OS Maps – a French/European equivalent?

Hi,

anyone kmnow what the euro version of OS maps are? paper based, not GPS. do they even have anything that compares?

ta

Ben

French IGN 1:25000 maps are of a pretty similar standard to OS Explorer.

Of course the English PROW laws do not apply, so you’ll have to do a bit of research to work out where you’re allowed to ride.

IGN yes, in France.

I think you are allowed to ride anywhere you can walk in France. Certainly no-one will moan at you, you’ll just get a cheery wave and a ‘chapeau’ probably 🙂

not Euro based but national.

IGN carte bleue in france are good, but not as good as as OS (nothing in the world really compares for information, detail and accuracy)

Le VTT est totalement interdit dans le Parc National des Pyrénées.

I’ll moan, and poke my idiot sticks through your spokes. 😉

IGN in France. The 1:50 000 series is not detailed enough in the mountains but the 1:25 000 OK.

“Radtouren in Deutschland” based on the “Mairs Generalkarte” in Germany. Only 1:200 000 but remarkably good.

Biking is banned in other National parks as well in other areas of France. Plenty of other places mind.

i’d be doing some walking, so dont have to deal with the bike issues. so IGN it is then??

I rode my bike in the Parc Nationale de la Vanoise in 1992. No-one complained then 🙂

You can get a taste of IGN 1:25 000 maps on the openrunner website. It’s pretty good for planning and available in english for you british folks!
As for riding everywhere in France it’s becoming more and more difficult

Edit : you’ll find on the geoportail[/url] website links to the paper version of the maps. The website was developped by the IGN. Hope that helps

When I was riding the Parc Du Volcans we were using GR’s and PR’s (Grand Randonnais and Petit Randonnais), and some of those were barely walkable, let alone ridable, one was so steep we had to pull ourselves up using tree trunks and branches, prop the bike against the nearest object, then climb up a bit more, repeat. Sketchy doesn’t cover it. Nobody seemed to much give a toss.