Our main source for map scouring in the UK was Stanford's in Longacre, Covent Garden, London. Local maps, often more detailed, were picked up en route. It's often possible to swap notes and maps with other cycle tourers heading in the opposite direction.

Central Asia

Nelles - Central Asia 1:1 750 000
covers Eastern Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and far NW China.

Good for topography, though road distances are dubious and relatively undetailed.

Freytag and Bernt - Central Asia 1:1 750 000
covers Kyrgyzstan, Southern Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

no topography, but good for distances and smaller roads. Although we didn't use this series, we met plenty of German tourers who were.

Turkey

Istanbul has many country maps for sale in its bookstores, covering the more touristy parts of Turkey in larger scale. The tourist office often has good free maps which have enough detail for cyclists. City maps can sometimes be picked up at local tourist offices for free too. Ankara has a nice, detailed map on the Cappadocian region.

Iran

Our road map was bought at vast expense at Stanford's, but available much cheaper in Iran itself. We also bought a tourist map from the slimy man at the border, which should have been free. Between the two, we had all we needed to know. The Geocentre series also covers Iran.

Turkmenistan

As well as the more general Nelles, we used a Turkmen 1:1 000 000 scale map. A little out of date - place names have often changed - it was handy as a pointer to desert settlements, distances as well as being far more detailed than the Nelles.

Available cheaply in Russian or English at Geodesiya on Atabeyera, a block past the UN building, Ashgabat.

Uzbekistan

We relied on our Nelles map, adequate enough as we weren't straying off the conventional Silk Road. Tashkent is bound to have a cartographic institute with more detailed area maps but we didn't have a chance to find it.

Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz Cartographic Institute in Bishkek houses a wonderful selection of 1:200 000 scale area maps, covering most areas of the country. These declassified Soviet military maps are apparently published in 1995 and are already out of date, but show a wonderful array of jeep trails and minor roads, opening up the country to fantastic off-road touring potential. Contours - accuracy not guaranteed - passes and altitudes are also marked. Other more general country maps are also available.

The office has moved. Still on Kiev, it is now tucked away on the third floor in the building above DHL, next to a computer shop.