Pennine Way - Map Advice

[Paul87]

Hi,

I am currently planning to attempt the pennine way this summer and am looking for advice on maps. Is it worth taking a full set or are strip maps sufficient? Any advice will be hugely appreciated.

Cheers,

Paul

[kkm]

hi - we used the national trail guides books pennine way north and pennnine way south last year. has the maps and guide all in one. 

[walkinggirluk]

It really depends on your experience with the outdoors and what you feel comfortable and used to.  Landranger  map are pretty useful lightweight plus you can cut the cover of to make them fold down more in your pack....  were of doing the SUW nxt week and have even cut some of the map sheets down to less than half the full map size......   as you don't need the full map....  Guide book are good but I would only use these if I was an experience outdoorys person plus going off path might cause for some concern if you use guide books.....   as it harder to find the path again....  but again it what your used to.....  ME I would say set of maps..... 

[mike knipe]

I'd always go with the maps too. If you lose the route, you can have some problems if all you've got is the guidebook.  (Although I'd probably take the guidebook as well if its got interest value)

Some people, who have lots of money, have been known to slice up the maps so that they only carry the bit that they need for the walk , plus about 10km either side.  This would save quite a bit of weight on the PW.

Peeps who have mapping software, of course, only print off and laminate the bits that they want, and so save even more weight.  The trick is to take just enough to cover yourself from wandering off route.

[walkinggirluk]

Cheers Mr K narrowed it down to a tee...  My thoughts as well, like you said mapping sortware is good only if you can afford this stuff....  We've been thinking about investing in it as it dose save time, money and energy in the long run....  We've cut are maps down for the SUW to save weight...  Plus if you are doing it alone once you've finished with the map you can post them home...  I would post a couple at a time to save money on this as well.  There a p/office at middleton in teedale for posting thing's that you don't need..  NOT only maps but other stuff that you thought you might have needed but didn't....  I think its swings and round abouts with what you go for.....   

[tonyk]

 I would have to agree with KKM,the guide book is quite detailed and is quite adequate for most sections of the route.The only sections where you might need a full map are Cross Fell and the first section of the Cheviots to Lamb Hill.A lot of the route has been paved thus making navigation quite easy.The route now goes around the perimeter of kinder rather than across the plateau.The route from Black Hill is via Wessenden.Both these routes are easy  to navigate.Places where you are liley to get lost, such as the approach to Greenhead,South Tyne Valley to Alston,etc,are better navigated with a guide book description that a 1:50,000 map.

[Paul87]

Cheers guys,

Just found out my dad has some mapping software so should be able to get enough stuff off that. If not will be the maps.

[kkm]

hi - we used the national trail guides books pennine way north and pennnine way south last year. has the maps and guide all in one. 

erm, ok we also had a gps with us just in case....i think it came out about 3 times, and once was on kinder when we got a bit off track in the mist  ......we were novices - this was our first proper walk.

have also thought about photocopying maps (in colour) and using those for short walks.

[titaniumdude]

I'd say it depends on how lost you think you'll get on the way.  I've known of folks who took a GPS and a guide book only to find that the GPS was useless in pinpointing their position without a proper map.  I carried trimmed OS maps, but it does not feel right ripping the cover off a map and taking a pair of scissors to it.....no matter how many times you do it.  I've never used a Harveys, but know folks who love them.  There are a few sections where it is easy to lose your way and drift beyond the bounds of the strip maps in guide books though.

[mike knipe]

It certainly takes nerves to start cutting up a new map! - The other point about cutting maps up and using the map in conjunction with a GPS is to make sure that when you're dismantling your map, you leave on the grid numbers and you know the grid letters - and the points at which they change. There's not much point in knowing a grid reference from a GPS if you can't find it on your map cos you dont know where the grid numbers are!

I usually just cut the maps in half - then I've really just got 2 smaller maps. It cuts the weight by 50% plus a bit for the cover - this can be significant on, say, the TGO where you'd have to carry 7 or 8 maps.

[Ridge]

have also thought about photocopying maps (in colour) and using those for short walks.

If it is short walk in an area that you are not regularly in then this is a good idea.

I think that if you borrow the relevant hard back OS map from your local library and then colour photocopy the relevant bit (few people can walk futher than A3 in a day) you are probably infringing copyright laws. So make sure that you do not do this

[Muso]

A late post so you may have already done the PW by now, but it's worth bearing in mind that an option to cut down on weight, if carrying maps, is to post ahead to Post Offices using the Poste Restante service. We did this in 2006, collecting a couple of maps at a time and returning ones we'd used. I liked having the full maps, for interest and to put our locality in the context of wider landmarks.

[Bimbler]

I'm starting the Pennine Way soon, and the way i am getting round the problem is taking the set of three Harvey's maps which cover the entire trail. they are like normal map sheets (weatherproof as well) but they have on the sheets several smaller maps - different sized and shaped boxes, which seem to provide plenty of cover. I don't know from experience because I haven't been yet, but they look really good and i got all three plus a DVD on the Pennine Way for about 40 quid.
http://www.harveymaps.co.uk/acatalog/Pennine_Way_South.html [nofollow]
Personally I would no sooner cut up a map than I would tear pages out of a book!