IGN and other digital 'Zoomy' topo(graphical) maps FREE (we like free)

Wapping

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
Messages
78,765
Reaction score
3,527
Location
Wapping, London
Cut from another thread:

The following is probably too detailed for what you want but thought I'd bung it up anyway in case others find it useful.

It's an online topo map from the IGN (Spanish version of OS). It goes into a great level of detail and I use it for off road routes in the Pyrenees. It's a bit clonky and you need to make sure you have the correct layers on/off but once used to it it's fine.

IGN LINKY

There is another online map which is similar but even better, produced by the Spanish Geographical guys or summit like that. If I can find a link I'll post it up :)

Andres



My computer has gone wappy and I can't open the links to compare, THIS LINK may be the same (it's also from IGN) but it's the map I was looking for earlier - like you say you can spend hours just mooning around zooming in and out of areas :D

Andres

I find the Zoom maps by Michelin make it a lot easier to find small interesting roads. This series https://dash4it.co.uk/145-pirineos-centrales.html

Also, as mentioned, the IGN and ICGC which are the official Spanish mapping agencies for (all of) Spain and specifically Catalunya respectively, have superb websites where you can download maps, plot routes and a ton of other stuff. Both these outfits maintain more than one site and it can be a bit confusing at first but it's well worth poking around to find what you want.

Here are a couple of starter links for you

http://www.ign.es/iberpix2/visor/
http://www.icc.cat/appdownloads/
http://www.instamaps.cat/index.html

I navigate using a phone these days and both outfits provide FOC downloadable maps for use offline. They work very well on my cheapo Nomu S10 Android phone.
 
Riding frequently around the beautiful highways and deserted obscure byways of Andalucía as I do every week, I endorse John's comment above re the excellence of the Michelin "Zoom" series of green coloured highly-detailed maps. There's a baker's dozen of 'em, mainly focussing on coastal areas of the peninsula, plus one for the Baleares. All are much more logical and clear than the Spanish Military's / IGN's idea of a detailed map, which includes loads of data that motorists and 'moteros' like us bikers find confusing.

Spain in general is the worse-mapped country in Europe. Blame it all on that secretive, despotic, murdering bastard Franco. Thank Goodness for the much-maligned Google Maps for the vast time, expense and trouble they've spent in recent years driving with 180 degree roof-mounted cameras on every conceivable road in Spain. Click on the little man in the corner of the map to see a foto of exactly what that particular stretch of road actually looks like in reality.

The trouble is that Spain has seventeen autonomous totally-independent regions and each one can gaily change any road numbers and junction point kilometer distances that take its fancy, in any part of the autonomo that it controls, without any reference to a central database.

So just compare Spain's available printed maps to the hundreds of detailed Michelin maps of France, which is BLACK with roads from anywhere to anywhere and everywhere.

AL in s.e. Spain
 
Last edited:
Nice shout on the Green Michelin Maps. Heading off to the Pyrenees this June looking for some trails will give these a look. Not sure when looking at the map links which color signifies a trail or off road/tarmac route
 


Back
Top Bottom