New here and thanks in advance for advice. Can't wait to get the application forms on September 17th for my son Liam and I. Question: Is it best to use the OS Explorer maps (430/431 for example) and/or the digital map subscription? We will have Garmin 42S GPS and need suggestion on best downloadable maps. Thanks again. Dara, Ottawa, Canada.

A warm welcome to the Challenge.

OS Landranger maps (1:50,000 scale) are widely held to be the walkers’ best choice, giving the best balance of detail and coverage. There are also available a selection of “British Mountain Maps” published by Harvey maps in association with the British Mountaineering Council at 1:40,000 which give a slightly different level of detail and can be very useful.

I think the vast majority of Challengers use some kind of electronic/online mapping, which is particularly useful in planning routes and calculating heights ascended and distances covered. There are several to choose from: my favourite is MemoryMap and I know Viewranger and Anquet are also very popular. A lot of mapping is available online – I would recommend Bing maps, where you can toggle between maps and birds-eye views.

Many Challengers carry a GPS device, or use the GPS capabilities on their phones, but it is a good idea to always have paper map and compass - that is never going to go wrong or run out of batteries. I don’t know how well you know Scotland, but there is very variable mobile reception away from centres of habitation and none at all in large areas. People generally carry bought OS maps, or sets of print-outs from their computer maps.

There is a wealth of literature around about Scotland’s landscape and mountains, and usually Mr Grumpy puts a list of recommended books on this board. I am sure many others will come along to give you their recommendations. However, for planning, I would particularly recommend “Scottish Hill Tracks” published by the Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society. This summarises in some detail the main cross-country routes. I would also recommend the website “Geograph”. It has photographs for nearly every 1km x 1km grid square in the UK. They may not always be the view you want, but very useful for getting an idea of what the landscape looks like on the ground, and excellent for looking for campsites! Finally, the “Walkhighlandlands” website has a lot of walking routes and photos.

Good luck with your application and hope to see you next year.

Thanks Emma. I have the book and it is good to know the 50,000 scale maps are adequate. I will look for the OS maps most likely as there is also available the digital maps included in some cases. I hope we get spots for next year and see you there. Current plan is to start in Torridon. Agree entirely on the use of compass and map as essential. Electronics are not as much fun altogether.

Hello Dara

Welcome to the Challenge! Emma has covered pretty much everything very eloquently. The only other suggestion we would make is to look as OSmaps - previously called OS getamap. It gives you access to both 1:50000 and 1:25000 maps for a relatively small subscription. As Emma says most of us use the 1:50000 maps when walking but the 1:25000 can be useful when planning especially when finding a route across farmed areas.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. If you have any problems accessing an entry form drop us an email.

Ali & Sue TGOC Coordinators

Thanks and I am awaiting the october issue (digital) so that I can put in our application. It looks like four of us may come from Ottawa but as always that can change. I think the 25000 maps may be good for going from the south of Ness through the mountains as it is hard for example to find the Burma road and such. Anywhere one might need to be really sure of route tracks or location is where I like to pinpoint things well. I anticipate leaving from Torridon and have already been able to plot basic route for the first few days online which helps.
By the way - do you know the dates for 2016 as I am already looking for flights from Canada.