11/14/2025
Today a dull post got me thinking about the British countryside, Trig points and Ordnance survey (OS) maps.
Let me explain. Before I moved to Canada, I used to sojourn in the UK (in the extremely dull town of Stockport) and one of my dull hobbies was hiking - and before the days of cellphones, Google Maps and other newfangled technologies, my trusty companions on these hikes were a compass, a mapcase (with attached whistle in case I needed to referee a football game en route) and an Ordnance survey (OS) map (occasionally 2 if my destination was on the edge - on the edge geographically speaking, not from an excitement perspective).
And one of my guilty pleasures was the acquisition of OS maps - and the studying of such maps for planning purposes.
Having travelled to other parts of the world, I can honestly say that the OS maps in the UK are the best in the world with so many helpful symbols. There is nowhere else where one can distinguish a church with a tower from a church with a steeple without ever visiting the area - a shocking yet true fact that people don't realize.
I collected many maps during my time in the UK and have attached a photo of a selection - and I am wondering what are people's favourite maps and map symbols - and why? And I am also open to hearing from people in other countries as to why their maps are superior.
Male, 57, follicly challenged, wannabe cartographer, (often overuses parentheses), and a fan of the Oxford comma
