So, you started playing with the Google Maps API but need some way of finding out the specific latitude and longitude of various locations so you can stick those neat placepins in. US users have various web-based tools available for this, but what if you live in the UK or Ireland?

There are 3 useful sites I know of for this.

1. http://www.travelgis.com/geocode/Default.aspx
This free site claims to geocode 24 countries.

2. www.streetmap.co.uk
Put in the postcode and search. When the map appears, scroll down to the small text offering to convert the coordinates and click.

3. www.infosports.com/m/map.htm
Use this if the site the above site doesn't do it (eg. Irish postcodes). It's slightly more erratic a method because you need to scroll and zoom to the right spot then click on the map.

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ps. If you haven't experimented with making your own Google Maps yet, here's a handy introduction.