Maps & Books

We're spoiled in the UK with the Ordnance Survey series (look, there's that bush by the pile of rocks...) Listed here are best maps of the area, and some books that will offer you an insight into the region. We're a bit map mad, so if you come across anything else, please let us know.

Maps

Cycle-friendly maps of the area are thin on the ground; often it's a case of combing the area for tracks and singletrack yourself, as many of the village link roads are either new, no longer maintained or simply not marked (though the favourite seems to be mark roads and distances in completely the wrong places). The best one to pick up at home is the Northern India segment of the Nelles Verlag series. 1:1 500 000 in scale with a 1:650 000 close up of the route between Manali and Leh, it gives a good overview of the area. Don’t take it too seriously the choice of towns and villages marked along the way is a little haphazard. Online, there's copies of the US topographical maps at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/india/250k.html. You can download high res copies and print them out.

In Leh, look out for Sonam Tsetan’s Trekking Map of Ladakh. It doesn’t have any topographical information or distances, but it’s the most lovingly produced, accurate and up to date map around. Plus it’s laminated so it won’t get shredded in your bar bag. Sadly, the coveted Indian Survey series of the area is for military eyes only, though there’s rumour of a few dog-eared copies kicking around the tour agencies in Leh. You can get some sheets related to lesser sensative parts of HP in Manali, but they're very out of date. Look nice though.

When it comes to Spiti, the Himachal Pradesh Tourist Map is the best around (published by Nest and Wings), available in book shops and tour agencies in Manali and Shimla. Whilst there’s no topography and many of the backroads are incorrectly marked or simply non-existent, it offers fairly reliable distances between towns and altitudes along the way. Fine for sticking on the main drags, it tends to get a little confused when heading off the beaten path.

We're always on the lookout for maps when we're in the area. Other ones of interest include the 1:500 000 road map of Kashmir, Laddakh, Zanskar, Lahaul and Manali, published Productions Editions Astrolabe. Leomann publish a trekking series (1:200 000) with physical topography. Look out for sheet numbers 1-6. There's also some handy Trekking Series Maps from the Survey of India, covering areas such as the Shimla Hills and Kullu Valley, which have some smaller roads that aren't marked on other maps. Be warned - a lot of it is out of date.

Trace your route on www.earth.google.com for a real scare...

Guides

In terms of travel guides, we’d recommend leafing through Lonely Planet’s Indian Himalaya guidebook for a broad outlook of the region. Trailblazer’s Trekking in Laddakh offers a much better chapter on Leh, and it would be our choice if weren't travelling on two wheels. Other recommended titles include the Rough Guide to India and Footprint's Handbook to India.

Locally, there's Nest and Wings' Baspa, Kinnaur, Spiti and Lahaul Valleys, with background info and some point to point distances. There's also the excellent and enthusiastic Exploring Kinnaur and Spiti, by Deepak Sanan and Dhanu Swadi. Although a trekking book, there's lots of interest and ideas for adventurous cyclists too - the maps are handy. Lastly, it's well worth getting your hands on a copy of Reach Ladakh, which offers an insight into many Ladakhi Buddhist traditions.

There are plenty of book shops in Leh, some of them sell nice glossy coffee table stuff as well as guidebooks, both new and old. In Manali, look out for Bookworm in the market next to the local bus station - they usually have a bunch of interesting maps, as well as loads of great books. The guy who runs it is a fountain of literary knowledge, and is big on Indian philosphy. You can swap stuff there too.