Maps & Lovely Memories

Bore da pawb. Something in a Glider picture I posted on social media the other day caught my eye afterwards…….my map! I’ve been obsessed with maps since a child. I used to love Ordnance Survey Landrangers and Pathfinders, frankly I still do. I collected them. I remember saving enough pocket money for one and going to newsagents to buy one followed by spreading it out flat on my bedroom floor and pouring over it for hours, looking at all the different features it showed, imagining what they look like in person, and when in school doing the hiking activities for the Duke of Edinburgh award in Preseli Mountains. About the only reason I tried the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, I was crap otherwise. All the other kids seemed to find maps confusing, I was in my element and could often read them better than the teachers! 

As you can see it wasn’t just OS Landrangers, I received one of my most treasured possessions for my 16th birthday from my lovely Mum & Dad*. I had a detailed knowledge of the UKs road network before I could even drive! When I used to go with Dad most of time I’d be sat with a relevant map on my lap following our progress** and often diverting us around traffic snarl ups, like a human satnav. I loved going with Dad for so many reasons but that is one of biggest. If I wasn’t in a rented house the living room wall would have a giant Landranger on it! Opening map just now some 20 year old photocopies dropped out, we forget sort of how different the job is now just because of navigation.

Times I didn’t go with Dad when he rang us at home I’d always ask where he was and where he was going so I could look at map and trace his journey. When home, especially from European work we’d sit down and he would show me the route he took and stories from it. If lucky he’d have bought me a local map from another country for my collection!*** I had a fairly detailed map of U.K. and of bits of Europe in my head before I could drive. My first time ever abroad was with him delivering starter motors to BMW factories in Germany and I can still see the trip in my mind. (Anyone remember ‘The Cats Back’ hill in Germany, the warning sign was a giant cat, still remember Dad mentioning it!)

But despite all that I’m not one of these old men who slam younger generations and Satnavs! I bought a Satnav years before most had even heard of them and I’ve never been without since. They are a great tool and with the phone unbeatable. People whine on about paper maps but satnavs are maps, just in a different format. I’m amazed how surprised people are when I point out I don’t carry a single paper map in the lorry and haven’t for over a decade (I stopped when at HSF as they fitted satnavs in their trucks) You don’t need paper, you’ve street view level for the entire world on your phone. If you’d said this to Luke at 16 he’d laugh at the improbability of it all!

Last picture shows one of my favourite activities, hunting in the local secondhand and antiques shops for old OS maps, almost always always dirt cheap as to many it’s just an old map to give away or throw out, to me and many like me they are literally historical artefacts, not to mention beautiful works of art.

*Just dawned on me that on my 16th birthday both Mum and Dad were years younger than I am now!

**Ive been going with Dad my whole life. I didn’t ever stop as I grew up like many do. My first time driving a truck after I passed test was Nolan’s 1850 of Dads, last time was when we took Whites F16 for tacho calibration. Plus the plan when my licence is back is going with Dad a couple of days to get back into it while I get used to driving again. (That will of course be subject of a video!)

***We had a flooding issue at home 15 or so years ago which destroyed a mountain of old truck magazines, brochures, maps and photos. Was a bit heartbreaking. That’s why there are few photos pre my time at Virginia. With 35,000 photos on my phone currently  I’m making up for it.