Location of November's Map of the Month

Roger's mysterious marquetry map represent the islands of Orkney.

It's obvious when you know the answer. No wonder I couldn't work it out at first, after scouring my atlas looking for the archipelago, Roger told me I had the map the wrong way round.

See A Map in Marquetry for the original post.

Letters to the Editor - Mick Ashworth

Royal Scottish Geographical Society - The Collins Bartholomew Illustrated Talk

During his time as Editor in Chief for the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, Mick Ashworth received numerous ‘Letters to the Editor’, ranging from the useful and informative to the amusing and threatening! Mick will provide examples and show how they reveal user expectations for such a publication, and how they are dealt with from an editorial point of view.

Evening talks on 22 January in Edinburgh and 4 March in Glasgow.

See Upcoming Events on the RSGS website

Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World

Map of the Month: Dec 08 - Christmas Island(s)

Depending on how you look at it, maps are either purely practical with little of interest or note, or they can offer endless fascination to the casual observer - from unusual place names, to the detail of the Norwegian fjords (as immortalised by the late Douglas Adams). I'm sure someone must have claimed to have spotted the Turin Shroud in the contours of the Scottish Highlands at one time or another.

So in writing this blog, I tried to think of something appropriately festive, as well as be remotely noteworthy. These islands are perhaps not that noteworthy, they are certainly remote, and maybe even Stephen Fry would find the fact that there are three of them, to be ... 'Quite Interesting'.

I'm talking about Christmas Island - all of them. I'm sure most of us have heard of at least one, and have some vague notion of where in the world it is, but I for one certainly didn't know there were another two.

The most well known lies in the Indian Ocean, which although remains an Australian Territory, lies closer to Jakarta than it does to Perth, and has a population of around 1,500. While just 52 sq. miles in size, it is home to a wide array of flora and fauna unique to the island. It is perhaps best known for its red crabs - every year tens of millions of the critters head to the sea to spawn, and has been described as one of the natural wonders of the world.

Another Christmas Island turns out not to be an island at all, but a small settlement in Canada (on the lower middle of the Cape Breton Island map opposite). This one was named after a nearby island, which itself was named after its sole inhabitant, one Mr Christmas, but has since been renamed Ghost Island. There's not much to note about this Christmas Island, although it does have a post office, and due to its connections with Scotland, a Gaelic Festival akin to the Mod.

Perhaps the most interesting of the three is Kiritimati, a small Pacific island, its name being the pronunciation of Christmas in the local language, Gilbertese. Despite its unremarkable nature, it does boast a few claims to fame:

*The republic of Kiribati, of which it is a part, comprises 33 coral atolls, and Kiritimati is the largest anywhere in the world.

*Back in the 50s Wernher von Braun suggested it would be a perfect location to launch manned space flights. In May 1957, the British carried out their first H-bomb test there, as part of Operation Grapple. The US also carried out similar tests on the island in the 60s.

*And in keeping with the Christmas (well, almost!) theme, its proximity to the International Dateline means that it is about the first place on the planet able to celebrate New Year!

So this is my Map of the Month for Christmas (December) 2008.

Do any other Christmas related places or features spring to your mind?
Please use the comment function to send in your suggestions, the quirkier the better, and could you provide some Quite Interesting facts about them?

Celebrating 50 Years of the Motorway

Here at Collins Geo, we produced our first road atlas at the beginning of the last century, with the publication of Bartholomew's 1900 Touring Atlas and Gazetteer of the British Isles (only a few years after the first motorcars took to the road). Collins published the first large format GB road atlas (as we all now know them today) back in 1973. So, it is only fitting that we should raise a proverbial glass to one of its most distinguished features, the motorway, as it celebrates its 50th birthday.

It was on 5 December 1958 that the first motorway opened - not the M1, but the eight mile Preston Bypass in Lancashire, now part of the M6. Although officially classified as a motorway, it had little resemblance to those we know today. It had just two lanes in each direction, no hard shoulder, and just a small hedge (at most) to separate the carriageways. Although much of its design and construction had used the innovative techniques of the day, it had to close shortly after opening to be resurfaced due to frost damage.


Covers of the 1975, 1985 & 1995 Collins Road Atlases

Since then the humble motorway became the gold standard of modern highways in the UK - we now have a network of over 2,200 miles. At 236 miles, the M6 from Rugby to the Scottish border is the longest, the 300 m stretch of the A635 (M) in Manchester is the shortest, and the highest is the M62 which reaches 1,220 ft over the Pennines.

Of course, it's difficult to think of motorways without our pet hate - the dreaded motorway service area. The first to open was Watford Gap Services in November 1959, there are now over 90 on the motorway network. If the Norton Canes services are anything to go by, they may finally have become worth stopping at. I think most people (who have stopped there) would vote Tebay Services as their favourite - set in a stunning rural location, without the bland 60s/70s design, and providing local, traditional produce, it stands head and shoulders above any other service area.

Going back to the atlases, although we all recognise the blue/cyan colour that depicts motorways today, they weren't always shown that way. Until the late 80s they were shown in Collins atlases as orange, with a red casing, then the decision was made to show them as the same colour of the motorway signs. And, as motorways became more important, we have added more and more information to help the motorist - from details of limited access junctions, to the facilities provided at motorway services. We have also added special orbital maps of the M25, M60 and of the M5, M6, M42 motorways around Birmingham.

This month saw the opening of the final stretch of the M6 - the £174m extension from Carlisle to Guard's Mill - 50 years to the day of the very first motorway opening, and of course, on our 2009 Collins Britain Road Atlases.

Yorkshire Dales Guide - Book of the Month

The magnificent Yorkshire Dales include impressive limestone formations, beautiful waterfalls and shadowy peaks. Picturesque dales such as Swaledale, Wharfedale and Dentdale meander through the area, where abbey ruins, ancient farmhouses and villages wait to be discovered.

The Rambler’s Bookshop have our Yorkshire Dales, Collins Ramblers’ Guide as their Book of the Month.

The main section of the book comprises 30 walks, suitable for all abilities, from young children to experienced walkers. Each walk has a key illustrating principal features, such as level of difficulty and type of terrain, a route profile indicating altitude and distances, as well as a fact file summarising useful information, such as start and finish points, duration, safety advice and points of interest.

The Ramblers, also known as The Ramblers' Association, are Britain's biggest walking charity. They’ve been working for over 70 years to promote walking and to improve conditions for everyone who walks in England, Scotland and Wales.

My Jigsaw - Bartholomew street level London mapping

Looking for a Christmas present for your map mad partner or relative?

Above and Beyond are offering a custom made jigsaw of Collins Bartholomew London mapping. If you live in London you can get it centred on your house. If not you can always centre on the Queen's house (SW1A 1AA).

For more details, and to order go to Above & Beyond

Collins London Atlas range