cant think what anybody did before sat navs ,mobiles etc !!!

.......... just ask your local search and rescue team .........

I used the Satmap for my recent c2c, using the rechargable battery, on average I was getting approx 15 hours + out of one full charge, when I didn't have charging facilities I used the supplied battery holder (satmap plus) with Energiser Lithium batteries they are more expensive than the Duracell but last a lot longer, shop around and you will get them at a good price I paid £5.49 for a pack of six and will never use any other type of battery again www.eurobatteries.com

Harland...... the Satmap is expensive but this is a perfect example of "you get what you pay for", I will never go into the hills again without it (plus map & compass just incase things go wrong)purchasing the Satmap Plus gives you acess to the satmap route planning / sharing software as wellas the power pack, hence the extra cost but well worth it.

Be a good boy and you never know, Santa may come early for you.....buy and enjoy.

TLW

I so fancy one of these but it is the cost of the maps putting me off now. I had a quick look on EBay and I see the odd map becomes available. Has anyone built up a collection of the key ones off there, i.e. C2C, Snowdonia, Peak District, Lake District, Clwyd, Shropshire?

If I knew they became available cheaper every few months it would sway me into investing and building the collection.

Look at buying a site centred map covering the area(s) that you visit the most. I bought one centred on the Tebay service station (as you would). This gave me virtually all the Lake District (minus the extreme west), the Dales as far north as the Roman wall (almost), south as Skipton and east as Harrogate.

Yes, it was expensive .... many pennies, but it covers the vast majority of the north of England at 1:25000 and 1:50000. I have no real use for any others areas except the North York Moors which I bought separately.

They will, I am sure, become cheaper with time and a secondhand market will build up. I am also sure that some enterprising fellow will set up a swap shop. Now ... there's a thought!

How much are the site centered maps? (I couldn't see them on Sat Maps website) Sounds a good idea

They are on the SATMAP page under "custom mapping". Try
http://www.satmap.com/ukstore/index.php?cPath=80_98

However, before you look at the prices, have a stiff drink, make sure that nothing is breakable nearby and send the wife out of the room.

I THINK I paid about £130 but then I saved on buying the Lakes and the Dales cards plus gaining some extra areas in the high Pennines .... my favourite stomping ground. For me a good investment.

On your Christmas list however ......

Just checked on my mapcard (a 90km x 90km one as they didn't offer the larger ones when I got it). It covers ENNERDALE yha to Marrick on the C to C and Gargrave to Slaggyford on the Pennine Way. Buying the 110 x 110 km would obviously add further to these distances.

What I did was to get an atlas of Britain. Draw on some tracing paper a rectangle 90 x 90 km at the same scale. Join the diagonals and then draw the 80 x 80 70 x 70 rectangles from the same centrepoint. By moving this around I could fix the best point to have the map centred on.

Expensive, but, I feel, value for money given what I (personally) require.

Just to poke my nose in on this thread. I have used GPS’s for many years; going back to an ex Falklands unit that required a wheelbarrow to carry it. The best one I have tried is the one I currently have: a Garmin Colorado 300. It is quite light, uses 2 x Duracell batteries per day and can cling onto satellites even through dense trees and up against rock walls. It is very easy to set, but my one grump is that the thumb wheel used to get from screen to screen gets blocked with grime and is sometimes difficult to turn.

Personally I use a Dell Axim x51 PDA with a Bluetooth GPS receiver. As for software it uses Memory Map with the relevant map for area I am walking in, and TOMTOM to get me there. Map and compass is always better as it covers a greater area to view at any one time, and they do not need batterys.

Pros:
More versatile, Cheaper to buy, Memory Maps cover greater area of UK & Cheaper and on CD.


Cons:
Battery life on standard battery is about 8hrs for PDA, 6hrs for GPS receiver. Longer with battery packs. Not robust ie waterproof.