Paper Maps

Prefer the A-Z books, got a van full of them for those inopertune moments when my Garmin, iPhone and Android fail me at work.

 

I favour OS Tour Map series - the blue ones. Not sure they're still printing them but you can still buy older editions.
Ordnance Survey Tour Maps – ukmaps.co.uk
They're brilliant for planning bike touring routes because they're massive but detailed physical maps that show full landscape features so you get a good idea of what the area you'll ride through will look like.

I've planned rides throughout Scotland using one of these. It opens out about four foot square on a table and allows you to plot a route across a extensive area while still seeing all the detail. Unlike digital mapping apps which are like looking at the landscape through a letter box with detail disappearing as you zoom out. I find that disorientating. I'd far rather see the whole landscape in one go on a large paper map.

I'd never be without one on a tour. I'll plot a ride using the paper map and then either load the route into my sat-nav using via points or simply follow hand written directions in the document window on top of my tank bag.

 

I bought one of these plastic ones. Using a map because I had not got round to fitting the sat nav.

Heavy rain in Champagne-Ardenne was making map reading difficult - luckily came across one of these plastic ones in a shop.

 

I love looking at old maps and recently came across a website run by the National Library of Scotland. It has a facility to load two maps side by side. Recently I have be looking at a map from 1820 of England/Scotland/Wales alongside a modern satellite image. What is great is your cursor on the satellite image is reproduced on the older map.
https://maps.nls.uk/os/