Is the Michelin map be sufficient for driving around in Scotland?
Many rental autos come with a navigator now. You can get a navigator app on your smart phone. They may still print a Scotland or UK 1" to 1 mile map for AA you may find one at our AAA; an old one may do. It was great for finding the B&Bs in rural locations. Look on Google Earth; you can zoom right in. The only things that don't show up in detail are military installations and the like.
We purchased a Philip's Navigator Scotland atlas on Amazon. It is spiral bound and lays flat when open. it is 22cm x 30xm by 0.5cm. The scale of maps is 30 cm: 2 miles. For larger cities it includes "Town Plans" of Abaerdeen, Ayr, Dumfries, Dundee, Fort William Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Oban, Perth, St. Anddrews, Stirling and Wick; these are at a scale of 20 cm: 1/4 mile. It also includes a 16 page introduction of the country with vignettes of many places to visit throughout Scotland.
Which Michelin map? They publish maps at different scales.
The "UK" map at 1:1,000,000 is OK for planning or driving long distances on Motorways, but much too little detail for touring. It only shows towns and main roads.
For touring you want 1:300,000 minimum, that is the minimum scale for showing all villages, for example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/AA-Road-Map-Scotland-Britain/dp/0749578971?ref=ast_p_ep
There are also many companies that publish atlases of the UK at ~1:200K. These are good value.
For detailed touring, and the only way you can navigate small roads between villages, or see the hills, lakes and footpaths you need the Ordnance Survey maps at 1:50,000. Here is an example (Ullswater in the Lake District): http://apd.anquet.com/products/os150000.jpg
Should be fine. I do have a GPS that works well, especially getting you out of cities or towns heading in the right direction. You can also download Google maps to your tablet for offline use. That way you can zoom in if you need to.
I was interested int he OS map too, but have been unable to locate one online.
Does anyone know the best place to order? I would like the one with 1;50,000 ratio.
I also need one for Ireland.
TIA!
You can order OS maps here https://dash4it.co.uk/
but I wouldn't recommend for driving - too much information and unwieldly - they are aimed at walkers.
For driving you're best off with a road atlas like this https://dash4it.co.uk/uk-maps/publisher-brand/theaa/aa-road-atlas-britain.html
available at garages and petrol stations
never rely solely on GPS
Thank you all for your valuable input!
Looks like for driving, OS map at 1:50,000 is suitable for our eyesight.
I use the Collins road atlas for choice.