Maps
 

Where would I find an excellent road map of the Cotswolds if I am shopping in London?

Thanks

OS maps are about the most accurate and detailed available. To get get an idea of the detail, look at streetmap.co.uk and drill down to the 1:25,000 level of detail, this gives you an example of the OS maps which you may purchase from book retailers.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/

From memory, large branches of Waterstones stock OS maps that cover most areas of the UK.

1:25,000 maps are great and necessary if you are walking the footpaths, but are way too detailed and useless as road maps. The road map I have is 1:110,000 and is perfect for driving. It gives you the A & B highways, as well as the single lane, unclassified roads.

Any bookstore / petrol station will have suitable atlases - you don't need OS maps unless you intend to do a lot of walking

OS 1:25k and 1:50k is their range best for walking.
The OS data base is used by Philips to make their range called Atlas and you can get books which cover whole areas or folders for just simple zones. Normally they are in the 1:100k range but being Philips they are imperial sizes and then have expanded town street maps included

Waterstones

While Waterstones, W.H. Smiths and many other bookshops and other places will be able to provide a good map of the Cotswolds, the best place for maps is Stanfords www.stanfords.co.uk/. They have shops in London and Bristol.

Sometimes, the best place to buy local maps is locally, so you might find the most appropriate map for your needs at a bookshop in the Cotswolds, or at a visitor attraction there.

OS maps are detailed but we have always found them easier to use than large scale road maps. I have used them since the age of 5 and read them like some read sheet music. the lack of detail on a large scale book type road map always annoys me. "turn right in such a town" the road map shows one turn to the map when there are actually 15 side streets to confuse matters.

It is also useful to use electricity, rail and canal routes as a point of reference.

but in the end each to their own.

If you love maps- you will LOVE Stanford's Long Acre, Covent Garden London- my favourite shop.