Sweden - best paper maps?

[foxyrider]

So it's January and I need to take some positive action if i'm to get away this year!

The plan is to fly into Stockholm, ferry to Gottland then follow the coast around to Malmo then return home from Kobenhavn.

I've looked on line and there are various mapping options, 50k, 100k, 250k scales as general maps and 50k cycling maps. The Terrangkarten at 50k (think pink OS) would need prodigious numbers, each sheet covers about a third of a Landranger. The 100k looks to be more sensible, i'd need @ 10 sheets - not a cheap proposal at £17 a pop. The 250k scale is just two sheets but is there enough detail there?

So the question really is, from experience, what have people found to be most useful? Will the bigger scale maps have enough information (campsites etc marked)? Where is the best place to buy?

[pal]

I cycled this route (in the other direction, and without the Gotland bit) a few years ago, and used this Cheerful Yellow Booklet: https://www.kartbutiken.se/cykelsparet-langs-ostkusten -- but I notice it hasn't been updated since 2006, so I'm not sure quite how useful it would be any more (esp. for campsites &c). (The maps in it are 1:250,000, which -- as far as I recall -- were generally fine, except on the outskirts of Stockholm; this was in the days before one could just use a map on a phone to navigate into a city centre...)

Otherwise: the (always excellent) Map Shop have a series of Swedish Cycling Maps, which look like they might be just the ticket (I haven't used these maps myself -- in fact I only just noticed that they exist!): https://www.themapshop.co.uk/europe/rest/sweden.htm -- about half way down the page; it looks like you could cover your route in 5 or 6 maps...

[Cyril Haearn]

I would get a small-scale map for study at home beforehand, but the best place to buy maps is a bookshop in Sweden, it would have the widest range, up-to-date editions, better prices probably

[teamonster]

I'd say that the 1:100,000 is the best for info. That's what I use for cycling around the Uppsala area, I also have some smaller scale ones, but they cover too small an area. Maps in Sweden are not cheap, as earlier post suggests book shops are the best place certainly for the 1:100,000 scale. I'm popping into town today, so if I get chance will take a look at what their is for the are you want, there may be some special maps if its a popular route. I can also take some photos fo the 1:100,000 maps if you want to see the level of detail on those

[IanA]

As noted in your previous thread we did almost exactly the route you describe last August/September in relation to the Tandem Club international event.

I am not sure we got the paper maps right, although it was difficult seeing the detail available of all the various options beforehand without buying them all to compare. We ended up using a 1:600,000 for planning and general routes and most of the time we were on roads marked on the map. However, we also spent some time on roads and cycle tracks not marked on the map which would have been difficult if that was our only source of information. We also had copies of the 1:90,000 Cykelkarten for most but not all the route. This is as good as you would need with campsites marked along with regional/national cycle routes. However they are expensive compared to UK maps, and I understand no cheaper to buy in Sweden, and have nothing like the level of detail we are used to from the OS. A number of other people we spoke to who had cycled to the event had only used similar large scale maps to ours and with pre-trip research and local info from tourist offices etc had not found any significant problems. Maps were bought from either The Map Shop or Stanfords.

The key for us was quite a lot of pre-trip online planning of info and maps. This included online information on the local/regional/national cycle routes which are also all marked on the OSM mapping which we generally accessed via the cycle.travel site. We used these for guidance for devising our own route and didn't follow any particular one all the time, although when we were following a section of designated route they were very well signed. I pre-loaded a route to a Garmin before we started although this was not to follow precisely all the time but again for guidance when needed. It was particularly useful for detailed sections in and out of Stockholm and bigger towns. The routes we followed were usually decided the night before based on all the information we had plus information picked up locally and the weather forecast.

Hope you get sorted. I would be interested to know what you end up with. Maps are always interesting.

[teamonster]

Just popped in to local bookshop ( Akademiskabokhandeln - country wide chain) They have a good selection of maos including some new cycling maps at 1:90000 (photo attached) previously they were all 1:50000. Also photo of 1:250000 Map and detail from that map

[teamonster]

Should have said, the cycle maps are 179 SEK and the larger scale map 129 SEK - it’s 11.5 SEK to £ at moment. Not sure how much you’d pay in UK. Not cheap !

[foxyrider]

Should have said, the cycle maps are 179 SEK and the larger scale map 129 SEK - it’s 11.5 SEK to £ at moment. Not sure how much you’d pay in UK. Not cheap !

Roughly equates to prices i've seen here. Thanks that's very useful information.

[Cyril Haearn]

1:90 000, not 1:100 000, why the unusual scale?

[teamonster]

1:90 000, not 1:100 000, why the unusual scale?

I don't know it's very odd. previously all I have been able to find was a very limited collection of 1:50 000 cycling maps, then this time shop had a virtual country wide collection of those at 90:000. It is a different map supplier, so maybe it's their USP, but to be honest it's difficult to know why they didn't stick with a standard scale. Still grateful they have produced them ! With even the 1:50,000 at around £16, it will be a big saving if I decide to expand my library.

[foxyrider]

I've bought the two 250k Freyr & Berndt sheets covering my trip. Look quite ample for basic getting around, i'll get larger scale locally if I think it's needed.