Ed’s Map Collection: Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 ‘Explorer’ Original Series
Page last updated: 10 November 2008
Ordnance Survey began publishing its 1:25 000 ‘Explorer’ series maps in 1994, with the aim of the complementing the ‘Outdoor Leisure’ series at the same scale. Explorer maps covered selected areas popular with tourists, but a little off the beaten track. It was quickly realised that the Explorer series had the potential makings of a full national coverage series, particularly because new techniques, such as digital scanning of the Pathfinder sheets on which the Explorers were based, made the production process far simpler and quicker. In 1997 the first sheets of the national Explorer series were published, and thereafter the original 31 Explorer sheets were re-numbered and/or recast to become part of the national series.
The aim of this collection theme is to acquire a copy of every edition of the original 31 Explorer sheets.
Category Status
Original Explorer editions published
Original Explorer editions in collection
You can click on the image of a map to view its details.
Ed.
Pub.
Map
Fmt
Condition
Notes
Sheet 1 - Kielder Water
1994.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 2 - Chiltern Hills North
1994.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 3 - Chiltern Hills South
1994.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 4 - Mendip Hills West
1994.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 5 - Mendip Hills East
1994.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 6 - Cannock Chase
1995.07
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 7 - Land’s End
1995.04
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
1996.07
PFS
Good
Cover slightly knocked and creased at edges. Map in very good condition with virtually no wear.
Sheet 8 - The Lizard
1995.04
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
1996.07
PFS
Good
Cover slightly rubbed at edges and slightly creased. Map in good condition, very slightly creased and with some scuffing to folds.
Sheet 9 - Bodmin Moor
1995.04
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 10 - Gower
1996.01
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly scuffed. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 11 - The Trossachs
1996.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 12 - Lleyn Peninsula West
1996.08
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked and rubbed at edges. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 13 - Lleyn Peninsula East
1996.08
PFS
Good
Cover slightly knocked and creased at edges. Map in very good condition, with virtually no wear.
Sheet 14 - Malvern Hills
1996.06
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 15 - Rutland Water
1996.05
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 16 - South Downs Way, Newhaven to Eastbourne
1996.09
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 17 - South Downs Way, Steyning to Newhaven
1996.09
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked at edges. Map in very good condition, with no visible wear.
Sheet 18 - Ashdown Forest
1996.10
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 19 - West Pennine Moors
1996.11
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in excellent condition.
PFS
Very Good
Cover slightly creased on rear. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 20 - Isles of Scilly
1996.11
PFS
Good
Cover knocked and slightly creased at edges, slight surface damage from sticker on front and ‘Withdrawn and Sold by Stoke-on-Trent Libraries’ stamp on rear. Map in good condition, with virtually no wear, but with library stock paper and RFID tag stuck to rear of sheet.
Sheet 21 - Pitlochry & Loch Tummel
1997.01
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 22 - Quantock Hills & Bridgwater
1996.11
PFS
Good
Cover slightly scuffed, RFID tag sticker inside cover. Map in very good condition, with virtually no wear, but with library stamp and details on rear of sheet.
Sheet 23 - Norfolk Coast West
1996.12
PFS
Good
Cover slightly scuffed at edges. Some scuffing of folds, creasing to sheet, and a little writing on legend panel.
PFS
Good
Cover slightly knocked and creased at edges, slight sticker damage. Map in good condition, with very little wear but some minor creasing.
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly creased at bottom edge. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 24 - Norfolk Coast Central
1997.01
PFS
Good
Cover creased at bottom edges. Map in very good condition.
1998.08
PFS
Good
Cover scuffed at edges. Map in very good condition.
LFS
Good
Cover slightly knocked and creased at edges. Map unofficially laminated, vertical join in lamination down middle of map sheet, but otherwise in very good condition.
PFS
Good
Cover very slightly knocked at edges. Map in very good physical condition - no visible wear - but two small inked circles in north-west part of sheet.
Sheet 25 - Norfolk Coast East
1997.02
PFS
Good
Cover scuffed at edges. Map in very good condition.
Sheet 26 - Nidderdale
1997.04
PFS
Good
Cover slightly knocked at edges and with some slight surface damage. Map in very good condition, with virtually no wear.
1999
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked on bottom corners, and slightly mis-cut during manufacture. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 27 - Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley
1997.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked. Map in very good condition.
Sheet 28 - Sherwood Forest
1997.03
PFS
Good
Cover inscribed, creased, and slightly knocked at edges. Map in good condition, with slight creasing.
PFS
Excellent
Cover and map virtually undamaged.
Sheet 29 - Lyme Regis & Bridport
1997.03
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly knocked and creased at edges. Map in very good condition, with virtually no wear.
Sheet 30 - Exmouth & Sidmouth
1997.05
PFS
Very Good
Cover very slightly creased on rear corner. Map in excellent condition.
Sheet 31 - Torquay & Dawlish
1997.03
PFS
Good
Cover slightly scuffed and creased at edges. Map in good condition, with some very minor scuffing to folds.