Are paper maps an outdated technology?

The Maps v Apps challenge

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Modern technology means traversing the wilderness is now easier than ever. Or is it? GORP aimed to find out the differences between using maps and apps to traverse an ancient trial by setting a challenge for our team.

We split into two groups to tackle Caerphilly Mountain, South Wales. One team turned off their phones and used a physical ONS map to find the meeting point; the other used a variety of virtual maps on their smartphones. The absence of phone signal, coupled with a group boasting little to no map skills, meant the task proved quite difficult for both teams.