Mapping app for planning walks?

ian-83

ian-83

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Ian
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After trying to navigate away from named roads and streets with Google maps at the weekend I have decided I need a app that gives me more detail of bridleways etc.

What apps do people recommend? I don't mind paying a small fee for a decent app especially if it's free of adverts.
 
We use Outdoors GPS https://outdoorsgps.com/products which is OS based. Granted one has to pay an annual sub but the cost is well worth being able to download maps of the areas one is interested in - works very well off-line and includes tracking.
 
The ordnance survey app gets you access to all the OS maps for around £20 per year IIRC, well worth it. Just remember to download and save the maps for the area yuo are vistiing if you are off the beaten track and away from a mobile signal.

Edit, crosspost with @drounding
 
sirch said:
The ordnance survey app gets you access to all the OS maps for around £20 per year IIRC, well worth it. Just remember to download and save the maps for the area yuo are vistiing if you are off the beaten track and away from a mobile signal.

Edit, crosspost with @drounding
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Thats very good value. I have memory map, which allows you to keep maps on a device - handy with an android phone and 128Gb additional micro SD card, but thats more expensive
 
I think the phone app of choice in the hiking/walking community is still viewranger. I don't use it myself as I use a dedicated handheld gps, but if I remember correctly the app is free but you pay for the map tiles you need. OS and Harvey + some other maps are available for the UK, also maps for a large number of other countries. http://www.viewranger.com/en-gb
 
Thanks for the recommendations. Will have a look at all the suggestions. OS seems like a good deal. Will see how it compares to Viewranger and the other suggestions.
 
OS premium for me too.

Used it yesterday for the first time as a premium user and more than satisfied... Downloaded a walk and was spot on.

Just be careful of peoples grading's of walks. Leisurely yesterday was not that leisurely :)
 
Apparently if you buy a paper Landranger or Explorer map you now get a code that lets you download the digital version, which can be used permanently with the OS app without a subscription. Might make sense if your walks are in the same area.
 
Not an App but an online resource for mapping routes off or on road and Free, I've used these many times for MTB ,Off road motorcycle and walking routes, They are HUG mapping and Bikehike both use OS Mapping. You can either print off your route or send to a walking GPS or I'm sure you could send it to a walking based app. The advantage is you see the route on a large screen whilst planning it.

http://maps.the-hug.net/

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php
 
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Retune said:
Apparently if you buy a paper Landranger or Explorer map you now get a code that lets you download the digital version, which can be used permanently with the OS app without a subscription. Might make sense if your walks are in the same area.
Click to expand...
I started off using the downloads that came with a map. The download maps work well except you can’t use the route mapping. I decided to try the OS maps subscription when I found out it can be got through Tesco clubcard, £8 of Tesco points gets you a years subscription (£20 is good value too). I’ve been using it for nearly a year now, and it’s been fantastic. The app is great for following a route on the phone (download for offline use and turn on airport mode saves battery but still allows GPS to pin point your location on an iPhone) but the desktop is best for planning routes as it’s much easier. Saving routes on a desktop then seeing them appear on the phone/tablet as an option to download is actually quite quick.

jerry12953 said:
You can get OS maps for free with Bing. I prefer paper maps in the field but for planning at the desk I'd say go for Bing.

https://www.bing.com/maps?FORM=Z9LH3
Click to expand...

With OS premium you can plan on the desktop by making a route (it’s easier on a desktop but it can be done on the tablet/phone app), then I download the road to my phone and tablet, and then print out scaled maps of the route in both 1:25000 and 1:40000 scales to pop in the map case (I like to have both electronic and paper maps available when out just in case batteries die). As long as you check the scale print box the print out come out perfectly to scale.
 
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I've been using Tracklogs for many years.

It's a one off buy so if you are walking locally it's a lot cheaper than the full OS subscription.

I got the whole of Norfolk / Suffolk for about £15 and that does me for walking and cycling.
 
What's this got to do with photography?
 
I have OS maps on my phone and for the modest subscription I think it is good value. I also use Viewranger which as it is free is even better value. The detail on the the Vieranger maps is not as good as the OS maps but still more than usable in many situations.

However, I still prefer OS paper maps(usually a full map but sometimes a section printed off from Bing maps). I find a paper map, compass and the free OS app called OS Locate*( which shows your six figure grid reference) is an ideal combination.


Dave


* https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/os-locate
 
I tend to use Streetmap UK for this and just print off a hard copy for the area I need. (Sorry to say that I'm a bit of a technoklutz when it comes to phones and mine isn't linked to the internet, just used for phoning and receiving calls.)
 
I sometimes prefer the hiking/walking/scenery than I do actually taking photos...... I'm more than happy to come back with just a handful of really nice, well thought out images from several hours outdoors.

I use just Map My Hike at the moment. I haven't done anything with Ordnance Survey as of yet..... I also like Bing on the desktop as switching from aerial view to OS is just a click.
 
I just want to take good images of places I walk.
LeeRatters said:
I sometimes prefer the hiking/walking/scenery than I do actually taking photos...... I'm more than happy to come back with just a handful of really nice, well thought out images from several hours outdoors.
Click to expand...

I just want to take good images of where I have been and things I have seen along the way.
Used Bike hike alot for walking and Mountainbiking. Can download the route to a GPS unit or phone App although I try not to use the one thing that may get me out of trouble so its got a good battery if needed.
 
AgentOrange76 said:
I try not to use the one thing that may get me out of trouble so its got a good battery if needed.
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I find turning on airport mode saves battery but still lets GPS work for mapping. I recently got a phone case off amazon that has a built in battery for this very reason. Its now just push a button on the back to start charging off the case backup battery. The case battery charges after the phone charges and from the same connection point so no charging of different devices and forgetting to charge the backup battery or leaving it behind.
 
sirch said:
The ordnance survey app gets you access to all the OS maps for around £20 per year IIRC, well worth it. Just remember to download and save the maps for the area yuo are vistiing if you are off the beaten track and away from a mobile signal.

Edit, crosspost with @drounding
Click to expand...
You can also print off your maps so you have a physical copy.
 
There's a free app for Android that has the OS maps, Maverick, although you do have to sign up for a Bing Maps developer account.
 
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