Where has the OS gone?
Looking at the example of the new club site page in the 2019 Site Directory as shown in the current club magazine I see that they have now omitted the OS Grid reference from the site details and are only quoting the GPS Lat & Lon figures. This is another snub to those that maps & don't use Sat Nav etc.
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I've never applied myself sufficiently to get to grips with OS references. OS references also presuppose having an OS map for every area you are ever likely to visit.
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Along the hallway and up the stairs
Like most we do not use them to navigate anywhere, in the old days a road map, nowadays google maps and a sat nav. We do have some for walking but like others pointed out you need one for each area you are visiting to be of any use.
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Not the case. For a modest yearly fee I have an App that gives me access to the full UK on 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 OS maps. I can even download or print sections for use offline. The App has a locate function, simply put in the reference and it takes you straight to the location on an OS map of your choice.
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While Sat Navs can be useful. OS co-ordinates are a foolproof method of pin pointing campsites and road junctions. For walkers and climbers, mountain and landscape features can be navigated easily using OS co-ordinates..
The proof is shown by the idiots who cannot, or are too lazy to follow maps and find that they are taken on to inappropriate roads and wrong locations by their total reliance on their Sat Nav.
The ability to use both forms of navigation in an intelligent manner is the way to ensure that you always accurately know where you are going. There are Apps where it is possible to print out OS maps of the area you need -- No need to buy loads of OS maps nowadays.
K
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Years ago I used Ordnance Survey maps and I may have mastered how to work out a grid reference but if I ever had that skill it has long gone. I am no longer able to go on long cross country hikes so really have no need for OS maps. In fact the only ones I now tend to look at are those in Club site information rooms. As far as getting from A to B is concerned I always use a satellite navigation system loaded with POI's which are easy and straightforward to use. I acknowledge that this might be more difficult if you are looking for a remote CL although if you have the GPS location it should work OK. Perhaps these grid references are hidden somewhere else on the page?
David
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Don’t worry Nellie, some of us still use OS grid references. Friends of ours were out cycling, remote area, no phone signal. One had a very nasty accident, required local mountain rescue to get to hospital. OH did what could be done, then walked to get a signal. Grid reference supplied ( after ascertaining that the individual giving it really did know what they were talking about!) whole rescue carried out with ease and accuracy.
We have just bought an OS map for young relatives who are doing Three Peaks. We shall help them understand it over Xmas
it has free mobile download as well. So best of both worlds, reality and virtual.Maps to me are as interesting as reading a book. We use grid references to pinpoint CLs as well.
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I am still a fan of OS maps and grid references for locating positions, particularly when out walking but also to locate points of interest when touring. I think it's a shame if the club have decided to dispense with them (presumably they are still there on the website entries?) , but I'll simply hang on to my existing copy of the handbook if that's the case.
As for buying maps, absolutely no need, for me anyway, since they are readily available at our local library.
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I absolutely understand the need for outdoor activities such as walking, cycling etc. however who ever navigated to a site using one? We never have even before SAT NAV, it was follow directions and use a road atlas. I know loads of people are now going to say that's all they use but I think the majority do not and never have done.
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It just beggers belief how dumb the population at large are now becoming!
It could put lots here, but suffice to say that they have been omitted as the new generation of traveller explorers are frightened by them as they do not (i.e. will not) understand them, and The Caravan Club themselves are so frightened of anything that might put people off becoming members. Remember the name change fiasco?
A couple of weeks ago I was looking at a map - as in a paper 1:50000 O.S. - when the six-year-old daughter of a friend came in. She was curious as to what it was, and absolutely fascinated by the detail as I explained the symbols and colours. When she asked about the grid lines I thought we might be getting into difficulty, but she herself asked if they were like the cracks between the tiles on the floor in her classroom. Apparently her class had done a project about locations, based on floor tiles, and she was right on to how it worked.
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OS maps for walking, I have my satnav on for navigating to sites but my wife has her OS map open for the final roads in to any countryside CL simply because she loves following a detailed map.
What OS map she hasn't got the library provides, but yes they come into their own for walking but not a necessity for navigating to sites.
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Your wife sounds exactly like me! I too love maps, and OS maps in particular. We have a Garmin GPS with all OS maps on it, which is very useful when going on walks, but give me a paper map any time! And when we go anywhere, I too go to our local library to get the paper OS map, there is something really interesting about studying a map. IMHO
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I also use the map facility from our local library although it is constrained to four maps which can be restrictive on a prolonged tour.
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Invaluable if you use CL type sites out in the sticks, you can check gradients, road widths, low bridges etc..... Look on map, if road goes under a railway line before site, can then take a look on google earth to see if it’s ok height wise to get MH through. I grew up with maps, still use them for walking, cycling, horse riding, and as I say to me they are as interesting as a book. But agree, if Club Sites are your main stay, then not a necessity to get there. We have been to some quite remote CLs, and like to know what’s of interest and worth visiting close. Easy to get out of traffic as well, many’s the time we have gone “cross country” with van and MH.
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I've never used the OS co-ordinates on the sites directory to find a site but I love maps and a good road atlas. We use sat nav occasionally, usually in a big town but rarely in the country.
Yes, maps are great, especially for footpaths and unusual things to see. I've got a favourite map which belonged to a cousin and it traces a special journey to Spain many years ago. Maps tell stories.
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I think it's a shame if the club have decided to dispense with them (presumably they are still there on the website entries?) ,
M, I've just looked now and the OS Grid Reference, and OS Map Number is given on the site's web page when one uses the "View on Map" facility.....similarly with CL's....at the moment I should add.
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We have some special ones, a list of all the Roman historical finds like mines, villas, towns etc..... and one of Ancient History. I think both are still available. The OS mapping of our country was absolutely marvellous, a real feat. Lots of other countries have relied more upon military type mapping, still interesting.
We can usually tell when we are on a Roman road, dead straight for as long as possible!
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I love them too. We have a large collection and keep getting new ones when we visit parts of the country that we've not visited before....there are still a few of those, believe it or not!! The problem with us is that we're away for extended period and don't always know exactly where we'll head so it's difficult to cover all bases.
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We took far too many maps with us last tour, but they don’t weigh much, and we have good storage. You know how old some of our maps are!
If OH suggests a bike ride I am super wary nowadays, check things out on map before I commit. Been dragged over all sorts of bogs and Moors in my time! I do have a favourite map, it is Dartmoor. Shows all the ancient leats, trackways, letter boxes, prison land. We have found some off the beaten track stone circles on Dartmoor, and some great picnic and wild swimming spots. Dartmoor is the only place we have ever been truly lost in the dark on a walk, a bit unnerving.
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I've bought a >Memory Map< licence for the 1:50,000 landranger series of maps. This covers the whole of the UK and you get a road map and a base map of Europe included for up to 5 devices. Its currently available for £45. No need to find storage for umpteen paper maps although I do have a fair collection purchased before the advent of digital maps.
I currently run these on a tablet, PC and netbook and also have OsMand+ on my smart phone. I download the Clubs' POIs convert these to MM format and create an overlay on these digital OS maps. I can immediately pin point sites CLs CSs on the OS maps and zoom in for the detail on any of these devices. No need to bother about co-ordinates.
I also overlay the TV transmitting stations onto the same maps and I used to use it to work out where to point a terrestial TV aerial for best reception.
peedee
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Nice article by Simon Calder in the i newspaper today, stating that Stanfords, that well known Map shop in London, is having to move to smaller premises. This place is a must for any visit we take to London.
There's also an excellent map shop in Upton-upon-Severn, if anyone staying nearby, maybe at the Malvern site.
There have been walkers rescued this autumn from hills who were relying solely on mobile apps. Some people don't want to do the hard work.
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with every map digitized and gps devices fairly cheap there is no reason to cart cumbersome maps around, embrace modern technology
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Agree with you WN re the map shop in Upton I could spend a long time in there, also the county I was born in.
I prefer maps to Sat Nav's OH the technical one ex electronic engineer and did his training at RRE Malvern now Quintic a long time ago.
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The sole use of mobile phones by walkers is a frequent complaint by mountain rescue teams. You do see some with solar chargers attached to walking gear but not much good in the dark!
I think apps are fun but you need back up. Maybe the club graphic design team need to rethink the word "adventure."
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You do also of course need to know how to use the alternative technology (map and compass). Unfortunately you will always get folk who totally underprepare for the environment they are entering.
Bumped into a chap on the top of Ben Lawers a few years ago, in zero visibility. No idea which was the correct way down. No map, no compass, no GPS. He followed me until we got below the cloud base.
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