Finding campsites in Europe

[wendylois]

I posted this under another heading but wanted to pass this on to a 'wider' audience.

I wanted to thoroughly recommend a website which enables downloads of sat nav co-ordinates for foreign campsites as 'POIs' (points of interest): http://archiescampings.eu/eng1/. Recommended by someone on Camping Cheques' website forum, and I have downloaded them to our TomTom with great success. It lists (separately) the Camping Cheques sites (which scheme I can thorough recommend if caravanning out of season). Also ACSI campsites, and sites along the highways. It makes finding the campsite a breeze now as we had great difficulty finding them in previous years; just had to follow the site's instructions once we'd navigated to the town. You can also download them as 'Google Earth' placemarks so you can see the scenery round the site before you go - brilliant!!!

 

[Robert_374242026]

That sounds great wendylois,we have the TT700 and would you or anybdy else know whether we can do simular on ours.The 700 has built in western Europe etc and has it any more "room" for more info?.

 

[ShadySadie]

TT Go 700 has an inbuilt hard drive for storing data.

 

[wendylois]

Hi Robert

That's exactly the same model as ours. I must admit to having some degree of trepidation before downloading them to our TomTom, but naturally made sure I'd backed it up first on TomTom Home. I found the site was easy to use and the instructions simple to follow. Just have a look first. I also found the site owners (Dutch) very responsive to e-mails too, and appreciative of my congratulatory comments to them. Have fun.

Wendy

 

[Mike_374359741]

Dear Wendy

A great site and a fab idea

I have the Tom Tom910. Any idea on how to download the POI's please

MikeyV

 

[wendylois]

Hi Mike

I downloaded the latest versions to my TT700 yesterday; the instructions for doing this are in a 'readme' txt when you click on the TomTom version, but basically you extract the files that you need for your satnav, in our case TomTom, connect your TomTom to the PC, open it using Explorer and then download the two extracted files to Western_Europe. (Don't worry about his instruction to paste them next to 'cline.dat' as it will automatically sort them within the folder.) Don't forget to back up your TT on 'Home' first just in case, but you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Robert_374242026]

Hi wendylois its me again with the 700 TT. I downloaded Archies camping snelwegan and it came up on my documents with the zip on it. I R clicked on and opened it up and chose the ov one , then clicked on that to send it to TT which was connected to the pc. Now if it is on there how do i find out where it is?.

Many thanks

Robert

 

[wendylois]

Hi Robert

I'm hoping you read the .txt instructions first. You would need to send both the .ov2 and the .bmp files to the TomTom as the .bmp file contains the POI graphic. If you've done that, then you should find them as POIs on your TT - I did. Let me know how you get on.

Wendy

 

[wendylois]

Are you there Mike? Just wondered how you got on?

 

[Robert_374242026]

Hi Robert

I'm hoping you read the .txt instructions first. You would need to send both the .ov2 and the .bmp files to the TomTom as the .bmp file contains the POI graphic. If you've done that, then you should find them as POIs on your TT - I did. Let me know how you get on.

Wendy

Yes its me again, i read the text and sent it again to TT and it still did not show but i thought i would do it again but the zipped file when opened it had "gone" so went back to another Archie but this file is only 113 kb and it was not zipped ,so think i should download again from Archie , will let you know .

Many thanks

Robert

 

[Robert_374242026]

This is getting daft, i have downloaded Archies 4 times now and its still not appearing on my TT 700.One annoying thing keeps happening is TT Home keeps coming up and updating.One other thing is that although i chose TT there appears all these others such as destination /Garmin /mio and others, i then narrow it down to TT select bitmap and ov2 exract the files and send them to TT, now is that going to TT Home or to the 700?,so have i got to put the 700 in to anything special or will it do it itself.

Getting weary.

 

[wendylois]

Sorry you're having problems Robert, but I'm baffled as to why. Before connecting the TT to the PC I first of all downloaded the files to my PC's 'My Documents': 'TomTom' folder.

(For anyone else reading this, there are file downloads for all the other sat nav makes.)

I then extracted the TT ones which give three files, one of which contain the instructions. The other two are the POI files. Then connect your TT to the PC ignoring Home if it opens which it should automatically as you're not using it. Just leave it open until you've finished. Open Windows Explorer and you should see the TT showing; if your PC runs on XP it will be under 'Devices with Removable Storage'. Click on the TT folder and you will see all the files on the TT listed, including Western_Europe. This is the destination for the files, so just copy them over. I am sure you will then find them under POIs on your TT as a green 'A' symbol: "Archies Europa".

Once you've done that, which I'm sure you will now achieve, there are three other categories of campsites to download, ie camping cheque sites ('sun' symbol: Archies cc campings); Camping Card ACSI sites: (blue CC symbol: CCACSI Archie); and euro 12000 sites (purple 'A' symbol: euro12000).

I really hope this works this time. I've got all the sites on our TT, and we're heading off on Sunday week for a month in France staying at the camping cheque sites, but might 'en route' at anything we find convenient to when my husband's had enough of driving. At least we now know we're going to find them straight away, which is essential when you've got that large white box on the back of the car. Best wishes.

Wendy

 

[Robert_374242026]

Hello Wendy sorry to be a pain but it still does not work, your instructions were carried out except that when i came back to Windows Explorer there were nothing on the tool bar saying about devises, i am sure this is what is wrong but do not seem to be able to find it.In the top tool bar it shows Archies.Many thanks for your patience.

Robert

 

[wendylois]

Hi Robert

This is difficult without actually seeing your screen. Is the TT switched on? It needs to be on in order to show on the Windows Explorer screen.

 

[wendylois]

Just realised, I've been stating 'Windows Explorer' but on XP it's 'My Computer' screen. Any luck?

 

[Robert_374242026]

Just realised, I've been stating 'Windows Explorer' but on XP it's 'My Computer' screen. Any luck?

Thanks Wendy, will try that , and by the way have a great time with your husband on your holiday ,ours is 2nd week in June to the Vosges.

Regards

Robert

 

[wendylois]

Just realised, I've been stating 'Windows Explorer' but on XP it's 'My Computer' screen. Any luck?

Thanks Robert. We're passing through Vosges on our way to the Alps; staying two nights near Epinal at Lac de Bouzey site (Camping Cheques page 176). Last year we stayed a couple of nights near St Die des Vosges - very pretty but weather lousy, as you will remember, last June. Hope you have a super time, hopefully with campsites loaded on your TT by then! Wish I could post pictures on this, as have a 'screen dump' of my PC's #My Computer' screen showing TT attached, and destination folder, but don't know how to send pics to you! Maybe by e-mail if all else fails? Wendy

 

[Robert_374242026]

Thanks Robert. We're passing through Vosges on our way to the Alps; staying two nights near Epinal at Lac de Bouzey site (Camping Cheques page 176). Last year we stayed a couple of nights near St Die des Vosges - very pretty but weather lousy, as you will remember, last June. Hope you have a super time, hopefully with campsites loaded on your TT by then! Wish I could post pictures on this, as have a 'screen dump' of my PC's #My Computer' screen showing TT attached, and destination folder, but don't know how to send pics to you! Maybe by e-mail if all else fails? Wendy

We are going to LE Barba at Rehaupal, hope their lakes do'nt overflow!.

 

[wendylois]

Thanks Robert. We're passing through Vosges on our way to the Alps; staying two nights near Epinal at Lac de Bouzey site (Camping Cheques page 176). Last year we stayed a couple of nights near St Die des Vosges - very pretty but weather lousy, as you will remember, last June. Hope you have a super time, hopefully with campsites loaded on your TT by then! Wish I could post pictures on this, as have a 'screen dump' of my PC's #My Computer' screen showing TT attached, and destination folder, but don't know how to send pics to you! Maybe by e-mail if all else fails? Wendy

Hi again Robert

I've asked the moderators to let you have my e-mail address. If you e-mail me back we'll be able to compare our PCs and get to the bottom of this problem.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Wendy

 

[Robert_374242026]

Yippe, I have done it , well after a week downloading Archies camping on to our TOM TOM 700 and it not appearing it was getting frustated, but after getting lots of help from wendylois its finally on there.Well done Wendy.

 

[Jim_374334401]

Just spotted this thread and thick its a great idea, however I am struugling to navigate around the site as the links to the download appear not to work? any ideas anyone....?

 

[Robert_374242026]

Just spotted this thread and thick its a great idea, however I am struugling to navigate around the site as the links to the download appear not to work? any ideas anyone....?

I know how you feel Jim as i had same problem and wendylois got me there in the end, whether she has taken a laptop with her it might be a while for her to answer. What navigations have you?>

 

[Robert_374242026]

Just spotted this thread and thick its a great idea, however I am struugling to navigate around the site as the links to the download appear not to work? any ideas anyone....?

Having downloaded all the archiessnellwegan sites it turned out the place we are going to next week is not on there!.