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The BBC are re-showing Map Map with the umbrella-toting Nicholas Crane.
Episode 1 of Series 2 is currently up, and Nicholas is navigating the Lake District on an old single-speed iron horse using a 100-year old Bartholemew (of Edinburgh) cycle touring map. But, being Nicholas Crane, he decides to go up and over the passes, with a piece of old rope in his Carradice to lower the bike over some of the steeper rock steps.
Expect iron horse CXing and lots of rain.
Good lordy. That device makes mine look bewilderingly hi-tech.
Enjoyed that. The programme was clearly done on a shoe string and to my mind could have done with being an hour long to get a bit more detail in it, but it was plenty entertaining and interesting.
As a bit of perspective on how strenuous and "unusual" some of the journey was, riding/pushing an Edwardian-weight iron horse over Wrynose and Hardknott Passes only got 30 seconds or so airtime.
At the risk of being contrary, we watched it and thought it was mostly rather silly. That bit where he wheels his bike in to the guy's shop and says 'oh the brakes aren't very good are they' and 'is the seat supposed to come off' etc. and what exactly was the point to the umbrella (beyond it being his trademark, obviously)?
Loved the bit about the maps, and the views were great.
But overall we spent more time talking about how contrived it all was.
A friend of mine on Facebook commented that he was wearing a helmet to ride on flat trails; but not to do the mountaineering bits.
I didn't watch so can't comment.
I've got a Bart's map of Tayside that smells brilliant.
I've got a book on my shelf from 1896 that has that same lovely old smell. Don't get that with a Kindle.
2005 man cycles across Lake District packhorse trails on an Edwardian bike using an Edwardian map. Of course it's contrived! ;-)
Yes, he does have previous form on contrived expeditions: Two Degrees West
Next people will be complaining the Top Gear "challenges" are contrived!
Of course it's contrived - it would have made a pretty boring show if they just picked a nice easy route! The whole series is him following some really old map to go out and have a bit of fun seeing if it can still be followed.
He always takes an umbrella with him, be it walking or mountaineering or cycling. Often can be found saying how it's his best bit of outdoor gear. But yes, rather like the wonderful Adam Hart-Davis and his pink-and-fluo co-ordinated cycling clobber, that and his red anorak are his trademark.
He's slightly bonkers - there's an episode where he has to cross the River Tay, because hundreds of years ago there used to be a ford on his map, so he just puts all his stuff in a waterproof sack and strides confidently out into the freezing waters up to his neck.
"Next people will be complaining the Top Gear "challenges" are contrived!"
Mr SRd did indeed suggest it had quite a lot of similarities to Top Gear!
My map is 'by appointment to the late George V' bus has the only date I can find right on a fold, so it's 19?0.
I watched that Map Man and thoroughly enjoyed it. If there were more programmes like that and presenters like Nicholas Crane I'd watch a bit more telly.
Loved the shots of him careering down steep hills trying to slow himself with a foot on the ground. Reminded me of cycling as a child when, invariably, my brakes wouldn't be working.
Re. the suitability of 1:100000 scale for cycling here's an interesting blog post:
http://www.systemed.net/blog/index.php?post=27
I looked for a cyclists' map of Scotland when I did my last tour but couldn't find one, so I ended up with the OS "road touring" map, which is 1:500,000. It did the job as far as pointing me in generally the correct quadrant of the compass and finding B-roads, but felt a large-scale cycling paper map would have been great, with quiet routes, NCN infrastructure, campsites and all that useful stuff prominenetly marked, but still handy enough to fold down into your bar bag.
Paper maps are infinitely superior than phone-based things for long-distance planning. I've yet to see a phone that you can fold out on a table or the ground and try and plan a good route across the country with.
@kaputnik +1
I love proper maps :-)
We have some maps that the OS don't do any more; I think they are 1:250 000 but that is a guess, they might be 1:100 000. Two do most of Scotland. They're great for cycling. My father, who collects old maps, has been asked to keep an eye out for second hand ones when he's hunting in 2nd hand bookshops.
(Note: Dad doesn't collect any old maps, he has particular series he looks out for.)
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