BobM
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- V Frances; V Podensis; V Francigena; V Portugues; V Francigena del Sud; Jakobsweg. Jaffa - Jerusalem
Signage on the VF is sparse, and unreliable as the primary navigation aid – unlike the Camino Frances which has a profusion of reliable waymarks. Good navigation is very important on the VF, even with a detailed guidebook like the Chinn/Gallard Lightfoot guide - which I used. Paul Chinn is remarkably helpful and I am greatly indebted to him for much email help.
The maps in the Lightfoot guide are reasonably OK if you don't stray from the route described in the navigating instructions. However, guidebooks are not infallible. Instructions can be confusing if you are navigating to critical points by counting paces or estimating walking times. Conditions on the ground can change after a guidebook is printed.
So it is important to carry good maps (eg the IGN Topo100 1:100, 000), or a GPS unit loaded with the VF route. I elected to take a Garmin Dakota GPS unit loaded with the Lightfoot VF route and a Garmin City Navigator map for France. The IGN map set was too bulky and weighed over 800gm. Another advantage of the GPS /City Navigator combination was the ability to enter the address of one's accommodation and navigate easily to it at the end of the day. Otherwise time can be lost wandering about and asking directions to lodgings. City Navigator maps show all roads and drivable country tracks, but no contours. You can buy topo maps, but the excellent Garmin topo maps are very expensive.
First-time GPS users like me, who are experienced map users, can be put off initially by the small screen on a GPS unit. But after a while, a GPS user realises that one uses a GPS unit quite differently to a map. Once that insight dawns, the GPS unit becomes invaluable in conjunction with the guidebook.
I would not take a GPS unit on the CF, but I would not be without one on the VF. Reliable, simple navigation is important where waymarks can’t be trusted and paths are sometimes overgrown. A GPS unit that you trust removes a source of anxiety, especially if deviating from the guidebook route – which you may have to do to find accommodation, or to shorten a very long stage, or to avoid busy, dangerous roads.
Rather amazingly, the Dakota (and presumably other dedicated GPS units) records tracks etc even when in your pocket (and often inside buildings). It does not need a clear line of sight to the sky.
I navigated using a GPS screen that showed the distance and time to the next waypoint, the compass direction to it and the estimated arrival time at the final destination. This is all information that a map user would probably be estimating and monitoring anyway, but the GPS unit does it accurately and continuously. The estimated arrival time is useful because many accommodation providers ask when you plan to arrive.
If I wanted to depart from the guidebook route (or was lost), I used the “map” screen to navigate with, varying the scale to give me the detail I needed at any moment. It was remarkably effective.
A GPS unit also records a very accurate track of your daily rambles. The track can be useful to upload to Google Maps, and to share with other intending pilgrims. I also used it to geotag my photos.
You can also create KML files with photos of your route to view in Google Earth, and that is truly fascinating – perhaps not useful, but certainly fascinating! You can “re-walk” your pilgrimage, including Street View where available in towns, any time.
A disadvantage of a GPS unit is not being able to instantly see the big picture. When reviewing a route at the end of the day (and planning the route for next day), it is nice to be able to see the whole route at once and how it relates to the big picture.
A map is also better for quickly estimating distances when choosing among different off-track accommodation options. Such quick estimates are more fiddly to do on a GPS unit.
It is also nice to be able to follow the terrain and other features on a paper map as one walks.
Bob M
The maps in the Lightfoot guide are reasonably OK if you don't stray from the route described in the navigating instructions. However, guidebooks are not infallible. Instructions can be confusing if you are navigating to critical points by counting paces or estimating walking times. Conditions on the ground can change after a guidebook is printed.
So it is important to carry good maps (eg the IGN Topo100 1:100, 000), or a GPS unit loaded with the VF route. I elected to take a Garmin Dakota GPS unit loaded with the Lightfoot VF route and a Garmin City Navigator map for France. The IGN map set was too bulky and weighed over 800gm. Another advantage of the GPS /City Navigator combination was the ability to enter the address of one's accommodation and navigate easily to it at the end of the day. Otherwise time can be lost wandering about and asking directions to lodgings. City Navigator maps show all roads and drivable country tracks, but no contours. You can buy topo maps, but the excellent Garmin topo maps are very expensive.
First-time GPS users like me, who are experienced map users, can be put off initially by the small screen on a GPS unit. But after a while, a GPS user realises that one uses a GPS unit quite differently to a map. Once that insight dawns, the GPS unit becomes invaluable in conjunction with the guidebook.
I would not take a GPS unit on the CF, but I would not be without one on the VF. Reliable, simple navigation is important where waymarks can’t be trusted and paths are sometimes overgrown. A GPS unit that you trust removes a source of anxiety, especially if deviating from the guidebook route – which you may have to do to find accommodation, or to shorten a very long stage, or to avoid busy, dangerous roads.
Rather amazingly, the Dakota (and presumably other dedicated GPS units) records tracks etc even when in your pocket (and often inside buildings). It does not need a clear line of sight to the sky.
I navigated using a GPS screen that showed the distance and time to the next waypoint, the compass direction to it and the estimated arrival time at the final destination. This is all information that a map user would probably be estimating and monitoring anyway, but the GPS unit does it accurately and continuously. The estimated arrival time is useful because many accommodation providers ask when you plan to arrive.
If I wanted to depart from the guidebook route (or was lost), I used the “map” screen to navigate with, varying the scale to give me the detail I needed at any moment. It was remarkably effective.
A GPS unit also records a very accurate track of your daily rambles. The track can be useful to upload to Google Maps, and to share with other intending pilgrims. I also used it to geotag my photos.
You can also create KML files with photos of your route to view in Google Earth, and that is truly fascinating – perhaps not useful, but certainly fascinating! You can “re-walk” your pilgrimage, including Street View where available in towns, any time.
A disadvantage of a GPS unit is not being able to instantly see the big picture. When reviewing a route at the end of the day (and planning the route for next day), it is nice to be able to see the whole route at once and how it relates to the big picture.
A map is also better for quickly estimating distances when choosing among different off-track accommodation options. Such quick estimates are more fiddly to do on a GPS unit.
It is also nice to be able to follow the terrain and other features on a paper map as one walks.
Bob M
