It works on high ground, low ground, even underground and won’t buffer in bad weather. It’s not an app, it’s a ‘map’, and it’s from cutting-edge company Ordnance Survey (OS). 

Maps – made of folded paper – according to OS are enjoying a renaissance moment. Sales in volume are up 7%, the first time sales of paper maps have risen in the last decade. OS head of media Rob Andrews reckons more folks are demanding accurate geographic records. 

Furthermore he swears that maps, unlike battery-run mobile devices, do not run out. Carrying cases come in many colours and textures, branded ‘coat pockets’. 

“One of the reasons sales have grown is because the nation has become more health-conscious,” adds Andrews, driving home the sales pitch with “people are starting to have a greater appreciation of the outdoors and want to explore”. Then there’s ‘staycations’.

These have helped shift OS outdoor leisure and bespoke maps of the UK’s tourist hotspots such as Snowdon and the Peak District. Overmatter joins the growing chorus that this is, indeed, a “paper map revolution” and urges you, the reader, to ‘download’ your ‘map’ from the OS today.