Atlas for United Kingdom
Nov 25th, 2008, 11:10 AM
#1
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Atlas for United Kingdom
Planning a trip to UK in May and will be doing a lot of driving. I would appreciate recommendations for a driving atlas--one you have actually used and found to be good.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Nov 25th, 2008, 12:35 PM
#4
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I have an Ordnance Survey Atlas of Britain and it is fabulous - muchmore detailed than AA one, which i also have and is good enough.
But OSurveys also have footpaths and lots of other landmarks on them that most atlases do not
But for general driving i think the AA atlas is fine and perhaps easier to quickly pin down where you are as you drive.
But OSurveys also have footpaths and lots of other landmarks on them that most atlases do not
But for general driving i think the AA atlas is fine and perhaps easier to quickly pin down where you are as you drive.
Nov 25th, 2008, 12:39 PM
#5
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Sounds like AA would be best for us. I assume that BAM or Brentano's, etc. would carry them? I am familiar with AAA, but not sure what AA is. Will find out though. Thanks fellow travelers!
Nov 25th, 2008, 01:05 PM
#7
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most maps/atlases in the UK are good quality. in addition to AA there is RAC which is also popular driving atlas brand.
A to Z and Ordinance Survey are generally used when more detailed maps are required (e.g. every street in a city or even more detailed for hill walking, etc).
AA and the RAC (as organisations) are like the AAA but much better.
A to Z and Ordinance Survey are generally used when more detailed maps are required (e.g. every street in a city or even more detailed for hill walking, etc).
AA and the RAC (as organisations) are like the AAA but much better.
Nov 25th, 2008, 01:07 PM
#8
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AA is the Automobile Association. Several organisations (RAC, Collins, A-Z) publish good road atlases, it's down to personal taste as they differ in detail. If you can wait until you get to a motorway service area it's usually possible to a good atlas for very few pounds.
Nov 25th, 2008, 02:13 PM
#9
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auleen:
We favor the Michelin spiral-bound, heavy-paper road atlas (Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, England and Ireland...all in one). Been using it on several trips since we got it in '95..before that we used the sketchily detailed AAA maps...what a difference!...The Mich is so easy to use, and as detailed as you probably want it. Navigator can just rest it on her/his lap, and with a spiral-bound, can fold to the pages you need. There are numerous city maps, too.
stu t.
We favor the Michelin spiral-bound, heavy-paper road atlas (Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, England and Ireland...all in one). Been using it on several trips since we got it in '95..before that we used the sketchily detailed AAA maps...what a difference!...The Mich is so easy to use, and as detailed as you probably want it. Navigator can just rest it on her/his lap, and with a spiral-bound, can fold to the pages you need. There are numerous city maps, too.
stu t.
Nov 25th, 2008, 02:26 PM
#10
Any of the widely available road atlases will be fine. AAA, Michelin, AtoZ, OS - any of these or many others.
But they will all be very expensive in the States. If you can wait until you are in the UK - they will cost a fraction of what you will pay at home.
Just about every news agent, book shop, garage, petrol station, and motorway rest area will have more than one variety in stock.
I probably have 10 or 12 by at least 6 different publishers (I buy a new one about every couple of years because they do tend to get dog eared w/ a lot of use) and all have good points and maybe an annoyance or 2. Not much real practical differences for the one or two time traveler.
What ever you do - do not rely 100% on a GPS. There are stories nearly every week in the UK press about luckless tourists and lorry drivers who have been stranded in farm yards and other weird places by the friendly female voice of their GPS.
But they will all be very expensive in the States. If you can wait until you are in the UK - they will cost a fraction of what you will pay at home.
Just about every news agent, book shop, garage, petrol station, and motorway rest area will have more than one variety in stock.
I probably have 10 or 12 by at least 6 different publishers (I buy a new one about every couple of years because they do tend to get dog eared w/ a lot of use) and all have good points and maybe an annoyance or 2. Not much real practical differences for the one or two time traveler.
What ever you do - do not rely 100% on a GPS. There are stories nearly every week in the UK press about luckless tourists and lorry drivers who have been stranded in farm yards and other weird places by the friendly female voice of their GPS.
Nov 26th, 2008, 04:40 AM
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I've driven in the UK both with a map only and with a map/GPS combo (used the sat nav, but double-checked on the map) and I recommend this option.
While using the map in the countryside is fine, the roundabouts/bypasses etc can be a bit of a nightmare if you don't already know where you're going - the satnav takes a bit of the pressure off the navigator.
If you already have one, you might be able to load UK maps onto it, otherwise generally your car-rental company will rent them (alternatively, you can buy a lower-priced unit - if your rental is for more than a few days, it might actually work out to be cheaper - ours only cost £90 as opposed to the £110 a rental would have cost).
While using the map in the countryside is fine, the roundabouts/bypasses etc can be a bit of a nightmare if you don't already know where you're going - the satnav takes a bit of the pressure off the navigator.
If you already have one, you might be able to load UK maps onto it, otherwise generally your car-rental company will rent them (alternatively, you can buy a lower-priced unit - if your rental is for more than a few days, it might actually work out to be cheaper - ours only cost £90 as opposed to the £110 a rental would have cost).
Nov 26th, 2008, 05:31 AM
#12
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like others I have used the AA road atlas which has been very good.
www.theaa.com
has a great route planning area which I have used often. very good for working out how long a trip will take you.
www.theaa.com
has a great route planning area which I have used often. very good for working out how long a trip will take you.
Nov 26th, 2008, 03:20 PM
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We bought the Michelin road atlas. Combined with the detailed directions we printed at
http://www.theaa.com/travel/index.jsp
we got to our various destinations without getting lost very often.
Lee Ann
http://www.theaa.com/travel/index.jsp
we got to our various destinations without getting lost very often.
Lee Ann
Nov 27th, 2008, 03:40 AM
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I agree with Janis, buy one when you arrive. The WH Smith (newsagent/bookshop) at the airport will have one or more probably several. That way you'll know you have one as up to date as possible. (The large road atlas publishers like the AA tend to bring out a new one each year.)
Nov 27th, 2008, 06:28 AM
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I tend to use online sites when planning driving trips in Europe. It's hard to plan a trip unless you know how long it takes to drive from Point A to Point B. www.multimap.com is great for England, not so good for Scotland. I've also used the AA site: www.theaa.com (good for B&B's also) and the Royal Automobile Club: www.rac.com.
Then we have a driving atlas we bought in London for on-the-ground info.
Aside: I bought a fancy PDA with GPS for our trip to Scotland; loaded in all the addresses of the B&B's where we were staying. It worked OK at home when I checked out proposed routes. As it happened, the SD card with the additionally purchased map of Western Europe was defective; it conked out once we hit the ground. So no GPS. I played games occasionally though.
Then we have a driving atlas we bought in London for on-the-ground info.
Aside: I bought a fancy PDA with GPS for our trip to Scotland; loaded in all the addresses of the B&B's where we were staying. It worked OK at home when I checked out proposed routes. As it happened, the SD card with the additionally purchased map of Western Europe was defective; it conked out once we hit the ground. So no GPS. I played games occasionally though.
Nov 27th, 2008, 07:11 AM
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Hi auleen
I recently bought a Philip's Navigator Britain atlas. I like it a lot, especially that I got it at Half Price Books for $8.00 and it's a current issue.
However, it is very heavy and I will not be bringing the whole thing to England. I am using it for planning right now and will copy some pertinent pages to bring along. We will also use a GPS and will buy a map in England if we find we need it.
I recently bought a Philip's Navigator Britain atlas. I like it a lot, especially that I got it at Half Price Books for $8.00 and it's a current issue.
However, it is very heavy and I will not be bringing the whole thing to England. I am using it for planning right now and will copy some pertinent pages to bring along. We will also use a GPS and will buy a map in England if we find we need it.
Nov 27th, 2008, 02:13 PM
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We use the "Great ZZ Britain Road Atlas". We bought it on our first trip and have used it for every trip. It's spiral bound and you can find it at www.a-zmaps.co.uk. You might be able to find it on-line or we got it at a gas station the second day of our trip. I would recommend finding a map as soon as you can. It will make driving in England so much easier. Kathie
Nov 27th, 2008, 04:30 PM
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Many supermarkets, bargain bookshops etc stock a particular edition of 'AA 2009 Road Atlas Great Britain and Ireland' for something under £2($3). Maps themselves are the same as £5-£7 editions you find in motorway services, fuel stations and WH Smith (book retailer), but has simpler binding and fewer extras, such as town plans. New edition comes out every year around October.
Nov 27th, 2008, 04:44 PM
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<i>Author: hetismij
Date: 11/25/2008, 04:41 pm
Given GPS systems fondness for sending folks down dead end farm tracks in the UK (if you can believe the newspapers anyway) a good map is always a good thing to have.</i>
That's a pretty broad generalization to lay on a technology that comes in about 900 flavors. The fact is that there are extremely good GPS systems, extremely crappy ones, and every gradation of quality in between.
I have used Microsoft.com/AutoRoute all over Europe with no issues whatsoever. Auleen, if you'd like to try it before you buy the latest and greatest, I'd be happy to send you a spare copy of the 2005 version I don't use any more. Email me at yahoo. My username is paristransfers.
Date: 11/25/2008, 04:41 pm
Given GPS systems fondness for sending folks down dead end farm tracks in the UK (if you can believe the newspapers anyway) a good map is always a good thing to have.</i>
That's a pretty broad generalization to lay on a technology that comes in about 900 flavors. The fact is that there are extremely good GPS systems, extremely crappy ones, and every gradation of quality in between.
I have used Microsoft.com/AutoRoute all over Europe with no issues whatsoever. Auleen, if you'd like to try it before you buy the latest and greatest, I'd be happy to send you a spare copy of the 2005 version I don't use any more. Email me at yahoo. My username is paristransfers.
