AA Road Atlas Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Brian Hardy
I am from an era that grew up using physical road maps or an atlas but like most people I have become more reliant on electronic mapping systems. These systems are good but not completely reliable, there have been times when I have come across a road block or detour and wished I’d had a physical map with me.
Looking through the selection of atlas’s I received from the AA reminded me how interesting an atlas can be, invaluable for planning a road trip they are perfect for giving you the bigger picture and helping you discover new places of interest to stop off at on your way, I am not a fan of service stations much preferring to take a small detour into a small town or village and an atlas is perfect for selecting a place not too far from the main roads.
The first thing I did was look up a place my friend was going to for a holiday I had no idea where it was and didn’t like to show my ignorance by asking.
An atlas is much easier to handle than a fold out map which I can never refold properly.
“The 2026 Big Easy Read Britain” is an up to date road atlas with a 2.5 miles to 1 inch it is very easy to read and has a very hand distance and journey time grid on the back page. This is the type I would keep at home for planning the trips.
Available from Amazon.co.uk rrp£16.99
“The 2026 motorist’s atlas Britain” is also up to date has a slightly smaller scale of 4 miles to 1 inch plus it has some pages showing restricted junctions. It has a spiral spine so the pages will fold back easily and stay fat. I would definitely keep this one in my car at all times.
Available from Amazon.co.uk rrp £14.99
The “Great Britain Road Atlas 2026 has a scale of 3.6 miles in 1 inch has all the features of the other atlas’s but is a hard back edition it’s the type of book you might find in a library or on someone’s coffee table.
Available from Amazon.co.uk rrp £22.00
The last one is a new edition to the AA atlas range” Touring Atlas Scotland”
In my opinion there’s no better place than Scotland for a road trip the farther north you travel the quieter the roads get and the more dramatic the scenery gets.
Having an atlas devoted to Scotland in a brilliant idea it’s very easy to read with a scale of 2.3 miles to 1 inch and I was especially pleased to see highlighted maps of the Scottish islands. It also has a spiral spine for easy use. I would describe this as part atlas part tourist guide as in addition to great detailed maps it has a list of AA rated places to stay and eat.
Something that has really inspired me is the touring routes section including the famous north coast 500, any of these routes would be a great thing to give you the confidence to take a road trip around Scotland it gives you a start and end point, tells you the distance and also suggests the time it would take and highlighting all the points of interest on the way, there are also some walking routes which link in with the touring routes.
Although I have toured a bit of Scotland looking through this atlas has made me hungry to see more and I will soon be selecting a route and setting off on another Scottish adventure.
Available from Amazon.co.uk rrp £10.99
The AA have been mapping journeys since 1911 they know the roads like no one else.
Any of these products would make a super gift for the adventurous driver or recently retired.
Rating: 5/5