The open source maps are quite good. I have one for my GPS unit although I confess I haven’t updated it lately. The problem(s) with them are a) the data is only as good as the contributor who originally entered it, so if they happened to wander off the actual track then what appears on the map won’t be correct and b) they don’t show the field boundaries in the way that the 1:25000 OS map does, so you can’t check which field you’re supposed to be in. In bits of the landscape which aren’t walked very often it can be hard to tell just by looking at the ground, unless you have Tonto-like tracking skills of course. Things can be even worse if it’s dark and/or the weather’s bad.
I got an annual sub to the OS mapping app (which admittedly is a lot worse than ViewRanger) with access to 1:50k and 1:25k maps ( you have to download in tiles) for £8 worth of Tesco vouchers.
If you can afford ViewRanger map prices then the app is a lot better
I carry a paper OS map with me when I’m out - it loads faster than electronic ones and it covers maybe a hundred times the area without having to scroll, which is handy if I want to identify something which is more than a mile or so away. Also the battery life is much better. But a large screen electronic version is easier for small jobs when I’m sitting at a desk.
Always! We spend 2 weeks every month in the Lakes and spend a lot of time on the Fells. We’re on our second round of the Wainwright’s. Paper maps, torches and compass are a given. But when you want a quick check or confirmation of grid location these online maps can be a useful backup.
We were up Bowfell year before last trying to find the second peak and got hit by a massive storm in November. Got off track on the way to Esk Pike and the OS 50,000 app quickly got us back on track.
I’ve got a Garmin GPS which I use if I need to know where I am. It has real buttons and carries on working despite being dropped into streams. I’ve found that when it’s been raining hard enough for long enough the touch screen on my Samsung phone becomes hard to use. That said, the paper maps are not always at their best then too.
I’ve got one of those too. It’s good for location, altitude and such but the screen is too small for any map stuff. When you are up a hill in a serious storm I’ll take everything I’ve got.
Google has a policy of dumping support for anything that fewer than 10% of users deem worthwhile. I’m not sure it’s a great long term strategy, but they’ll probably be fine
I did the same with Amazon last night, 6 different people on the chat line and none of them were able to solve the issue. One and a half hours of my life wasted.
I am now dropping Amazon like a brick, as the prices have rocketed and the service is now shit. eBay, local shops and Discogs it is.
