The Joy of maps

Planning cycling trips with a map is as enjoyable as doing the cycle itself.

I spend hours staring at my map of Scotland. I look for roads that I have never cycled on. I wonder what it is like to be on those roads and what the scenery is like. I go into a dream world of undiscovered parts of Scotland, new things to see and new people to meet. I can travel in my imagination and have an adventure without even being there.

Sometimes when I go to bed I choose to look at my map instead of reading a book. I get so excited about the roads and where they can take me on my bicycle. I stare at the map until I can no longer prevent my eyelids winning their battle to close over. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and the map is still resting on my lap.

My joy of maps was shared by the travel writer and explorer Rosita Forbes (1890-1967). Her eloquent quote makes me tingle with excitement because it so perfectly captures those feelings of wonder when looking at a map: 


“That is the charm of a map.It represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible.  It has the magic of anticipation without the toil and sweat of realizations.The greatest romance ever written pales before the possibilities of adventure that lie in the faint blue trails from sea to sea.  The perfect journey is never finished, the goal is always just right across the next river, round the shoulder of the next mountain.  There is always one more track to follow, one more mirage to explore.  Achievement is the price which the wanderer pays for the right to venture.”


“…the magic of anticipation without the toil and sweat of realizations.”

This is very true! Looking at a map it is virtually impossible to discern what it is really like to be there. I can form a romantic picture in my head that does not always take account of punctures, torrential rain, killer hills and other “toil” that a cyclist can face.

I am particularly attracted to the “white” roads on the map. The roads that do not have a letter and number designation. The “nothing” roads. Many of these roads appear to serve no practical use for the average car driver as they serve no place of sizeable population. In fact, it almost seems that these roads were put there for the purpose of cyclists to enjoy the countryside. Scotland has plenty of such roads and I came across the ultimate “nothing” road when spending one of my evenings staring at the map.

I was following the Far North railway line looking for train stations that serviced isolated roads. I came across Altnabreac station in Caithness and a big grin appeared on my face when I saw the single “white” road travelling from the station into nowhere. There was only one place marked on the road- Dalnawillan Lodge. Nothing else until the road emerged out of the wilderness and eventually connected with routes heading to Wick.

I had to go there!

There was every possibility that I could have this road all to myself. I discovered that Altnabreac train station is the 8th least used in Britain. I found out that the one place the road seemed to serve- Dalnawillan Lodge- was closed down. It had been a Victorian hunting lodge, but is now boarded up. I managed to find a photo of this abandoned lodge and this conjured up pictures of once grand banquets after shooting parties in the wilderness.  

Dalnawillan Lodge. Photo from Inverness Courier

I booked my train tickets and talked excitedly to friends and family about this fabulous road I had seen on a map. I think some thought I was crazy to be this enthusiastic about a road. It’s just a road, big deal! But they didn’t get it. In a world where almost everywhere has been explored there is little opportunity to capture that feeling of being the first there, or one of few who have been there. Finding that road on my map captured that excitement of the undiscovered and the opportunity to feel what Rosita Forbes felt.

A final word

I was going to include a Google map of this road, but it does not look nearly as exciting as it does on a paper map. You really need to be able to see the road in relation to the surroundings and remoteness of the area and this is much better seen on a full page road atlas. It is even better if it is a used map and has some smears, watermarks and folds like mine does now. The map came with me to Altnabreac and these marks are the story of our journey.

I plan to write about my experiences on this road and post it on the website. In the meantime have a look at Altnabreac the next time you pick up a road atlas. You might just feel the same excitement.