Equipment / Gear Reviews - (4) The New EastWest Maps - any good?

I have bought all three of the EastWest maps available at the moment, 'Wicklow Mountains West', 'Lugnaquillia & Glendalough' and 'The Dublin & North Wicklow Mountains' at a cost of €9.95 each. This is slightly more expensive than the equivalent Discovery Series OS maps which retail at €8.60 each but you do get a whole lot more map for your money. On a recent walk with my Hillwalking club I took both versions along for a test run and not being familiar with the route we were taking that day it was an ideal experiment.

Firstly the level of detail presented on the EW maps is impressive, the scale of 1:30,000 allows for a lot more detail than the 1:50,000 scale on the OS maps, however to balance the argument most compass roamers do not have a 1:30,000 scale making route planning, distance measuring etc. difficult. Yes you can get roamers at 1:30,000.

The EW maps are aimed more at outdoor enthusiasts than general mapping and the inclusion of many well known trails at last mapped is a welcome sight, often times when route planning from home in unfamiliar surroundings such information is very useful. Yes the OS maps have some trails marked on them but the level of detail on the EW maps is nothing short of miraculous. A nice touch is naming some of the more popular trails such as the popular Zig-Zags trail when approaching Lugnaquillia.

Another feature that I like is the up to date inclusion of forestry and associated trails. Often when walking you see a forest that is not on the map or vice versa, of course one should not be relying on these features for navigation purposes but for the recreational user this information is useful. The most beneficial element of the EW maps I have found is the small 'p' markers on the maps, referring to a small roadside lay-by for parking. Again for route planning this is extremely useful information and a big advantage over the OS maps as parking is a key issue for hill walkers and walkers alike.

So much effort, time and energy has clearly been expended in preparing the EW maps, features such as Cliffs, Crags, Scree, Rocky areas, Sandpits, Peat hags, Turf cuttings, Gorse and Undergrowth (to name but a few) have all been clearly and separately marked on the map. I am a nerd when it comes to maps and the more information presented to me the better, I love to sit down and look for interesting features, places of historical importance or natural beauty and plan on going there on a walk.

I do prefer however to have the OS map in my pocket on a day's hillwalking. While the EW maps are on water resistant paper I still feel they will succumb to a truly great Irish soaking and disintegrate accordingly, time will tell.

Overall I love the EW maps, they have all the information and more that I could possibly want and are clear and easy to read. I think I will still be using my OS maps for navigation purposes but I will certainly have the EW map beside me at home when planning the routes, spotting features etc.

Excellent maps and worth every penny

Rating 4.5 our of 5