13/06/2024
Contours are king 👑
National Map Reading Week is almost over, so here's our final lightning lesson for you... all about the wonders that are contour lines 🏔️
Hills, slopes and mountains are represented on a map using contour lines. By studying the contour lines, you can learn a lot about the surrounding terrain, including gradients of hills, valleys and steepness of climbs. The steeper the slope, the closer together the contour lines will be.
A contour is a line drawn on a map that joins points of equal height above sea level. For 1:25 000 scale maps the interval between contours is usually 5 metres, although in mountainous regions it may be 10 metres. Look for the height and shape of the ground, which is shown on 1:25 000 scale maps (OS Explorer) by brown contour lines.
For more reading and learning materials, find beginner, advanced and kids' map reading guides and more here: https://ow.ly/zu6O50SbE6e