MEPX
Chapter 1 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Reading a map
  2. 2Contours and terrain
  3. 3Grid references
  4. 4The compass
  5. 5Orienting and relocating
  6. 6Projections
  7. 7How satellite positioning works
  8. 8Where positioning fails
  9. 9Digital maps and routing
  10. 10Navigating in practice

Chapter 1 of 10

Reading a map

Scale, symbols, legend.

Scale

A scale of 1:25,000 means one unit on the map is 25,000 on the ground, so a centimetre is 250 metres. Larger scale means more detail over less area.

  • 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 are the usual walking scales.
  • Road atlases run around 1:250,000, where footpaths vanish.

Symbols and colours

Blue is water, green is vegetation, black usually marks built features, and brown carries relief. The legend is authoritative, and conventions differ between countries.