Ukraine maps, which ones?

At some point, they will be as obsolete to many as the telegram is.

Look at the famous ‘Knowledge’ demanded of the London taxi driver. They carry the map of London, all but completely in their head and a tatty A to Z or AA map to SE England under their seat. But anyone, with a GPS can today have more ‘knowledge’ than them, extending all the way to Helsinki, Lisbon or Rome, just at the touch of their iPhone.

Very true; meanwhile Romania / Modova & Poland maps are now winging their way to me to join the mountain of other maps I have already!
 
I am reminded of the story of Alexander the Great in BC whatever it was.

He was approaching a city which he wished to conquer. On hearing that a local man could draw a map of it, Alexander ordered that the man be brought to his tent. Alexander ordered the fellow to draw the map, which the fellow duly did. Alexander then had the map drawer killed, he (Alexander) now possessing the only map and any potential enemy now incapable of reproducing it. Valuable things, in the right hands.
 
How about mailing Stanfords & asking them to suggest maps - based upon your usual style of map

Apologies if already suggested / done
 
I should imagine that Stamfords have better things to do. Or, at least I hope they do.
 
Keep it going

Great thread and thanks Wapping for starting it.

My GS is garaged near Idilevo in Bulgaria, waiting for me to start off eastward via Ukraine etc to the ‘Stans....as it has been for 18 months since I left it there “for a few months”.

So Northern Jock and others please do continue to share your thinking, I love to learn from others (and already bought quite a few maps in Stanford’s of the ‘stans).
 
The maps I ordered have started to turn up.

a7969dad7de0801909c666db73d34921.jpg


The first four are of Poland, though I am awaiting the arrival of the map for the south east. I have had the opportunity to compare the differences in detail given by the red 720 ‘Whole of Poland’ map at a scale of 1:700,000 and the orange ‘Poland in quarters’ maps, for example the 557 SW Poland map, at a scale of 1:300,000

To make a more meaningful comparison I tried to photograph the same area each time, being that between Katowice and Częstochowa.

1. Red 720 at 1:700,000

d607f7ca44850506348ab10078f062a4.jpg


2. Orange 557 at 1:300,000

24c1a1eff2a3c04684f19d485760b1d6.jpg


As is easy to see and not unexpectedly the second, map of just one quarter of the country at a more intimate scale is clearly the more detailed, particularly when it came to finer detail within the city of Katowice itself. That being said, I’d probably rely on my GPS or phone to find specific addresses in any city or large town..... or a more detailed local ‘city’ map. The orange map is also ‘busier’.

Both maps have a pretty extensive index of places, along with their map references. The orange map, again not surprisingly, has many more, simply as it deals only with one quarter. I’d probably cheat a bit and Google the place name, find it on my iPad and then run my finger across the map. This would help, particularly for places with different spellings.

461bf3a9d2bf8cd664b7e7a7072b68d9.jpg


As usual, it’s horses for courses. The orange quarter map is great if you are in that segment of Poland and want some detail but useless if you are looking to get deep into another segment. The red map is great if you don’t mind sacrificing a bit of detail in exchange for seeing all of the country in one go.


PS The sharp eyed amongst you will notice one fairly fundamental and important difference between the pictures of the two maps. An entire motorway has appeared linking the two places, running north past the airport. Lots more detail but missing an entire motorway! Similarly, the E75 designation has moved, from the old main road, across to the new A1 motorway.

Bods decry updating GPS maps. This shows what can happen if you don’t. I have my grandfather’s motoring atlas, which doesn’t show the M1 and my father’s London A to Z, which doesn’t have the M25 on it. I have though used both.
 
That brings back memories. We flew into Katowice to attend a wedding in Kielce.

Navigating by map brings you closer to the experience of traveling. Otherwise you just follow a line on a screen with little interaction with your environment like towns and road signs for a start.
 
A trip ,,,, is not a proper trip ( to me anyway ) without maps ,, looking at them before you go and of an evening when your away is all part of the experience :thumb2

I could probably lay claim to be the poorest navigator on here though :D
 
That brings back memories. We flew into Katowice to attend a wedding in Kielce.

Navigating by map brings you closer to the experience of traveling. Otherwise you just follow a line on a screen with little interaction with your environment like towns and road signs for a start.

I fully agree!
 
Navigating by map brings you closer to the experience of traveling. Otherwise you just follow a line on a screen with little interaction with your environment like towns and road signs for a start.



Following a magenta line on an electronic map (ie a GPS) along a bespoke route that you’ve created (probably from a map) is the same as following a line drawn onto a paper map with a highlighter pen. One is analog, the other digital. I liken it to medicine: One way is to swallow a pill, which is quite slow to work. The other is to inject it, which is quite quick. The end result either way, is near enough the same.

Me, being me, will have my maps and my GPS device. I have paid for them, so I might as well use them.
 
I’ve used printed maps since I was a child and have over 50 on various bookshelves.
I still pick up a map and read it like a book but also use a satnav mainly for city addresses though my satnav is running on 8 year old mapping still.

Favour Michelin maps but like most of you pick up local maps from garages and hotels.
 
Do they still teach how to read a map in schools?

I remember having it drummed into me at school and copying the symbols by hand into my Geography book. Tracing paper also came in useful. That we were also tested (and subject to much public admiration or humiliation or worse) on what we had learned on a regular basis, was another factor, I guess? A simpler, pre-digital time and well before kids were given the luxury of dropping subjects they didn’t fancy. I blame the teachers!
 
Do they still teach how to read a map in schools? I remember having it drummed into me at school and copying the symbols by hand into my Geography book. Tracing paper also came in useful. That we were also tested (and subject to much public admiration or humiliation or worse) on what we had learned on a regular basis, was another factor, I guess? A simpler, pre-digital time and well before kids were given the luxury of dropping subjects they didn’t fancy. I blame the teachers!

I recall several years ago in my school that every year 7 child was given a localised OS map and their next few geography lessons were taught how to read the map and then were taken on a walk to identify the various features (not many mind in flat Lincolnshire).
Unsure whether this was a curriculum-based lesson or just our school.
 
What is ‘Year 7’?

We went fourth form, lower fifth, upper fifth, lower sixth, upper sixth. The few clever boys then went to university, some even up to Oxbridge.... most of us didn’t.
 
What is ‘Year 7’?

We went fourth form, lower fifth, upper fifth, lower sixth, upper sixth. The few clever boys then went to university.... most of us didn’t.

Year 7 reckon are the old second form? The newbies.
I was a secondary modern boy (though we did learn Latin)
 
Need to start a "show us your map collection" thread


I was just thinking that, adding in books, articles, maps on paper napkins lifted from restaurants..... I need an excuse to tidy all mine up (and not for the first time, nor the last).,,,,

In the meantime, Stamfords have said the Ukraine maps are on their way and I’ve written to the author of the book, The Ravine, to see if she would be kind enough to fill in something about the town the book revolves around..... as it is in the middle of nowhere. It’s the book and a long seated desire to see Kiev that sparked the whole thing off.
 
Following a magenta line on an electronic map (ie a GPS) along a bespoke route that you’ve created (probably from a map) is the same as following a line drawn onto a paper map with a highlighter pen. One is analog, the other digital. I liken it to medicine: One way is to swallow a pill, which is quite slow to work. The other is to inject it, which is quite quick. The end result either way, is near enough the same.

Me, being me, will have my maps and my GPS device. I have paid for them, so I might as well use them.

I don't like drawing lines on my map. Another trick with the Garmin GPS is that when you are off route it will ask to recalculate. I have come to learn to cancel that recalculation and then I can just enjoy trying to link up with the magenta line or picking another route to intersect with it. That is where the paper maps comes in. I'll stop now. It is off topic.
 


Back
Top Bottom