22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good - but not as good as OS Explorer Maps, 19 Feb 2008
This map (which is double-sided to give the best scale) is very good, but it doesn't have all the local roads marked on it which made navigating through the villages a bit confusing. It does have the key walks, levadas and footpaths marked and also a street map for Funchal. It does have the contours (which is essential in such a mountainous island), but note that they are 50m bands (not the usual 10m). However, despite looking in shops in Funchal itself, I've not seen a better map, which therefore makes it the best!
(And Madeira is beautiful!)
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very useful, 7 Jun 2008
This is a good, useful map. Two sided, each 55cm x 65cm, scale 1:40,000, 2.5cm =1km, which is about 1.5inches = 1 mile. Not quite as good as a British Ordnance Survey map, but better and cheaper (from Amazon) than any maps I saw in Madeira. All the main roads, tourist info, contours, (with good background colouring to indicate height,essential in such a mountainous region), footpath details, with references to walk numbers in guide-books, levadas, a place-name index... There is also a small street-map of the centre of Funchal, but it's really too small to be of use. Collect a free advertising tourist map from your hotel for the centre of Funchal. David Brawn's Madeira Bus & Touring map is also useful if you plan on using local buses.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very useful map, once you understand its limitations, 6 Mar 2010
This review is from: Madeira Tour & Trail Map 6th edition Super-Durable version (Tour & Trail Maps) (Map)
I bought the super-durable version, and it was well worth it in some of Madeira's damp and humid weather -- many times I was having to navigate in rainy or windy conditions. It is printed on a type of paper-like plastic -- much more flexible than the OS extra-durable maps, and completely resistant to moisture. They should make more maps like this.
Regarding the quality of the mapping -- despite the similarities to OS maps, you can't really use this like an OS map. We have been spoilt by the quality of OS maps in the UK, which are very accurate and aim for absolute completeness. This Madeira map is not quite so accurate, and it is certainly not complete to the same degree. For example, you can't walk up a road and take the 2nd levada on the right and expect things to turn out okay. Not all levadas are marked on the map -- only the more interesting ones. Same with roads -- take the 3rd road on the left judging by the map, and you'll soon be lost -- not all roads are marked. Sometimes I wondered whether the layout of some of the junctions was accurate, and once I was waiting for a church on the right and it turned up on the left -- but there WAS a church! Once you understand this, you can compensate for it. If you have GPS (I don't) you could judge things by coordinates.
Madeira is a strange landscape -- everything seems to be built on a 25% slope or worse. Having a good idea of the contours is essential as an aid to navigation, and the map does have excellent contour and spot-height information.
Despite the problems, I was very happy with the map, and I certainly wouldn't go walking on Madeira without it. Out of the maps available, this is by far the best one I've seen.
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