How To Make A Memory Map Wainwright Logbook

So you've been to shop and finally converted to the modern age, with a shiny new GPS or PDA and the latest digital maps from Memory Map, but what now? Well obviously you can use the software to plan your walks as you tick off the Wainwrights, you can look at the routes as flythroughs and even check out the area in 3D, but there's a lot more you can do.

Memory Map allows you to place your own "Points of Interest" to the digital maps and comes complete with a set of icons to indicate different features like wild camp site (a tent icon), danger (skull and crossbones). When you place a "Mark" on the map a new window opens allowing you to name the point of interest, allocate an icon to it, lock the point to prevent accidental movement or deletion, and even link a file to the mark.

With a bit of work and organisation you can convert this system to keep your own personal electronic log of all your walks, or use it to plan your assault on a tick list like the Wainwrights or the Munroes. Walkingworld, one of the UKs leading walking route sites has taken this step to organising its downloadable walks into categories like "Mountain Challenge" or "Gentle Stroll".

You need an icon...

To make your own Wainwright Logbook you need to get organised. You'll need an icon for displaying Wainwrights on the map, and another for indicating one that's completed. You'll also need a standard logbook page for making you entries and to link to. Then of course you'll need an authoritative source for all the grid references of all the Wainwrights. You could choose to use a standard icon already in the list provided with MM, but there aren't really any that seem to fit the bill as they're all already designed for standard features. The answer is to make and import your own icons.

To use your own symbols on Memory Map they need to fit the standard format that MM uses. For this project I've used a plain white "W" on either a black or a red circle depending on whether it's been completed. Using a package like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro create a new image and specify the size as 32 x 32 pixels. Using the circle tool place a circle in the middle of your image, as central and as large as possible within the confines of the square file.

Now choose a fill colour to indicate a Wainwright, in this case we chose black, and fill the circle. Next you need to change the fill colour setting to white and place a letter "W" in the middle of your circle. Now save your file as a bitmap. If you don't have the option in your image editing package to limit the number of colours to 16 don't worry as you can reopen the image in MS Paint then using "Save as" select "16 colour bitmap". Now repeat the process, but choosing a different fill colour for the circle, to use for Wainwrights you've completed. In this case we chose red.

Import your icons

The next step is to import your new icons into the list of symbols available for using as "marks". To do this open up Memory Map and select "Overlay" from the menu along the top of the window. Select "Icons" from the drop down menu and then click on the "Add" button. You are now free to browse to wherever you've saved your new icons and select one for import. Repeat the import process for the second icon.

With the icon now available for inserting on the maps it's time for the hard work - placing the icon at the correct grid reference for each of the Wainwrights. To make sure of all the correct positions we used http://v-g.me.uk/Hill-Lists/Hill-Lists-WNSbyVol.htm , a website that gives all the Wainwright grid references in order by book volume. Now you simply navigate to the grid reference you want, select "Mark" from the line of icons above the map and left click on your desired location. When you left click to place the mark a new window will appear. This allows you to name the location, choose the symbol you wish to use for display, and link a file to the symbol.

Choose the icon for a Wainwright from the drop down menu and insert it at the required spot. Remember to change the icon to a "completed Wainwright" icon for those that you've already done. Once completed you should have a map that looks something like the one below.

The next step is to set up your logbook and link your icons on the map to the logbook. We created a simple logbook in MS Word for this purpose, with 2 columns and 8 rows. This gives entry areas for all the main details you'll want to record and can be set up however you like. In this case we've put boxes for Name, Date, Wainwrights, Start and End Points, Route, Time and Distance, Details and Links.

Once you've set up your logbook page it's a good idea to save a blank copy as a template for future use. Each time you complete any of the Wainwrights you can then open the template and fill in the details. If you have pictures of your walk then you can enter these in the "Links" Box. To do this right click in the empty box and select "Hyperlink". A new window will open in which to enter details of exactly where you want the hyperlink to lead. Select the text you want displayed in your logbook (eg. Great Gable Pics) then in the bottom box of the window, marked address, browse to the folder containing your pictures and click "OK". Your link will now appear in a different colour and be active. You can now save your logbook page to your computer with an appropriate name like Logbook page 1 or Logbook Great Gable.

Once you've set up your log book the last step is to link the icons of Wainwrights you've completed to your logbook pages. Double click on the completed Wainwright icons on your Memory Map Lake District map tyo bring up the "Mark" properties box. In the "Linked File" box use the browse button to navigate to where you saved the logbook entry for that peak and click OK.

Now whenever you double click on the icon on a completed peak you will be taken directly to your electronic logbook entry. To change an uncompleted Wainwright to a completed one simply double click on the desired Wainwright icon and change the icon from the drop down file to the icon for a completed peak. You can also change the icons by right clicking on an icon and selecting "properties" - this will reopen the same window and you can change any entries such as icon displayed, logbook link from there.

Munroes and more...

This system can be adapted for any tick list from Nuttalls to Munroes, or even to keep records of the scrambles you've completed in a set of books (eg. All the grade 3 scrambles in Scrambles in Snowdonia). To make life simpler for you we've included an overlay of all the Wainwrights for Memory Map, downloadable from here in zipped format. Simply unzip and double click on the file once saved to your PC and it will launch Memory Map with all the Wainwrights already labelled.