By: Blonde One
Have you noticed how often the Two Blondes talk about maps? It’s probably/definitely because we are map geeks. We don’t mind admitting it and if you ask us we will talk for hours about how much we love maps. We have been known in the past the get a little bit over excited about map relating topics! The very clever people at OS spotted this geekiness quite early on when they chose us as Get Outside Champions.
On a recent birthday (21 I think, since I have lost count of the actual number) my lovely family came up trumps on the mapping front. Little Miss Blonde bought me a very exciting scratch-off map. The countries visited can be scratched off the map as a visual aid to the places left to visit on the next trip. I’m savouring its completeness at the moment and will very carefully choose the right time to get out the 2p coin and begin scratching. I’ll keep you posted with progress.
Mr Blonde One did equally well with his present. I feel very lucky to now have got 2 antique maps of Dartmoor from 1892. I have already spent hours gazing at them and wondering about the name changes that have occurred and all the other fascinating things.
Here’s a few of the most interesting things:
- Anthony’s Stile is on the map as Dartmoor Gate.
- Row Tor is marked as Rough Tor (it works if it’s pronounced to rhyme with ‘though’).
- Vennford and Burrator reservoirs are not marked.
- There’s a Brazer Tor and a Waspworthy.
- The Baredown on the map is now known as Beardown.
Anyway, enough of this blogging, I need to get back to map gazing!
Can you recommend a map for my area covering Stover through to Parke please
Indeed we can. OS have a pretty good ‘map finder’ page here https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/mapsheetfinder.html#mapsheet-viewer If you want 1:25,000 (which is by far the best for walking) you will need OL44 Torquay and Dawlish for your walk. Enjoy yourself, it is a lovely walk and even easier than it used to be.
The OS frequently used bowlderised place names because they offended Victorian sensibilities (High Willhays); or to bring dialect pronunciation inline with standard English (Vur/ Fur Tor, Sittaford/ Siddaford Tor); or there is an ambiguous etymology (Bear/ Beardown or Fur/Vur Tor again). Occasionally it may even have been the surveyors whim.
Have a look at Crossing’s Guide or the Harvey’s maps for more ‘accurate’ spellings.
My family nickname is Mapman.
That’s a great nickname, you should be very proud of it!