AA 2008 MOTORIST'S ATLAS BRITAIN
Price £11
Tel 01256 491 524
Web www.theaa.com
We found this spiral bound, A4 atlas easy to use and full of helpful information. As the cheapest of the A4 atlases we tested, it is also great value.
The scale, four miles to an inch, is large enough to show all roads clearly. Motorways, primary routes and A and B roads are named, motorway junctions are illustrated in detail, and service areas are marked and indexed. Narrow major and minor roads are identified as well, a bonus when you are towing a van.
The atlas includes a clear route planner, a mileage chart with average journey times, and information on ferry routes, which will help you plan your drive no matter where you are going. Also included are maps of ferry ports and 56 detailed town maps that show street names, places of interest, parking and park-and-ride locations. Fixed speed cameras are marked on the maps and more than 3000 regularly policed mobile camera sites are listed with speed limits. There is also a map showing congestion trouble spots.
All airports are marked and indexed. A large number of places of interest, including World Heritage sites, are marked as well, and the AA's top 100 places of interest are indexed. The only thing we would add is the location of caravan parks.
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PHILIP'S GREEN ROAD ATLAS
Price £13
Tel 01903 828 503
Web www.philips-maps.co.uk
This A4 atlas was developed with the Environmental Transport Association, a self-described 'climate-neutral motoring organisation'. It has practical tips for environmentally conscious motorists, including tips for greener driving, ways to reduce carbon emissions and a green car-buyer's guide. With a scale of three miles to an inch, the maps are easy to use. Narrow major roads and minor roads less than four metres wide are clearly identified. Caravan parks are also marked, along with many places of interest. The atlas also has detailed town centre, airport and ferry port maps. We particularly liked the map of the French coast which shows the areas around all ferry ports, making this ideal for when you take the van across the Channel.
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AZ GREAT BRITAIN ROAD ATLAS
Price £12
Tel 01732 783 422
Web www.a-zmaps.co.uk
With a scale of three and a half miles to an inch, this A4 atlas should be clear and easy to use. Unfortunately the bright colours used to show height above sea level clutter some of the maps.
It offers detailed information on motorway junctions and the location of service areas, although none are indexed. Narrow minor roads are not identified. The locations and speed limits of fixed speed cameras are shown and many places of interest are marked and indexed. Detailed maps of town centres, airports and ferry ports are provided as well.
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PHILIP'S NAVIGATOR BRITAIN
Price £20
Tel 01903 828 503
Web www.philips-maps.co.uk
The scale used in this A4 atlas, one and a half miles to an inch, is even bigger than the scale used in the A3 atlases we tested. However, to accommodate so much detail, this atlas has become bulkier, heavier, and pricier than others this size. But if it is detail you're looking for, you won't be disappointed. Road sizes, the location of service areas, motorway junctions, fixed speed cameras with speed limits, mobile speed camera sites, places of interest and caravan parks are all marked. Detailed town centre, airport and ferry port maps are provided as well, and are indexed individually. Finally, this atlas also has a mileage chart that lists miles, kilometres and average journey times between major cities and towns.
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A-Z HANDY ROAD ATLAS GREAT BRITAIN
Price £7
Tel 01732 783 422
Web www.a-zmaps.co.uk
This small atlas manages to fit a lot of information on each page. However, many of the places marked, including all places of interest and motorway services, are not indexed, so you'll need a rough idea of where things are, and a bit of patience, to find them.
The scale is small; five miles to an inch, but all motorways, primary routes and A and B roads are marked and named. The print is very small – it was the hardest to read of all the atlases we tested, especially on pages where colour is used to show height above sea level. This atlas also lacks the town centre, airport and ferry port maps that we found in the larger atlases we tested.
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AA 2008 DRIVER'S ATLAS BRITAIN
Price £10
Tel 01256 491 524
Web www.theaa.com
We were pleasantly surprised by how easy this pint-sized atlas is to use. The maps have a scale of four miles to an inch, which is significantly bigger than the other small atlas we tested, and as big as one of the A4 atlases. This scale makes it much easier to read than the other small atlas.
Service areas on motorways and primary roads, fixed speed camera locations and places of interest are clearly marked, and as a bonus for caravanners, park-and-ride services, narrow major roads and minor roads less than four metres wide are identified, too. It even squeezes in a route planner and a mileage chart with average journey times.
To keep its small size, this atlas has left out the town centre, airport and ferry port maps, but if you are looking for a small atlas to keep in your glove box, this is the one we'd recommend.
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A-Z 2008 SUPER SCALE GB ROAD ATLAS
Price £14.50
Tel 01732 783 422
Web www.a-zmaps.co.uk
We were hoping for a little bit more from this A3 atlas. It includes everything that is in the A4 version at a larger scale, but doesn't take advantage of its size to provide greater detail, such as narrow minor roads or the locations of caravan parks.
The scale, two and a half miles to an inch, makes the main maps easier to read. However, the town centre, airport and ferry port maps are still small and difficult to use while on the go; up to eight are squeezed onto a single page.
On a positive note, this atlas indexes more places of interest than most of the other atlases we tested.
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RAC 2008 EASY READ BRITAIN
Price £15
Tel 08706 070 197
Web www.rac.co.uk
This A3 atlas uses a scale of two and a half miles to an inch, which allows it to fit a lot of detail onto each map. Service areas are shown on motorways and primary routes and the facilities available at each are listed in a separate table.
The locations of fixed speed cameras, places of interest, park-and-ride locations and caravan parks are marked, as well.
Ferry routes, the companies operating each and their contact details are usefully listed. Airports are marked and indexed, too, along with contact details for each. The atlas also has detailed town centre maps, a route planner and a mileage chart.
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