A Single Map is Enough

A Single Map is Enough

By Alastair Humphreys>

The winter evening settles down, the burnt-out ends of smoky days at the ebbing end of a bizarre year. Things are not what they were; are unlikely to be the same again. And this, of course, is an opportunity to get tremendously excited about what might lie ahead, and to dream about what adventures we may be able to carve from so much newness and uncertainty!

I have been encouraging local exploration, micro adventures for many years. But 2020 has forced us all to remain closer to home than ever before.

On top of this, amidst all 2020’s madness, there has become a growing feeling that the world of adventure needs to change. That it’s simply not appropriate to go jetting off all over the planet, selfishly spewing carbon in exchange for selfies in exotic lands. That perhaps the world of adventure is not as accessible/welcoming to all, as harmless, or as un-materialistic as we think it is or want it to be (I made these issues the focus of Season 2 of my podcast [begin at episode 44]). That whilst this year has seen a wonderful increase in the numbers of people wanting to explore Britain’s wild places, it is also creating many new problems.

All of this stuff whirring around in my tiny little brain led me to ask a few questions:

  1. How can I help put nearby nature into everyday lives? To make everyone an equal participant in the outdoors, enjoying the quest for wildness, the mental and physical benefits of getting out, moving more, noticing more, and living more simply. This should not just be for people with the time to travel a long way, the money to buy hardcore equipment, or the privileged ease of knowledge, gender, race or ability.
  2. If I love wild places so much, am I willing to not visit them in order to help protect them? To be frank, the thought of repeating 2020’s lack of wild places depresses me. But we all need to change our behaviour. And people like me (“influencers” __) need to do so more than anyone.
  3. Is a single map enough exploration for an entire lifetime? In one of my favourite little films, runner Rickey Gates says something that has stuck with me for years, “in the end I think that a single mountain range is enough exploration for an entire lifetime.” I love that concept. My experiences through years of microadventures and months of lockdown got me mulling over the possibilities.

And so I have decided to explore a single map. To search closer to my front door than ever before for the things that matter to me: adventure, nature, weather, wildness, exercise, surprises, silence, new people, wanderlust, and curiosity.

Now let me be frank: there are many, many places that I would prefer to try this experiment rather than where I happen to live. One of my favourite things about going away from here to have adventures is simply the act of going away from here. I live in the glow of city sodium lights amid the hum of motorway traffic, and far too far from the cascades of contour lines, miles of moorland, roaring waves or invigorating river swims that I love. I would go so far as to argue that out of the 403 OS Explorer Maps that cover the entire UK, my map is right down in the relegation zone of rubbish adventure boredom!

But this also makes my experiment a far fairer and more interesting one that if I lived –say– on Map 402 in Scotland or Map 24 in the Peak District.

I don’t yet know what is the highest point on my map, the most remote, or the most beautiful bathing spot but I do know two things: firstly that they won’t be as impressive as on other maps and, secondly, that I will nonetheless enjoy finding them.

I confess that I begin this idea with trepidation. I hope it is not too boring. I hope it is not too claustrophobic and repetitive. I am certainly withholding the right to abandon the experiment! But I have, at least, committed to begin. My first little step was ordering my very own adventure map. Ordnance Survey has a fantastic feature where you can buy a custom map of the area where you live, either with your home bang in the middle, or a little more strategically, as I opted to do.

My map arrived today. Opening it outside my shed, I got quite excited as I scanned its area, roughly 20km x 20km. Far from feeling constrained, I immediately began seeing interesting looking routes, possibilities for circular runs, secluded sites for overnight bivvies. In fact, I can’t wait to begin, to get outside and get exploring!

If you want to follow Al's updates have a look on his website

7 comments

  • When I retired 10 years ago I was always being asked, “Are going travelling?”

    My reply was usually something like this: “Yes, I’m going to spend the rest of my life exploring on foot, bike and bus Northumberland and the Scottish Borders (I lived in North Northumberland). I now live in the North Cotswolds (I moved last year to be nearer family) and have adopted the same philosophy except now it is Warwickshire , Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. I can touch all three in a single day’s bike ride. I won’t have enough years to get round.

    John

    July 12, 2022

  • I was a covid early adopter and spent a couple of weeks in ICU ventilated. It’s taken a couple of years to get back to fullish strength. The months of lockdown were a great opportunity to recover and being limited to my local area meant that I had a huge amount of time to discover local footpaths and hills. I’ve now fallen in love with where I live even more.

    Lorenzo

    July 11, 2022

  • I have been doing something similar perhaps on an even more local scale. Walking the dog and getting bored with the same routes I began to explore local footpaths gradually extending my range up to 12+ km; always attempting to avoid returning along any of the outbound route. With lock-down I’ve started running (without the dog!) which has extended my routes up to 24 km. I now spend the week searching the map for interesting looking, hilly or unfamiliar areas. I also enjoy updating details on Open Street Map so I’m on the look out for missing details whilst I’m out and about.

    Stephen

    December 07, 2020

  • Ah that looks distinctly like my own ‘single map’. Nearest Alpkit store is about 180 miles.

    Paul Andreou

    December 07, 2020

  • Hi,iam 66 years old and can remember a program on the TV, presented by Jack Hargreavs,and his mantra was explore a few square miles (local).this I have done most of my life .I live in the Welsh valleys that were decimated by coal mining but still see #merlin,Falcons,otter ect.great mountain biking and many road climbing hills. Also a ridgeway walk that is 35 miles circular. Thanks for these articles they are a good read. Regards Jeff. ps when are you going to open a shop in wales (Brecon)

    Jeff Williams

    December 07, 2020

  • I, too, am looking at my local map. Last year I spent the year along the River Severn, painting and drawing with a local photographer, culminating in an exhibition called, ‘Going with the flow.’ We are now embarking on a similar project based upon ‘Days out’- one year exploring map 167/168. Already we have discovered something called the Stop Line -Green, a defensive route of pill boxes and a dis-used rail, mine and canal. The local knowledge is soon imparted once people know what we are doing. A blog will follow.

    stan giles

    December 07, 2020

  • How many people peddling this have already done loads of travelling? I’m 66 and I’ve done nothing because I’ve been working all my life and now I’m retired. I’m dammed if at my time of life I’m not going to do some travelling because some bright spark thinks it’s a bad idea.

    Dennis

    December 07, 2020

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