Downloadable maps

[Sharon B]

Hi, has anyone had any experience with downloadable maps of the Camino? I start my Camino on 13 July from Barcelos and was hoping to have the maps uploaded to my phone (the book I ordered never arrived!) And if I don’t have a map, is the route marked well enough that I won’t get lost?
Cheers my fellow travelers, Sharon

 

[Dorpie]

Hi @Sharon B The Maps.me app is pretty popular along the Camino, you can download maps and waypoints to guide you along the way.

Afraid I haven't done the Potuguese so can't comment on markings.

Bom caminho

Rob.

 

[Bradypus]

I have walked the Portugues from Porto and found the route very well marked. The maps.me app that @Dorpie mentions is very good and you can download maps for offline use with it. If you then find a gps track of the route and overlay that in the app you will have a handy back-up tool. There are also Android (and probably iPhone) apps for the Camino Portugues which will show you the route and your position on Google Maps but those tend to need mobile internet connections for full functionality.

 

[HeidiL]

We did it without maps and never had any problems.

 

[jsalt]

Hi, has anyone had any experience with downloadable maps of the Camino?

Luis Freixo’s Portuguese Maps: http://www.caminador.es/

Jill

 

[linkster]

@Sharon B maps.me is a free app, and uses the GPS built in to your phone. There is no need for WIFI etc. You can download the GPS tracks for the Camino Portuguese from the resources section GPS (in KMZ and in GPX format) tracks of all Portuguese camino's in one file.

Bom Caminho!

 

[Anamya]

Hi Sharon! The trail is very well marked from Barcelos, you cant go wrong
It's a nice place to start, with the legend of the rooster and a nice church!
Buen Camino!

 

[eimearbaxter]

I have walked the Portugues from Porto and found the route very well marked. The maps.me app that @Dorpie mentions is very good and you can download maps for offline use with it. If you then find a gps track of the route and overlay that in the app you will have a handy back-up tool. There are also Android (and probably iPhone) apps for the Camino Portugues which will show you the route and your position on Google Maps but those tend to need mobile internet connections for full functionality.

Hi there,

Can you recommend any android apps for the Portuguese coastal walk from Baiona?

Thanks!

 

[C clearly]

has anyone had any experience with downloadable maps of the Camino? I start my Camino on 13 July from Barcelos and was hoping to have the maps uploaded to my phone

Can you recommend any android apps for the Portuguese coastal walk from Baiona?

I'll give a bit of explanation that might help some people who have never used these apps. I know only enough to meet my basic needs, so maybe I'm well qualified to give the beginner's version!

The same app - maps.me - can be used for any mapped area.

1. Install the app from the Play Store.
2. Follow instructions to download maps for the area you want. Be sure you are doing the download via wifi, but once downloaded you can use the map offline. The maps are separated into reasonably manageable sizes, so you might need several. (They are big files, so you wouldn't download the whole world to start!).
3. You can use that map like any map, and locate yourself by looking at the blue location dot. However, for following a particular route, you need to overlay a route line on the base map. This is another step after the first act of putting the map on your phone.
4. To follow a route, you must find "kml" files for the specific route you want. These files define GPS points and create a line on your map. Then you follow the line by watching your location dot as you walk.
5. KML files can be found various places. Many of the Camino resource sites have them, for example @linkster gave a link above. Also Wikiloc.com has many many routes all over the world and you can search their big collection for quite obscure routes. Keep in mind that these are simply routes that an individual has recorded and uploaded, so if that person took a detour then the line will show the detour. That's why it is good to download your Camino track from a known Camino resource site.
6. You download the KML files from the resource site. Then send yourself an email with the files attached.
7. Open the email on your phone and agree to save the files.
8. Look at the map on maps.me on your phone, and the line should magically appear!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I'll give a bit of explanation that might help some people who have never used these apps. I know only enough to meet my basic needs, so maybe I'm well qualified to give the beginner's version!

The same app - maps.me - can be used for any mapped area.

1. Install the app from the Play Store.
2. Follow instructions to download maps for the area you want. Be sure you are doing the download via wifi, but once downloaded you can use the map offline. The maps are separated into reasonably manageable sizes, so you might need several. (They are big files, so you wouldn't download the whole world to start!).
3. You can use that map like any map, and locate yourself by looking at the blue location dot. However, for following a particular route, you need to overlay a route line on the base map. This is another step after the first act of putting the map on your phone.
4. To follow a route, you must find "kml" files for the specific route you want. These files define GPS points and create a line on your map. Then you follow the line by watching your location dot as you walk.
5. KML files can be found various places. Many of the Camino resource sites have them, for example @linkster gave a link above. Also Wikiloc.com has many many routes all over the world and you can search their big collection for quite obscure routes. Keep in mind that these are simply routes that an individual has recorded and uploaded, so if that person took a detour then the line will show the detour. That's why it is good to download your Camino track from a known Camino resource site.
6. You download the files from the resource site. Then send yourself an email with the files attached.
7. Open the email on your phone and agree to save the files.
8. Look at the map on maps.me on your phone, and the line should magically appear!

9. Switch phone to Airplane Mode
10. Make sure phone is charged up at the start of the day - Maps.Me can drain batteries on a long day's walk

 

[clearskiescamino]

@eimearbaxter drop me a line if you have a questions...just back from a guarda to santiago. senda littoral. you have nothing to worry about.

 

[jimmyc]

Luis Freixo’s Portuguese Maps: http://www.caminador.es/

Jill

I walked from Lisbon and found it fairly well marked all the way. I had the Brierley guide but mainly used it to see when I could find accommodation each day. This may be a problem for you as sometimes it was 30 plus kms between albergues/hotels or pensions. Albergues are few and far between. not frequent like on the CF.

 

[surya8]

The way from Barcelos is very well marked, I walked with a Brierley guide but hardly opened it, only to find accommodation at the end of the day. You can pick up a free Portuguese Camino map with the albergue list in the info centre near Se in Porto. The way is easy and popular, you won't get lost and there will always be people with guidebooks and maps around anyway. I walked without internet or offline maps, was fine. Bom Caminho!

 

[TDS]

Hi, has anyone had any experience with downloadable maps of the Camino? I start my Camino on 13 July from Barcelos and was hoping to have the maps uploaded to my phone (the book I ordered never arrived!) And if I don’t have a map, is the route marked well enough that I won’t get lost?
Cheers my fellow travelers, Sharon

TrailSmart app and it doesn't require data if you pay a nominal fee for the specific trail. The GPS track for many Caminos is available.

 

[DianaBender]

Does Wise Pilgrim have an android version? It was great for Camino Portugues!

 

[jimmyc]

Brierley has the next leg Barcelos to Ponte de Lima as 33.6kms. If this is too long there is a marvelous albergue at Lugar de Corgo at the 19.1km mark. It is called Casa da Fernanda and it is the best I have stayed in on any Camino. A great dinner and breakfast is provided all for a donation.

 

[Hawkeye]

I'll give a bit of explanation that might help some people who have never used these apps. I know only enough to meet my basic needs, so maybe I'm well qualified to give the beginner's version!

The same app - maps.me - can be used for any mapped area.

1. Install the app from the Play Store.
2. Follow instructions to download maps for the area you want. Be sure you are doing the download via wifi, but once downloaded you can use the map offline. The maps are separated into reasonably manageable sizes, so you might need several. (They are big files, so you wouldn't download the whole world to start!).
3. You can use that map like any map, and locate yourself by looking at the blue location dot. However, for following a particular route, you need to overlay a route line on the base map. This is another step after the first act of putting the map on your phone.
4. To follow a route, you must find "kml" files for the specific route you want. These files define GPS points and create a line on your map. Then you follow the line by watching your location dot as you walk.
5. KML files can be found various places. Many of the Camino resource sites have them, for example @linkster gave a link above. Also Wikiloc.com has many many routes all over the world and you can search their big collection for quite obscure routes. Keep in mind that these are simply routes that an individual has recorded and uploaded, so if that person took a detour then the line will show the detour. That's why it is good to download your Camino track from a known Camino resource site.
6. You download the KML files from the resource site. Then send yourself an email with the files attached.
7. Open the email on your phone and agree to save the files.
8. Look at the map on maps.me on your phone, and the line should magically appear!

I sent myself an email with the kml file and downloaded to my phone. However, I don't see within the maps.me app how I pull up that file. Can you assist?

 

[Bradypus]

I sent myself an email with the kml file and downloaded to my phone. However, I don't see within the maps.me app how I pull up that file. Can you assist?

You do not open it from within the app itself. When you installed maps.me it should have been registered in the phone's operating system as an app which handles kml files. If you use your phone's file manager to locate the downloaded file and select it you should then have the option to open it using maps.me.

 

[linkster]

@Hawkeye did you just try clicking on the attachment in your email? It might ask you to open with an app.

 

[Hawkeye]

You do not open it from within the app itself. When you installed maps.me it should have been registered in the phone's operating system as an app which handles kml files. If you use your phone's file manager to locate the downloaded file and select it you should then have the option to open it using maps.me.

That worked - many thanks!

 

[Hawkeye]

@Hawkeye did you just try clicking on the attachment in your email? It might ask you to open with an app.

I did but it said unable to open file. After saving it to my Google Drive I was able to open it within maps.me. Thank you.

 

[Sharon B]

I sent myself an email with the kml file and downloaded to my phone. However, I don't see within the maps.me app how I pull up that file. Can you assist?

To my fellow Camino travelers: I have found that the Wisely app (for the Portuguese Camino) is very good. You can download the entire map in about five minutes, then use it offline, following the blue dot of your position. I am particularly geographically challenged, and I can say that this app has been amazing. It also has mapped out the elevation, and stops along the way.

 

[eimearbaxter]

To my fellow Camino travelers: I have found that the Wisely app (for the Portuguese Camino) is very good. You can download the entire map in about five minutes, then use it offline, following the blue dot of your position. I am particularly geographically challenged, and I can say that this app has been amazing. It also has mapped out the elevation, and stops along the way.

Hi Hawkeye,

Can this be used for Android? I am going from Baiona to Santiago next week

 

[wisepilgrim]

Wise Pilgrim has a series of apps called 'Wisely' which offer downloadable maps and accommodation information. Also available for other routes, for both Android and iOS.

disclaimer: am author.

 

[dfunghi]

@Sharon B maps.me is a free app, and uses the GPS built in to your phone. There is no need for WIFI etc. You can download the GPS tracks for the Camino Portuguese from the resources section GPS (in KMZ and in GPX format) tracks of all Portuguese camino's in one file.

Bom Caminho!

Sigh..... I was able to DL maps.me onto my phone and it has found me at home but the links to the files, manuals and such have me baffled. The "manuals" link just goes to a photo of the cover is all I see. The map files I looked at had little to no detail (just lines) but I am sure that is something I did wrong.

In order to not clutter boards and since thsi is not a forum on how to use apps I will accept replies via teh PM system or I can send my email address but prefer not to publish it in a public setting.

TIA,
D

 

[jsalt]

Sigh..... I was able to DL maps.me onto my phone and it has found me at home but the links to the files, manuals and such have me baffled. The "manuals" link just goes to a photo of the cover is all I see. The map files I looked at had little to no detail (just lines) but I am sure that is something I did wrong.

Hi, this thread may help:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/how-to-put-maps-me-onto-a-phone.52476/
Jill