Isle Of Wight Adventure Package – now released
GPS users take note; our latest edition Walk! The Isle of Wight walks have been transformed into pdf route cards and re-packaged with ‘OSlike’ digital mapping for the Isle of Wight and gpx waypoints.
This is a great time to explore the Isle Of Wight; school holidays are almost over and there’s always the chance of some late summer sunshine.
Isle of Wight Adventure Package:-
Isle of Wight ‘OSlike’ Custom Map
gpx waypoints,
pdf ebook of 41 A4 pages
– all delivered as a ZIP file download for £11.99
See all the details here:-
Walk England Coast to Coast – a new approach to a classic adventure
This classic route, pioneered by Alfred Wainwright, crosses northern England from – you guessed it – coast to coast. There are other books available – so what makes this one different?
Here’s what the author and researcher of this new take on a favourite challenge, has to say:-
“On a fortnight’s adventure with my mates Keith and Nigel from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay (July 2012) I talked to loads of C2Cers subtly asking what would make the route better. What everyone wanted was accurate navigation along the route, especially if it included ‘real time’ mapping.
There are loads of guide books about the Coast to Coast so rather than adding another book I have produced what every C2Cer wants:-
A system of accurate navigation for the whole route using ‘real time’ mapping on a Garmin gps or Viewranger phone app.
The result is a Stage by Stage guide, with alternatives, that gives you a real time mapping gps unit showing exactly where you are on the route along with the walking instructions that will ensure that you stay on the correct route.
On your Garmin, or Viewranger app, you will be on the right track every step of the way for all of the 198.5 miles (320km) from St Bees until you arrive at The Bay Hotel in Robin Hood’s Bay; where you will find the Wainright Bar with its C2C ‘sign in’ book.” David Brawn, author/researcher
A sample page from the start of the adventure.David Brawn, author/researcher
For more information go to http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/c2coast.htm
Spain’s Costa Del Sol: Sierra Almijara + Sierra Tejeda = La Axarquia
Dramatic coastlines on the Torre Caleta walk.
Author/researcher Charles Davis sums up this beautiful, unspoilt region thus:
Map segment for the Torre Caleta walk.
“The Axarquía is one of Spain’s great places, and among the greatest places within it are the Sierras Tejeda and Almijara, which form the backbone both of the region and the present publication. Blessed with high summits, dizzying pinnacles, dramatic crags, deep ravines, dozens of springs, delightful rivers and the best coves on the Costa del Sol, this is an area that has something for everyone. And the only prerequisites for benefitting from all this are a desire to get off the beaten track and a set of relatively, sometimes very, sturdy legs.
If you’ve not seen them already, you can get an idea of how dramatic these mountains are from one simple fact, that the high peaks, including Lucero (1775 metres), Navachica (1832 metres) and La Maroma (2070 metres), are all within ten kilometres of the coast, rising out of the sea like a succession of immense pedestals, just waiting for humankind to enthrone whoever or whatever we find most sacred or simply most lacking in our quotidian lives.”
Axarquia; Las Cuadrillas, Walk 24.
You can see a sample walk here:- http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/axarquiasamplewalk25.pdf
There’s information about the book Walk! The Axarquia (available as a printed book or as a pdf download book in A4 format) and the maps available for the region (printed, on paper and on Super-Durable material); there are also Custom Maps for Garmins for GPS users.
The Garden Isle of Madeira – Beautiful in Spring
Aloe aborescens
Springtime! The northern hemisphere’s Spring is well under way now. For those interested in flora, there’s nowhere quite like Madeira in the Springtime.
Echium candicans – popular with bees
Madeira is always green – now it bursts into colour and perfume. Many of the plants you’ll come across while walking its levadas and country paths are endemic and exclusive to the island.
Two of the many beauties to look out for are orchids and the rare Yellow Foxglove. If you enjoy seeing wonderful plants growing strong and free, Madeira is the place to visit.
For information about the Garden Island, including books and maps, see http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/mad.htm
(The plant images here were taken by Shirley & Mike Whitehead, authors and researchers resident on the island of Madeira.)
Yellow foxglove (Isoplexus sceptrum)
Orchis maderensis
Worth A Read – article on the Isle of Wight in the Weekend Telegraph
Expansive views on Week Down (walk 27, Walk! The Isle of Wight)
There’s a good article on the Isle Of Wight in ‘Coastal England’, a supplement with yesterday’s (15 March 2014) Weekend Telegraph.
Looking towards Whitecliff Bay from the clifftop path (Walk 40, Walk! The Isle of Wight)
The article homes in on the rich history of the island and offers plenty of ideas of things to do. For such a small place it has a wealth of festivals, including the Isle of Wight Walking Festival.
Find it here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/visit-england/10676115/things-to-do-on-the-isle-of-wight.html
For details of walking there see http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/isleofwight.htm
For information on mapping look here: http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/garminisleofwightcustommap.htm
La Axarquia, Costa del Sol: Thanks Bill L for your report
Taken while on the Loma de Las Quadrillas
Inland of Spain’s Costa del Sol rises the magnificent Sierras de Tejeda and Almijara. Mountains, ravines, streams and rivers await the adventurer.
This area, La Axarquia, is a gem for anyone looking for an unforgettable walking experience.
We’ve just received this report from Bill L who has been using the Axarquia Tour & Trail Custom Map and Walk! The Axarquia guidebook; see http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/axarquia.htm
On 15 March 2014 10:05, Bill L wrote:
Hi David,
Have now used your Axarquia map for several weeks and get even more impressed.
Not only can you use it for your walks but you can also combine walks and tracks from, for example, GR 249 GR 242. Did Walk 22 yesterday and GR 242 Frigliana to Maro the day before.
Going to try some combinations next week. Amazing! It makes it very easy to walk these hills using GPS.
Regards
Bill
Costa Blanca Mountains – thank you Erik, for your valuable feedback.
A tour of Raco Roig (Walk 20)
We welcome all user feedback – and in particular for our new downloadable maps for Garmin GPS.
Erik is a Costa Blanca Mountains expert and guides walks in the region. https://www.walking-holiday-in-spain.com
See the maps he’s referring to here:-http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/CBM.htm
Here’s what he told us about his experiences using both our printed maps and our maps for Garmin GPS:-
“Over the last month my walking customers have been testing the Discovery Walking Guides sheet map (Costa Blanca Mountains Tour & Trail Map) and downloadable basemaps on the eTrek Garmin 20 GPS for the treks and walking holidays we organise in the Costa Blanca Mountains.
The sheet maps are useful, although the 1:40,000 scale in the Spanish countryside is at the limit for precise navigating, the roads on the map translate as 55 metres wide on the ground – easily enough to get misplaced for a while. Some of what appear as roads are overgrown dirt tracks that are now footpaths, you can still get through but it can be a bit confusing so if you want to go off the marked routes you will need to be patient.
The marking of existing official routes and recommended routes is very good, there are some minor omissions and in one case replicating an error found on the local 1:20,000 topo. Not perfect but a very good approximation and an improvement on the local maps. The problem here is still the abysmal way marking of routes on the ground.
The area covered is quite extensive, although some of my routes fall outside the eastern margin of the coverage.
The basemaps for the Garmin GPS are very good, despite an initial problem with the download (for some reason Windows 7 stripped off the filetype which you had to add manually) they are now installed on all my Garmins. The image is very clear, much better than my own 1:25,000 basemaps that blur on zooming in.
The maps load relatively quickly on start-up and as you are walking the change from one tile to another is very smooth, in fact it is barely perceptible.
View over the coastal plain from the Costa Blanca Mountains
All in all a great improvement for those of us who have been struggling with Spanish maps for years, My only reservation is the 1:40,000 scale, I would love it if you would considering publishing 1:20,000 or 1:25,000 maps as a future upgrade.”
Exmoor – wonderful walking and now OSlike Custom Maps too
Wonderful walking in Britain’s Exmoor!
Here’s just one splendid view overlooking Lynton and Lynmouth while following Walk 16 from ‘Walk! Exmoor’ with David and Carol Hitt. For more information about walks here, see : http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/exmoor.htm
And now – for Garmin users – download OSlike Custom maps for Exmoor, overlaid with the 40 varied routes from Walk! Exmoor.
OSlike Custom Maps can be used in Google Earth, Garmin Basecamp and Garmin gps units.
There’s east and west sections to download, (£3.99 each) which can be found here: http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/garminexmoorecustommap.htm
and here: http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/garminexmoorwcustommap.htm
Thanks William L for Your Feedback (Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Spain)
William L sent the following message to us, after using our Axarquia (Costa del Sol) Custom Map for Garmin:-
From: William L, Date: 25 February 2014 19:00
Subject: Walking Axarquia
Hi David
I used your your map in my Montana today and was impressed, I loaded it directly to the GPS memory so it could overlay my Topo Spain.
This worked very well for me so I could switch maps in seconds and compare. Must say I’m impressed, not being a fan of 1.40,000.
Thanks for your help with the file,
Regards
Bill
Sent from my iPad
For info look here :-
OSlike Brecon Beacons Custom Maps for Garmin
Ready now to download – Brecon Beacons West and Brecon Beacons East OSlike Custom Maps for Garmins.
For details and how to download, see here:- http://www.dwgwalking.co.uk/garminOSlikemaps.htm
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