app to follow and edit a set route?

[JustOneGuy]

Hello walkers,

Do you know of any app that "follows" a route by its name?

For example: instead of telling it "walk me from A to B" or to manually set the whole route, allow me to "follow the GR130" (in my specific case) but then however allow me to record the route and edit it slightly?

It should not be an app designed specifically for the Camino de Santiago.

Thanks!

 

[woody66]

Hi!

Not sure if this is what your after ; if it's not it might help some one else.
I use OSMAND (free) download the standard map forCanary Islands!
Email the approipriate track to yourself and open it on your phone ( you might need a gpx manager app) it should open in OSMAND and as you zoom in all places along that track will appear!
It has voice navigation and obviously your position on the track! ;It will tell you if you have strayed from it. (repeatedly
Good luck
Woody

There are gpx tracks here:
(España) are available for download on Wikiloc. GPX tracks are also available on Natour Travel for following the hike on a mobile device.


Natour Travel

La Palma best hikes on the GR 130 & GR 131 - Natour Travel
GPX Tracks – to follow the hikes with your mobile device. Taxi transfers ... the route of ...

Wikiloc

GR-130 'Camino Real de la Costa' Trail - Wikiloc
17 Jun 2020 — GR-130 'Camino Real de la Costa' Hiking trail in Las Caletas, Canarias (España)
The GR-130, also known as the Camino Real de la Costa y Medianías (Royal Road of the Coast and Middle Lands), is a 159 km nature trail that circles the island of La Palma in eight sections. The trail starts in Santa Cruz de la Palma and continues counterclockwise, passing through plantations and ravines on its way to the village of San Andrés. Some routes on the GR-130 include:

• The rugged north coast
  This route passes through hamlets and the Bosque de Dragos de La Tosca before reaching the Gallegos district
• Franceses – El Tablado – Roque del Faro
  This route includes a steep zigzagging descent and climb back up to El Tablado
  

Other resources for the GR-130 include:

• Komoot: Offers routes for walking and hiking on the GR-130, including easy, intermediate, and expert routes

 

[JustOneGuy]

Komoot: Offers routes for walking and hiking on the GR-130, including easy, intermediate, and expert routes

I have been using Komoot for many years. Excellent for suggesting and following new routes. I use it because the majority of hikers here are German and Komoot is very popular in Germany.

But when it comes to "follow a track" it does not work. You cannot set it, AFAIU, to follow a route with a given name like GR130. And that's my problem: I have to edit it manually or create it by copying from a map.

Also, most of the free versions of the apps I tried have limited capability to edit tracks or some other limits.

That's why I was looking for an application that could do this. I will check the other ones you suggested. Thanks for your time and suggestions, @woody66.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Like @woody66 I use the OSMand app (not for everything though). I think what you want to do is covered by this video about using OSMand but Bart Eisenberg's YouTube channel has a collection of OSMand video tutorials.

Creating and Using GPXs
Linked video id on YouTube website: H5EEQYC0WLg
Or search for H5EEQYC0WLg in the YouTube app.

 

[Madamjoy]

Hello walkers,

Do you know of any app that "follows" a route by its name?

For example: instead of telling it "walk me from A to B" or to manually set the whole route, allow me to "follow the GR130" (in my specific case) but then however allow me to record the route and edit it slightly?

It should not be an app designed specifically for the Camino de Santiago.

Thanks!

I think I understand what you are looking for, so ...
Have you tried AllTrails? I just used it for the Tour de Mt Blanc. On the app, search GR130 and you'll get the trail for the entire GR130. You use it to 'navigate' the route but at end of your hike you put the app on Pause or turn it off. Otherwise your phone would be on for the entire 95.6 miles?? You can record your daily route and save it (saved hikes are in My Profile). You can edit the route but you have to download the trail first. There is an option to follow individual segments of the GR130 by name/number. I did this for TdMB. I would download each segment the night before and use offline so as not to use data, battery power, etc.
I hope this is useful.

 

[islandwalker]

As mentioned above, you could also use Wikiloc to follow and record the track. Here are two tracks posted on their website:

La Palma. GR 130

La Palma. GR 130 Hiking trail in Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canarias (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. He hecho un montaje de las rutas publicadas en mi canal de wikiloc con relación al GR 130 de La Palma. Enlaces La Palma. GR 130. Santa Cruz de La Palma -...

www.wikiloc.com

La Palma GR-130 en 7 etapas: Santa Cruz - Los Sauces - Los Franceses - Garafía - Tijarafe - Los Llanos - Los Canarios

La Palma GR-130 en 7 etapas: Santa Cruz - Los Sauces - Los Franceses - Garafía - Tijarafe - Los Llanos - Los Canarios Hiking trail in Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canarias (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Ruta realizada en 7 etapas. Se empezó por la 7 por motivos...

www.wikiloc.com

Both of the above tracks for the complete GR 130 also have links to individual stage tracks, along with notes about the route, including flags for points of interest, bars, transport options, etc.

To use Wikiloc: Download the desired tracks to your phone. Click on 'Navigate Trail' when you are at the trailhead, and you will be able to see your dot as it moves along the track. Also, you will hear a beep if you veer off the track. Save your track at the end of the day. Tips for using Wikiloc are in the Forum Resources.

 

[JustOneGuy]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! You are phenomenal...

I started trying AllTrails and will test Wikiloc later. I knew the apps, but I used Komoot a lot and didn't want to waste time trying others.

However, yesterday I used Komoot for a ride on the mountain near my home with my ebike.

It was nice... but a half disaster: most of the trails, contrary to what the app said repeating like a parrot "your route is 300 m to your right... your route is 350 behind you... your route is 400 m behind you!" while I was trying to negotiate a way back , were not suitable for an emtb, at least uphill. Others were non-existent or private roads. It happened other times to me, but yesterday was a real nightmare... At one point I had to push the ebike up about 300 meters on a terrible, slippery terrain covered with large rocks and with a high slope. I risked falling several times.

At the end I was able to access a Camino (I remember this is Spain) used by the "carboneros" and it ended very well, but it was exhausting. Positive side: good training for my next camino.

Later today I want to do a portion of a stage of the GR130 which passes near my home, to check again the signage and get familiar with it. I will see if I can use AllTrails this time....

Komoot... kaput!

 

[JustOneGuy]

I think I understand what you are looking for, so ...
Have you tried AllTrails? I just used it for the Tour de Mt Blanc. On the app, search GR130 and you'll get the trail for the entire GR130. You use it to 'navigate' the route but at end of your hike you put the app on Pause or turn it off. Otherwise your phone would be on for the entire 95.6 miles?? You can record your daily route and save it (saved hikes are in My Profile). You can edit the route but you have to download the trail first. There is an option to follow individual segments of the GR130 by name/number. I did this for TdMB. I would download each segment the night before and use offline so as not to use data, battery power, etc.
I hope this is useful.

Thanks again for your detailed advice, but unfortunately this doesn't solve my problem.

I couldn't find a way to set in AllTrails my personal variant of a stage of a GR130, which is exactly my problem.

In other words, I want to:
1) save a stage from the (or even the entire) GR130 on my personal account
2) edit it to include my home address and a path to the original route
3) cut it where I need to
4) save it on my phone
5) follow the direction

Komoot allows this, but it's a quite clumsy process (at least for the free members).

 

[JustOneGuy]

I was able to do this in Komoot at the end, but it took a lot of time. Just as a note for myself:

1) Saved the entire GR130 to my account.
2) Started editing it for stage 1 and saved it as such in my personal account.
6) Changed the direction, because I want to do it clockwise.
3) Changed the route from "round trip" to "one way
4) Added my starting point (in this case, my home)
5) Deleted ALL the more than 100 waypoints I did not need, and...
...done!

I will have to repeat this process for each of the 8 or 9 stages, adding the various Albergues where I will be staying as start and end points, plus springs, fountains, bars, etc.

I can't start from already edited stages, because I can remove waypoints, but not add them without risking to lose the way...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

On GPX tracks you set waypoints separately and then you can have a section for a recorded track or else a suggested route. For the route you enter the coordinates of the start point and the end point and in-between the points where you definitely want to be. So, say, your trip from A to B is pretty much a straight line with the start and end sections on roads but the mid-section going up and down a very steep and rocky trail. In-between you can enter the coordinates of a place (C) on a road on the side of the mountain. If this were marked as a track in the GPX file you would end up with two connecting straight lines at an angle. But the beauty is if it were marked as a route the app could analyze the map data and show a highlighting line over roads and trails connecting A to C to B. Think driving directions with Google Maps. Or that video I posted earlier.

Don't bother replying yet. I'm taking a break from a hot nasty chore. Later, after more chore, I'll add more to clear things up.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Done with the chore but on another break while Peg gets ready for our daily walk. So, to write something quick and easy this is to let you know that you don't HAVE to edit a track to be in reverse order. Wikiloc at least lets you follow a track in the reverse direction; it's a bit insistent at first but will finally concede that you know what you are doing. At least the five year old version of the app. See topic #3 in the first post of this thread:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/wikiloc-oddities-searching-tips-help.65175/

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Peg assigned me a post lunch chore but the real chore came afterwards. I had the theory of giving a great demonstration of converting a route into a track but though I found a way to do it I couldn't come up with the expected simple way of doing it. I'm hoping that a night's sleep might give me a way to organize things.

 

[JustOneGuy]

Thanks for your effort and time, @Rick of Rick and Peg . As I said I found a way with Komoot that works pretty well (specially together with my Garmin watch!). But still takes a lot of time.

So, say, your trip from A to B is pretty much a straight line with the start and end sections on roads but the mid-section going up and down a very steep and rocky trail. In-between you can enter the coordinates of a place (C) on a road on the side of the mountain. If this were marked as a track in the GPX file you would end up with two connecting straight lines at an angle. But the beauty is if it were marked as a route the app could analyze the map data and show a highlighting line over roads and trails connecting A to C to B. Think driving directions with Google Maps. Or that video I posted earlier.

The problem is that I want to follow the GR130 and not the main route or some alternative tracks. This is, AFAIU, not easy by manually modifying the track to match the original one. Editing the original overall GR130 for each stage makes this possible, at least using Komoot. Alltrails doesn't allow me to do that. I still have to try WikiLoc.

But maybe I didn't understand your point? I know, it is not easy to explain. I am looking for some video to learn how to...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

So I'm wondering why you aren't just using a track of the whole gr130 and another track from your home to where you want to join the gr130. Wikiloc will allow to follow both tracks in either direction no matter where you are on the track when you start the app. Is it because you may not have all the waypoints that are available on some of the tracks that you do have but want to edit?

Both KML and GPX file formats are really just text files with special internal markup much like HTML files. I have edited these many times just using a text editor. Blocks of data can be moved around or deleted to change start and end points and other blocks can be copied from other files to add waypoints or to merge several tracks from several files into one longer track. To get a feel for this record a VERY short GPX track, copy it to another file with the same name but with a suffix of .txt instead of .gpx and then take a look at the text file.

Only if you are real nerdy take a look a the documentation for the GPX file format. Most of the stuff can be ignored, other parts look complicated but aren't so bad when you see them in a real GPX file.
Link: https://www.topografix.com/gpx/1/1/

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Hadn't come across Komoot until last weekend when my nephew was talking to me about cycling the CF next spring with a friend (pedal bike - no electric motors will be used).
Seems an interesting navigation tool though I have far too many of those in my quiver already!
What did interest me was the fact that the routes show public water fountains along with an image:





which might come in useful.

 

[Hiker9]

I have been using Komoot for many years. Excellent for suggesting and following new routes. I use it because the majority of hikers here are German and Komoot is very popular in Germany.

But when it comes to "follow a track" it does not work. You cannot set it, AFAIU, to follow a route with a given name like GR130. And that's my problem: I have to edit it manually or create it by copying from a map.

Also, most of the free versions of the apps I tried have limited capability to edit tracks or some other limits.

That's why I was looking for an application that could do this. I will check the other ones you suggested. Thanks for your time and suggestions, @woody66.

Have equally found Komoot very valuable