How a hit-and-run led to a labour of love for maps artist

After being injured in a hit-and-run in 2019, Joshua Tabti could no longer work as a climbing instructor and began making maps while recovering at home. Inspired by JRR Tolkien’s maps of Middle-earth, the hobby grew into a career that brings together his interests in art, geography, language and history.

His latest hand-drawn map covers Yorkshire and Lancashire and took two months of research, including gathering suggestions from local residents, before he began the detailed inkwork. The 32-year-old estimates he has made about 30 pictorial maps, depicting places including Ireland, Malaysia and Virginia. He says the work has also helped him discover landscapes and histories through drawing.