Don't buy an atlas til you get to the UK. They will be MUCH less expensive 'in country'. They are sold in just about every news agent, book store, garage, motorway service area - and are very cheap. AA, Michelin, Phillips, AtoZ - just whichever one you find.

Can't agree with JanisJ. I lived in England 7.5 years and didn't find anything cheaper "in country". Here is a link from Ebay for a Collins Britain Road Atlas for $8.83 and free shipping. Here is also the link for the same book on Amazon for $17.05 plus free super saver shipping. It has two rating on Amazon and both are 5 stars.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2013-Collins-Handy-Road-Atlas-Britain-by-Collins-UK-Paperback-Book-/380538434953?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item5899dbb589

http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Britain-Atlas-International-Atlases/dp/0007468601/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356155758&sr=1-2&keywords=collins+britain

"Can't agree with JanisJ. I lived in England 7.5 years and didn't find anything cheaper "in country". "

Not quite sure where you looked but one can usually find an AA road atlas for around £2.99 in just about any garage/petrol station/news agent. I have probably 8 or 10 and have paid from £1.99 (in the UK) to over $25.00 (in the States) and everything in between.

Every one bought in the UK was less expensive than any bought in the States (w/ one exception which was a special case)

I looked at the AA Britain website:

http://shop.theaa.com/store/uk-1/aa-big-easy-read-britain-2013-road-atlas-paperback-a3

The big version is 12.99 pounds ($21.01) and the smaller version in 9.99 pounds ($16.18).

The cheapest for the AA Road Atlas 2013 on EBay is $15.02, including shipping to the US.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AA-Big-Road-Atlas-Britain-2013-by-AA-Publishing-Paperback-2012-/200846072745?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item2ec35bdba9

Being a bit of a tightwad, I'd buy the 2009 AA Big version on Ebay for $4.98 total including shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aa-Easy-Read-Britain-2009-Road-Atlas-/390503437084?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item5aebd1931c

Janis is absolutely right - definitely wait until you get over here in England - they can be picked up for a song here. The prices quoted above buying on line are way too high - our last one from a local shop cost £1.99 and is clear and easy to read (and also up to date)
It will also save you the weight in your luggage, and as they are cheap here you can always dispose of it when your holiday is over.
Having said that, once we had a sat nav we hardly ever look at the map gathering dust in the back of the car!

I stand corrected, my apologies to janisj.

When I have been back to the UK I too have found "offers" on maps at every book store/supermarket etc. Do not purchase any at the airport.

I do love my satnav, and also use online maps for planning. To me, though, there is no substitute for a paper map, and I am very particular about the one I choose. You will find a huge selection in any bookstore, and you won't know which one you like best until you browse the alternatives. Wait until you get to the UK.

Agree that almost anything in the UK is not cheaper there - and anything printed is typically twice what you would pay in the US. You may not be able to find what you need here - but look at Amazon or B&N online and you should find something.

I like to buy the map once I get in the country. If there is a difference between an American spelling and the spelling of the country, I'd rather have the map match the road sign. May not be a big difference in the UK but just in case.

I love the old Ordnance Survey or OS maps of England. They have all sorts of interesting details, like farms, old mills. Here's one site where you can look at the maps (as a guest) and buy them: www.getamap.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk

We bought a Michelin road atlas before we left home, but we also printed out directions on AA's website, which we put in a binder and marked off as we drove. The road atlas was useful as we planned our trip, but we got more practical use from our printed directions.

Lee Ann

nytraveler: "Agree that almost anything in the UK is not cheaper there - and anything printed is typically twice what you would pay in the US."

That may be so about some things - but definitely not true about road atlases. They are sold at greatly discounted prices just everywhere in the UK. You can't touch a British road atlas in the states for the prices 'in country'. Plus there is a larger selection to choose from.

I prefer the Ordance Survey Atlas I have - much more detailed I think than the AA Atlas - shows more things and I believe is considered to be the best atlas by Brits? Anyway it is produced by Britain's national mapping agency.

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/250k-raster/index.html

I have several Ordinance Survey atlases/maps and they are very good. But they are also more detailed/expensive than the average casual visitor requires. If one needs that level of detail then the OS are great - most don't.

I'd just buy which ever one is on offer at which ever place you garage/news agent you find yourself.

if you want an OS map for cycling or walking, again i would wait until i got to where I was going - the local ones are usually stocked in local tourist offices and post offices, along with walking guides etc. so that you can be sure to get the one/s you want.

They are frankly too detailed for driving unless you are planning on exploring tiny villages in a very small area.

God, we all are different.

I don't need a map to get round Britain north of Birmingham as I have been to nearly every town.

We do love driving by OS to find little new for corners.

I hate the lack of detail in the US maps we usually find. All the best places are in the fine detail.

For detailed maps of relatively small areas you can't beat the ones you can print yourself from streetmap.com. They're from Ordnance Survey and can be printed in several scales. I like the 1/25,000 scale that gives a clear visual of paths, buildings, roads, landmarks for walking or for just walking around any place you know you'll be going. Small maps of towns and villages and cities, for instance, that may be hard to come by anywhere else in a useful scale for exploring. Change the scale to suit your needs.

A very useful tool on the site is the ability to put in a postcode only and get the exact location on a map of your choosing. One needs to play around with the site to realize the potential. These maps don't replace the ones discussed above but are great additions to them when you want the detail of the large scale OS maps. I often print corners that are just off the OS 1/25,000 maps that I buy so I don't have to buy the adjacent one when I only need a bit of it.

I should add that when I buy maps for trips including the OS maps I like to get them before I go. I find the following 2 sellers have quite good postage rates and excellent service:

guidepost.uk.com
stanfords.co.uk

Wow! I didn’t think that there would be so many responses! We are flying into Heathrow and at this point, I think we are going to Windsor first. I googled bookstores in Windsor and found a Waterstones. I usually do use the Garmin and print out directions, but I like the map to get a visual of the surrounding area not just from point A to point B. My concern about waiting until we arrived was not being able to find the atlas that I wanted, but it sounds like there shouldn’t be a problem. I had read about having the postcodes on these boards in the past, but this was a great reminder. Thank you all!!

Bookstores like Waterstones and WH Smith typically sell only full-price atlases and roadmaps, costing £5 to £10. They may have better bindings and more city plans, but the maps themselves are almost identical to cheap ones you can pick up in bargan stores such as Wilkinsons and pound shops, remainder book stores like The Works and many large supermarkets. Going rate for 2013 edition is £1.99, and often 2012 edition is sold off for 99p.
Typical offerings: http://www.theworks.co.uk/search/road%20atlas?gclid=CMDNmqj4sbQCFczHtAodrGoAqw

That is good to know. You mentioned supermarkets might have an atlas. There is a Waitrose in Windsor. Would they carry them?

Waitrose possibly not as it concentrates on food and household goods. you're more likely to find one at a big Tesco or Sainsbury's.

anyway, here are the contact details for the Waitrose in Windsor [and a website for finding lots of other stores too]

http://www.storelocate.co.uk/waitrose/windsor.html

your best bet is a motorway or large service station - that's where I always buy mine.

There is a branch of The Works - discount bookseller - in Windsor, which is sure to carry copies of £1.99 atlas.
http://www.theworks.co.uk/store/windsor