Author Topic: Across France using GPS? (Read 2729 times)

Robh · « **on:** 13 May, 2014, 11:26:16 am »

I'm planning on riding down from the Channel to the Med (and back), and have recently bought myself an Etrex 30, which I am struggling to come to terms with. Is there a reliable set of maps of France for GPS purposes? Or should I just leave the Etrex at home and pack a load of maps?

Thank you in advance...

Oscar's dad · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 May, 2014, 11:30:21 am »

Garmin City Navigator Europe will give you all the maps you need but obviously you will need to buy said maps. I've used City Nav in French France and they are fine. There maybe freebie open source maps but I have never used such things - I'm sure someone will be along in a minute to comment further.

I also have an E30 and wouldn't leave home on a bike without it.

Good luck and enjoy your trip

Pippa · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 May, 2014, 11:45:57 am »

http://mapas.alternativaslibres.es/downloads.php#Europe

That's what I have used before. The place I used it (Vosges) the coverage was pretty good and had all the roads we used, including some pretty small ones. That doesn't mean it will have the same coverage in other parts of France, but they do seem to update them quite frequently, which I'm sure improves them.

Pedal Castro · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 May, 2014, 02:29:26 pm »

garmin openstreetmaps work great for me
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

stat · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 May, 2014, 09:59:57 pm »

http://www.gpstraining.co.uk/AllyouneedtoknowaboutOpenStreetMapsfromGPSTraining.html

Good source of open street maps if you don't want to fiddle around making your own.

Robh · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 May, 2014, 11:38:39 am »

Well, given that I'm a relative GPS newbie, I've decided to stick on the safe side and cough up for the official Garmin City Navigator - Europe on an SD card option. I'm a little worried that I can't test it out for real until I actually get there, but my back-up plan is to buy maps en route as necessary. All I have to do now is plan my route in more detail and get it loaded onto the E30.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Oscar's dad · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 May, 2014, 11:47:34 am »

Quote from: Robh on 15 May, 2014, 11:38:39 am

Well, given that I'm a relative GPS newbie, I've decided to stick on the safe side and cough up for the official Garmin City Navigator - Europe on an SD card option. I'm a little worried that I can't test it out for real until I actually get there, but my back-up plan is to buy maps en route as necessary. All I have to do now is plan my route in more detail and get it loaded onto the E30.

Thanks for the suggestions.

City Nav also covers the UK so you can play with it before you set off. What works in the UK with work en France.

rafletcher · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 May, 2014, 11:48:43 am »

Quote from: Robh on 15 May, 2014, 11:38:39 am

Well, given that I'm a relative GPS newbie, I've decided to stick on the safe side and cough up for the official Garmin City Navigator - Europe on an SD card option. I'm a little worried that I can't test it out for real until I actually get there, but my back-up plan is to buy maps en route as necessary. All I have to do now is plan my route in more detail and get it loaded onto the E30.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Last time I checked we were still part of Europe

X-post with O's D.

Robh · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 May, 2014, 02:57:36 pm »

Fair point.

Dave_C · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 May, 2014, 04:17:37 pm »

I got a great map for the UK from this site:

http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

Just click France in the Europe selector and down load the map file. Then place a micro SD card in the Etrex (behind the batteries) and create a folder called GARMIN (yes in capitals) and pop the map file gmapsupp.img (might be called something else) in the GARMIN directory.

You can work out a route and place it in a new subfolder to be guided by, by following the line on the map.

/GARMIN/GPX/routeFileHere.gpx

/GARMIN/mapFile.img here

Robh · « **Reply #10 on:** 02 June, 2014, 10:17:55 am »

Progress report. I bought City Navigator and, using Basemap, have plotted my routes by placing two waypoint markers, one at the start and another at the destination, and then drawing a line with the appropriate tool and asking Basemap to plot the best cycling route.

I thought I'd better try this out locally, and was rather perturbed to find it directing me into some bushes at one point. I think there may have been a bridle path at that point but, as I'll be heavily laden on a road bike, I'm not really interested in off-road excursions. Like I say, a little worrying. I've decided that I'll take some maps along as back up (which is probably a good idea anyway.)

Oscar's dad · « **Reply #11 on:** 02 June, 2014, 10:24:22 am »

By just placing waypoints at the beginning and end of your route you will experience difficulties as you have described.

Rather let BaseCamp or my Garmin determine my route I use paper maps to work out the route I want and then strategically place waypoints to ensure the GPS follows my desired route. So, I place more waypoints in towns I want to pass through and where the route looks tricky.

A GPS isn't an alternative to paper maps. Properly programmed it should ensure you don't have to keep stopping to look at a map. If you get the programming right (and you will have to invest some time in it) you should be able to travel for hundreds of kilometers without getting lost or consulting a map unless you want to.

rafletcher · « **Reply #12 on:** 02 June, 2014, 11:35:39 am »

Quote from: Robh on 02 June, 2014, 10:17:55 am

. I've decided that I'll take some maps along as back up (which is probably a good idea anyway.)

The IGN series maps are readily available from somewhere like Stanfords. In tourist areas the local shops will have them too.

frankly frankie · « **Reply #13 on:** 02 June, 2014, 03:06:37 pm »

Quote from: Robh on 02 June, 2014, 10:17:55 am

... was rather perturbed to find it directing me into some bushes at one point. I think there may have been a bridle path at that point but, as I'll be heavily laden on a road bike, I'm not really interested in off-road excursions.

Strangely enough, you do not have to use your GPS in 'Bicycle' routing mode. On a road bike, 'Car' works much better.

>>>>

Robh · « **Reply #14 on:** 02 June, 2014, 03:39:52 pm »

Thanks Francis. Is this for on-the-fly navigation, of the "get me to 'x' from where I am" type?

I have done a sanity check on the routes generated by Basecamp. They look mostly straightforward, but I reckon I'll be OK with some backup on paper. I was just surprised when my test ride in Surrey prompted me to turn into the bushes, and it introduced a most unwelcome seed of doubt into my plans.

And in case anyone was wondering, this isn't the first time that I've ridden across France, so I'm not entirely naive - but it will be the first time that I've attempted to rely on a GPS unit.

As ever, thanks for the contributions.

alotronic · « **Reply #15 on:** 20 June, 2014, 09:06:58 pm »

Have you understood the very critical difference in basecamp and your garmin between a TRACK and a ROUTE? TRACk will give you a line on a map that you follow with prompts. With route you give your garmin permission to make the route up on the fly between waypoints - very hazardous! You want to export a track to your GPS.

Also, yes, you will need a map too. The 'window' of a GPS is just not big enough for actually seeing where you are. Conversely I have found that with a GPS you can use a map at a bigger scale because you want the overview, so you can get by with big region maps.

I use the openstreetmaps everywhere now. I used them in Switzerland for a week and, as I was riding a national route, it was already on the GPS read out so I didn't even have to program the route. I had the paper maps but didn't use them at all.

Once you have mastered the things they are brilliant, Expect a few cross words with it as you learn though! Happy riding.

T42 · « **Reply #16 on:** 20 June, 2014, 09:30:15 pm »

I'm currently setting up Dunkirk-Perpignan via the Marne, Saône (Beaune, Nuits-St-Georges) and Rhône (Châteauneuf-du-Papaya) valleys. If you're interested I'll pass you the route once it's done.

Pingu · « **Reply #17 on:** 20 June, 2014, 10:54:15 pm »

Nuits-St-Georges: stock up on your creme de cassis.

frankly frankie · « **Reply #18 on:** 21 June, 2014, 09:35:10 am »

Quote from: frankly frankie on 02 June, 2014, 03:06:37 pm

Strangely enough, you do not have to use your GPS in 'Bicycle' routing mode. On a road bike, 'Car' works much better.

Quote from: Robh on 02 June, 2014, 03:39:52 pm

Thanks Francis. Is this for on-the-fly navigation, of the "get me to 'x' from where I am" type?

Yes. Obviously with the settings I suggested, there is a risk of the routing choosing to use a motorway/autoroute. My solution to this is to take small bites at a time. If you assume say 100km per day while touring across France, I would split this roughly into 4 chunks of 25-ish km (which would also nicely co-incide with natural stops for refreshment, when in touring mode) and only ask my GPS to 'go to' each next mini-objective in turn. So I stop, buy a drink, and while drinking it do a 'go to' to the next stop 20-30km ahead. This works well with a small-scale regional-type paper map as mentioned above or you could just have the IGN maps on your smartphone, to identify each next mini-objective. I have toured across France like this.

To me the only real decision to make in the routing settings is whether or not to tick 'Avoid Highways'. Obvously we want to avoid motorways but 'highways' includes many trunk roads (in the UK) and N roads (in France) and most times I would prefer 1km of N road to 10km of dodging around to avoid it. Likewise local to me I have trunk road which is routinely used by cyclists but which 'avoid highways' would seek to avoid. So I don't tick it.

Robh · « **Reply #19 on:** 02 July, 2014, 03:57:20 pm »

Well I'm back now. Not too many problems with the Etrex 30, though I was glad to have the maps with me. There were a couple of instances where it tried to send me on an unnecessary loop, no doubt due to my having "Avoid highways" activated.

Thanks again for the advice.