Hiiker GPX maps are free

[dbier]

As a public service announcement, the Irish hiking app Hiiker is making all its GPX map files available for free. I've purportedly downloaded the GPX for the Camino Primitivo.

Sadly, I don't actually know how to *use* it.

Could a tech savvy pilgrim PM or post how this is used? I'm a huge fan of the concept that my phone will vibrate to warn me that I'm off track...

 

[dougfitz]

I had a look at the website, but I cannot download anything without joining, so I cannot tell if they are providing a standard GPX file or it is in another format.

In general you will need an app on your phone that can import this file. The Hiiker website recommends the IGN app for the Primitivo GPX files, an app which I find to be complex and difficult to use, but others might have successfully mastered its intricacies. My preference is OSMAnd+, but there are many other mapping apps other members have used and will recommend.

There is no standard way that these apps import GPX files, so you will first need to make a choice, then find someone here or elsewhere that can help you import the track.

If you are not an experienced GPS user, you might still find that having the track is of little actual value to you. You might be better off looking at the various Camino specific apps that are available and using one of them. I have several loaded, but not all cover the Primitivo. I have Buen Camino, Wise Pilgrim and Gronze on an Android. You don't need all of them, one will do. Either Wise Pilgrim or Buen Camino seem fine, although I find Wise Pilgrim easier to use and it is well supported by the developer.

 

[C clearly]

GPX and KML files of most Camino routes are widely available for free.

Various apps can use these files - Organic Maps, mapy.cz, Wikiloc, etc. Typically, the apps also have free versions, or for a modest price, you can subscribe to a version with a few more features.

I don't know a lot about the different apps, but the one I know that does signal if you are going off the track is Wikiloc, at least in the paid version.

The simplest apps simply display a map (that you download), with a line (the GPS/KML "track") overlaid on it. Then your phone GPS shows a little blue dot where you are, so you can see if you are on the track or not. As you walk, you see if you are continuing to be on the track. Some apps will record your track as you go along.

 

[art4web]

the mapy.cz app already has all the Camino tracks (blue line) in its map, you don't need download anything. You can check this before installing by looking at https://en.mapy.cz/turisticka?x=-8.5614364&y=42.8814353&z=11
The Via Francigena tracks are marked with red line.
Mapy.cz is available for Android and IOS

 

[woody66]

OSMAND+ has voice navigation and tells you your of your track!

 

[dougfitz]

the mapy.cz app already has all the Camino tracks (blue line) in its map, you don't need download anything.

Any mapping application that uses Open Street Map data has these tracks available to them as a layer that can be presented to a user. So not just mapy.cz, but OSMAnd+ and its iOS equivalents have these tracks. Some apps will allow them to be turned on an off. If all you want to do is follow them on the map while you are walking, you can do that.

If, however, you want to do any stage planning, they are not like a gpx track from the various sources, or a kml track from the Centro de Descargas, the Spanish mapping agency. They cannot be edited to create a walking plan for a day which can then be used for measuring distances, voice guidance, off-route warnings, etc.

I know that an app like OSMAnd+ will allow you to create your own route, and so you can enable the walking tracks layer (which includes the Camino routes) and manually set up the waypoints along that route. That might sound cumbersome, but if you are familiar with how your mapping app works, it quickly becomes routine and is normally something that can be done in a few minutes.

If, like me, you use a GPS or GPS app for work or recreational reasons at home, you may already have the necessary skills, and will find this second nature. I worry more about those who are new to navigating off roads while walking. It is not that I don't think that they could acquire those skills, but it does need an investment of time to learn and practice them. When there are good, Camino specific, apps available these days, I do wonder whether it would be better to use one of them instead. Even if it means foregoing some of the features like off-route alarms or voice guidance available on a dedicated mapping app.

 

[An Tincéir]

As a public service announcement, the Irish hiking app Hiiker is making all its GPX map files available for free. I've purportedly downloaded the GPX for the Camino Primitivo.

Sadly, I don't actually know how to *use* it.

Could a tech savvy pilgrim PM or post how this is used? I'm a huge fan of the concept that my phone will vibrate to warn me that I'm off track...

I use wikiloc as my guide and to record my walks. They have a vast library of maps from other users where you can find ready to use stage maps for many of the Camino and other trails. It is free to download.

 

[C clearly]

I use wikiloc as my guide and to record my walks. They have a vast library of maps from other users where you can find ready to use stage maps for many of the Camino and other trails. It is free to download.

I worry more about those who are new to navigating off roads while walking.

I use Wikiloc as the main source for tracks, for navigation (beeping when I go off track), and for recording my walk. However, I would add a cautionary note... anybody with an account can upload the track they walked. That doesn't mean it has had any quality control! It could be meandering, hazardous, trespassing, etc.

@peregrina2000 and I followed a couple of tracks on the Lana last month that we would not recommend. We had no problems and it was a fun adventure for us because the weather was good, we had other tracks for comparison, we had experience following GPS and walking remote caminos, and also had each other's company to help figure things out.

 

[dbier]

Truthfully, I have no experience with any app other than Google Maps for walking...and there are times in cities where Google Maps mysteriously reverses its instructions (Las Vegas, where the voiced instructions were consistently reversed from the map) or drops the track due to interference. Finding Quintana Massages in SdC wasn't possible for me with Google Maps in 2021.

Since I am not over there and don't know what cell service my phone will capriciously select when I hit ground in Madrid, I don't really know whether Wise Pilgrim or Buen Camino will be of use. Especially on the 2nd through 5th stages...

Just call me worried. I do get lost easily, and often times have to stop and think about which way right turns go, and about which direction north is.

 

[dougfitz]

Since I am not over there and don't know what cell service my phone will capriciously select when I hit ground in Madrid, I don't really know whether Wise Pilgrim or Buen Camino will be of use. Especially on the 2nd through 5th stages...

Both Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino support downloading maps and other data so they can be used without an internet connexion. They could be downloaded before you leave, or anywhere where you can access wifi once you are in Spain.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

For a GPS app to know where you are it needs to receive signals from at least three satellites (four to get elevation information). If you are in canyons, valleys, dense forests or their urban equivalents your position may not be found or may be inaccurate because you cannot get good signals from satellites. You might get some data from wifi or cellular signals which your phone can also use but these are rather inaccurate. Note though that you can be in airplane mode and thus not getting any wifi or cellular signals but you still should get the satellite radio signals.

Google Maps isn't great for navigation on hikes because there aren't many trails in its databases. Many other apps use data from Open Street Maps (OSM) to create their base maps and OSM knows many trails.

As @dougfitz mentioned above you can, with many apps, download regional maps ahead of time so the apps don't have to rely on the map data being available by cellular data at walk time. These can be downloaded in advance by cellular data when available but the smart and cheap (or free) way that most use is to download over wifi.

 

[Flatlander]

anybody with an account can upload the track they walked. That doesn't mean it has had any quality control! It could be meandering, hazardous, trespassing, etc.

This is exactly right. Downloaded routes can be a hodge-podge of wrong turns, personalised adaptations or just plain wrong.

If you are not an experienced GPS user, you might still find that having the track is of little actual value to you. You might be better of looking at the various Camino specific apps that are available and using one of them.

I wholeheartedly agree

I worry more about those who are new to navigating off roads while walking. It is not that I don't think that they could acquire those skills, but it does need an investment of time to learn and practice them.

A very strong reason to use a dedicated "Camino" app which has been designed for first time users. Trying to master a new, complicated, dedicated navigation app in a strange country on isolated tracks is not a good combination.

Sadly, I don't actually know how to *use* it.

See above.
You effectively have two choices - master something like Osmand at home by testing and stress testing it, getting a feel for how it works, how accurate it is, how it uses battery, what happens in the rain etc.
Or download one of the popular Camino specific apps and getting as familiar with it as you can, before you leave. I'd urge the latter.

Just call me worried. I do get lost easily, and often times have to stop and think about which way right turns go, and about which direction north is.

You don't say when you are going but there is no need to be excessively worried. You will most likely be meeting lots of other pilgrims. A long multi- day Camino sounds daunting but when you break it into daily, bite size pieces it is very manageable.

I use a gps unit for bike travel and have covered fair distances in out of the way places. I would never suggest to anyone to go off the beaten track, depending on a gps tool that they do not understand. I have many tales, some serious, most humorous, of people on bikes following gps routes blindly and disastrously. In most cases nothing particularly bad happened, but these people were stressed out beyond belief. Correcting a misinterpreted beep on your phone when travelling under our own steam can be frustrating!

Google, and Google Maps are useful in certain circumstances but not infallible. I follow an 80/20 rule with both Google Maps and Google Translate: 80% of the time it's fine but 20% of the time it could get me killed

Buen Camino.

 

[Drumbo_hiker]

Hi @dbier, I agree with pretty much all of the foregoing. I used the Buen Camino app last year for the 2nd half of the Norte from Ribadesella and found it to provide all the information that I really needed, including tracking my progress in real time against the camino route shown against a satellite map.

Other apps are available of course. I also have Wise Pilgrim which I found extremely useful and will use again too.

 

[deniseketcham]

I just used RideWithGPS app for the Portuguese Camino. I was able to download and bookmark each stage ahead of time. I had to create an account but it was free.

The app really helped solve some ambiguity when markers were absent or ambiguous. The used it everyday, especially to see road vs dirt and track out progress. Designed for bikes, but absolutely usable for hikers.

Note: I use iPhone with cell service on.

 

[Pepper_E]

As a public service announcement, the Irish hiking app Hiiker is making all its GPX map files available for free. I've purportedly downloaded the GPX for the Camino Primitivo.

Sadly, I don't actually know how to *use* it.

Could a tech savvy pilgrim PM or post how this is used? I'm a huge fan of the concept that my phone will vibrate to warn me that I'm off track...

If you have suddenly developed a passion for diving into the tech mapping world then follow some of the great advice already given… In the US, I frequently use Gaia for sharing and planning backpacking and overland adventures - I’ve also used this app for walks in France, Spain and Portugal. Including downloading the Norte and Primitivo - the GPX files came with the purchase of my Cicerone Guidebook (thanks Ivar). Although I enjoy tinkering with this kind of thing, I think most of the world is happier with a user friendly app like Buen Camino.

 

[Sugaree]

We used Gaia

If you have suddenly developed a passion for diving into the tech mapping world then follow some of the great advice already given… In the US, I frequently use Gaia for sharing and planning backpacking and overland adventures - I’ve also used this app for walks in France, Spain and Portugal. Including downloading the Norte and Primitivo - the GPX files came with the purchase of my Cicerone Guidebook (thanks Ivar). Although I enjoy tinkering with this kind of thing, I think most of the world is happier with a user friendly app like Buen Camino.

We used Gaia on the Voie de Vezelay, with the tracks and facilities waypoints available from the Dutch Camino group. It is GPS so no cell service needed. You can record and save your stages in a different color from the track. We have the subscription version fir Android.

 

[wynrich]

I use Wikiloc as the main source for tracks, for navigation (beeping when I go off track), and for recording my walk. However, I would add a cautionary note... anybody with an account can upload the track they walked. That doesn't mean it has had any quality control! It could be meandering, hazardous, trespassing, etc.

So true! We got a good laugh reading what you said. This spring we used a wikiloc track to do a detour off the Ruta de Cantabrico. We wanted to avoid walking on roads and the wikiloc path sure did that. It took us on quite an adventure. Here's the blog post we wrote about it: https://wynchar.com/c23/2023/04/19/path-finding-adventure/ Needless to say, we took the roads on our way back. Good old Google maps.

 

[C clearly]

This spring we used a wikiloc track

Yes! A wikiloc track just means that someone has walked that route and survived to upload it!

Nevertheless, I think we'd agree that Wikiloc is a great resource, as are its contributors.