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For The Love Of Maps— And Why I Still Use Them
I used to spend my holidays walking with my father in the Lake District. A mountainous — and very wet — part of England.
It was the only thing we did together, and I loved it. We would either camp by one of the lakes, Windermere, Coniston, or Buttermere. Or stay at my father’s friend’s B&B in Troutbeck.
If you’re not from the UK, these may sound like names from The Hobbit, but they’re real. Read Beatrix Potter if you’re not convinced.
We would get up early-ish — my father was never one of those dumb military types who sets out at five in the morning when it’s still pitch black outside. And over breakfast check our route on OL4, OL5, OL6 or OL7.
They sound like manuscripts from Lord of the Rings. But they are actually 1:25000 scale maps of the UK produced by Ordnance Survey — The UK map agency.
Growing up, these were better than pornography.
Look at those tightly packed curves of Long Crag. The sexy Caribbean-blue of the lake. The suggestive names: Lyulph’s Tower, Rosscombe Rigg, Bernard Pike. Look! There’s even a phone box. Remember them?
