the internet

Borneo

Remember

not all maps are like those
you know and use so often

most maps you buy
will be in meters so this helps
(but remember to check before use)

get to learn the symbols as many symbols are different to those you are used to in the UK

The chances are the "grid" system used will differ greatly from the national grid we are used to

Ireland

Carauntool Hill
the highest peak
in Ireland

Ordnance Survey of Ireland produce both 1: 50 000 & 1 : 25 000 scale maps of Ireland.

The British O/S produces maps of Northern Ireland

Both sets of maps are to the usual high standard.

Western Europe

including
Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, etc.

The Dom
Switzerland

These are readily available in specialist and large bookshops. Maps of these countries are available at both 1 : 25 000 and 1 : 50 000 and smaller scales. Generally they are of a good quality and are accurate.

One of the main differences between continental maps and those of the UK is that continental maps are often shaded to show contour shapes.

Some of the other differences include different colour contours for different terrain (glacier, bare mountain, green areas, etc.) Grid squares are often a lot bigger than those on British maps and are often up to 10 Km. between grid lines, this makes the use of accurate grid references harder to use.

North America

including
Canada

Arches
National Park

As with Western Europe maps are readily available to a good quality both in the UK and in both America and Canada.

As with most western maps, these are to a good quality.

On the US topo maps there are two grid systems used;

1. latitude/longitude (L/L)
2. Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM).

Developing Countries

including
Africa, Asia, South America, Eastern Europe

The Riberra Grande, Cape Verde, NW Africa

Maps of these areas varies from very good and easily available to non existent (some countries governments to not allow maps of there countries to go on open sale).

Although often maps of some popular trekking areas are produced by either the local country or various commercial mapping agencies and are of good quality. Generally (but not always) the more popular the trekking area, the more readily the map is available.

Foreign