A new(ish) feature on Wikiloc

[islandwalker]

I just noticed (although maybe someone else has reported it here before, and I missed it...?) that Wikiloc now has a feature called "Plan your trail". It allows you to plot out points on a map and then, drawing on its database of more than 59 million tracks, it plots out a possible route for you. You can change the route by dragging points, etc. It seems like it would be useful for Wikiloc-using forum members who want to take a side trip off a camino route to see a nearby historic feature, etc. It could plot out a track to the feature and then a return to some point on the camino without backtracking. I just tried it out and was impressed with the results. After it was done generating my route, it told me it had drawn on the data of 48 other members to map out my route; it also did an accuracy check after the route was drawn.

Clearly, no-one would need it to generate a standard camino route since there are already many sources for those, but for anyone wanting to devise an alternative for some reason (say, to avoid a stretch of walking on a busy road), it could be useful.

Similar results can be achieved by using "Search by passing area", but "Plan your trail" surveys all the tracks in the database in less than a second, so it is faster - but not as personalized. Both features seem enormously helpful.

The "Plan your trail" feature is available on both the web and the app.
On the web, find the words "Plan your trail" on the homepage, upper right. (See photo below.)
On the app:

• From Explore: Access the route planner from Explore > View Map > Plan Trail.
• From your profile: Go to the Planned trails tab and press the Plan Trail button.

Note that you may have to update your app to find this feature. I did. Also note that in the updated app, the spot that used to say "Search by Passing Area" has now been replaced by "Plan Trail" on the "Explore" map. To access the "Search by Passing Area" feature, long press in the desired area.

 

[trecile]

Is this new feature only available to those who have paid for the premium version?

 

[islandwalker]

Yes."Premium users can create custom routes by selecting specific points on the map, whereas the free version is limited to following existing trails."

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Thank you for this. I've been slowly planning a hybrid camino of four different ones needing two non-camino connections. I've found Wikiloc tracks for those two but I'm hoping there is a better way for at least one. I'll check this feature out.

 

[islandwalker]

I've found Wikiloc tracks for those two but I'm hoping there is a better way for at least one.

When I was experimenting with it this afternoon, I found that it helps if you know what some of the alternatives are, so you can place some reasonable midpoints. If you put in only the two endpoints, you are somewhat at the mercy of the algorithm - whatever it is - that the program uses. I got one result that took me the shortest distance from point A to Point B, but it was over a steep mountain with 1200 m of altitude gain. Adding a midpoint that I knew was on an alternate track I had already found a few days ago by using "search by passing area" gave me a more reasonable alternative. Both my searches were in areas where nothing shows on mapy.cz, but in other areas, mapy might provide some help for good guesses when plotting on Wikiloc. In any case, your previous sleuthing won't have been in vain! Good luck with your project. Sounds like fun.

 

[trecile]

Thank you for this. I've been slowly planning a hybrid camino of four different ones needing two non-camino connections. I've found Wikiloc tracks for those two but I'm hoping there is a better way for at least one. I'll check this feature out.

I've been using mapy.cz for these kinds of connections and detours. You can chose between "hiking" and "fast" for your walking options.

 

[debigetsout]

Thank you for this. I've been slowly planning a hybrid camino of four different ones needing two non-camino connections. I've found Wikiloc tracks for those two but I'm hoping there is a better way for at least one. I'll check this feature out.

I would love to see the route that you have planned!

 

[John Sikora]

Didn't know that. I'll have to try it. Also, I've been experimenting with chatbot. Asking it things like give me a route from SJPP to x with no more than 10K a day of walking etc. It's not perfect, but it does seem to come up with reasonalbe lists as well as places to stay. Obviously, you have to verify it, but it's a new twist.