Map Reading

Beginner’s guides

Map reading skills – beginner’s guides

By OS Team

Published on June 10, 2022

1 min read

Learn how to read a map

These simple beginner’s guides will teach you the basics of map reading so you can learn how to read a map. Includes a selection of short videos to help you brush up on your map reading skills.

An OS Map can help you discover new places and make sure you safely find your way. It can be vital when exploring the outdoors, if you know how to read it that is. We’ve collected some of our top map reading resources for beginners all in one place. Too easy for you? Expand your knowledge with Map reading – advanced guides.

These beginner guides are part of our free map reading resources for National Map Reading Week. For more information on how to read a map, take a look at our advanced map reading guides. If you’d like to teach children how to map read, check out our map reading skills for children.

Map reading for beginners – download

Grab this downloadable PDF copy of the ‘Map Reading for Beginners’ leaflet.

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A beginner’s guide to measuring distance on a map

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By OS Team