UKC

Which sheet would you most like to be on? Or to live on?

My top 10, un-ordered, would be:

19 (Assynt)
24 (Applecross and Raasay)
25 (Torridon)
32 (S Skye)
36 (N Cairngorms)
41 (Ben Nevis)
53 (The Carse and the Sidlaws)
97 (Morecambe Bay)
98 (Yorkshire 3 Peaks)
123 (The Lleyn)

You?


PS Spookily enough, I see that if I add those numbers up and divide by ten, my "average sheet" is 53.8... which rounds up to 54... and I LIVE on sheet 54!

Is this perchance the definition of happiness?

In reply to Tim Chappell:

You are a sad man Tim

19 Gairloch and Ullapool is clearly the best of the standard landranger series, particularly if you can also have away days on 25 Glen Carron and Glen Affric

But better still is a sheet the OS custom made at my request (you can do that now, makes you feel important i can tell you). It centres on Torridon, rather than slicing it into a couple of different sheets. At the four corners are Charlestown/Red Point; Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair / A'Mhaighdean; Cheesecake/Lurg Mhor and Beinn Bhan of Applecross. I'd happily be anywhere on that. Sadly i'm stuck here on the edge of 66 Edinburgh instead, but at least on the right side of the Forth

In reply to Tim Chappell:

This thread definitely caught my attention.

I am quite proud to say that I have actually lived within the boundaries of Landranger 123, the Lleyn. Were I to choose another it would have to be no.25, Torridon...or maybe Assynt...or maybe South Skye...

No, final answer: definitely Torridon.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Careful. You are now coming a close second to the man who decided to 'collect' every point in the UK with a grid reference of 000000

Third is a guy nicknamed '09' whose claim to fame is that he followed the '09' grid line across the Lakes from West to East.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

And, for sentimental reasons, I'd possibly go for 98 although it hasn't got much gritstone on it.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Landranger 123 Lleyn is probably my sentimental favourite, 135 and 109 close behind.

Mike Parker wrote a book called Map Addict - subtitle 'a tale of obsession fudge and the ordnance survey', think obsession is definitely the right word. Worth a read if you spot a copy.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Well I already live on 97! Some combination of 19, 24 and 25 would suit me well I think.

In reply to Andy Say:
One of my climbing partners collects 'white holes'. You can't find them on many Scottish OS maps, but there are a few in places like south Lincolnshire.

So, I am not quite the saddest of the sad

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Gotta be honest, not done 1:50 for a lonnngg time! 1:40 rocks!

In reply to Tim Chappell:

19 all the way!

In reply to Tim Chappell:

I've always been fond of isle of arran. All fits nicely on one sheet. I am happily on 64, current centre of the universe and pretty good for getting to prettier maps!

In reply to Andy Say:



Two Degrees West by Nicholas Crane is a good read.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

25, 33 and 40 are probably my favourites. It's a mixture of the areas covered and the quality of the cartography, which seems to vary from area to area, but is only particularly obvious where there's lots of rock.

25 has Torridon, Strathcarron and the Mullardoch/Monar wilderness on it.
33 has Knoydart, Glen Elg and Glen Shiel - got to love the area around Arnisdale and Loch Hourn
40 is Ardgour, Loch Shiel, Loch Morar and all those fun places.

There are areas further north that I rate just as highly, but for some reason the maps don't inspire me as much as the ones above. 26 is also of interest for local stuff.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Any sheet that combines the pale blue of sea and loch, with some added bonus points for the inclusion of Isles or islands. The combination of the graceful concave/convex contour lines culminating in sharp ridges, summits and dramatic coires. For the uninitiated lots of unpronounceable, un-decipherical names. Little or no roads. I've ever been aw that good with numbers but Sheet Highland Scotland would be ma choice

In reply to malky_c:
33 probably has more crag-hatchings and fewer roads marked on it than any other sheet--that makes it certainly one of my favourites.

I wonder which our least favourite OS 1:50 sheet is. I think I like them all--you always find something good/ intriguing, even on the least promising ones--and I'm a real London-lover so I can't just make the obvious jibe. But I collect the sheets, and aim eventually to own all of them, and I suspect the last bits of that jigsaw will be around Birmingham...

Post edited at 09:21

In reply to Tim Chappell:
Bing maps takes a little bit of the novelty out of it, as you can just scroll to anywhere you like for free in an instant, including Birmingham, and you never need to buy the sheets you don't need. (mind you, it is extremely handy, and I nearly always have it open in a window on my work computer somewhere, for surreptitious route planning).

It can come as a bit of a surprise to see large areas of the country at 1:50,000. On the stairwell in Craigdon Mountain Sports in Inverness (so spanning 2 floors), there is a display of most of the Highlands made up of 1:50,000 maps joined together. It's massive, and much more interesting to look at than a computer screen. I normally hold people up on the stairs looking at it!

In reply to Tim Chappell:

25 is my favourite I think.

64 would be my least favourite.....if I owned it....which I don't.

In reply to kinley2:

Typical Edinburger

In reply to malky_c:

When I'm a millionaire, I'm going to have a library. It will be a slightly odd shape, because the layout of the floor will be determined by a complete set of 1:50K OS sheets, reproduced as it were as floor-tiling.

In reply to malky_c:

I was admiring that very stairwell in Inverness less than an hour ago

In reply to Tim Chappell:



Will you have to paddle out to Harris?

In reply to kinley2:

Good point...

25
As for visiting XX000000s NJ000000 is of course a must visit. There are people out there who collect grid squares.