getting lost with sat nav

[runnerphil]

Hi all

I'm thinking about getting sat nav for when I'm towing but I'm a bit sceptical about if it's going to send me down some narrow lane just because it's the quickest way.

Has anyone ever been sent the wrong way or have been driving solo using one and thought bloody good job I'm not towing now?

Mrs Baldy is very good with a map but this year while towing around the isle of white, I asked her to keep an eye open for a road sign but as we passed it I turned to her to give her a cheeky "good job I was looking" only to find she was fast asleep!

I see you can get cheep units now for less then £100.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Many times it's sent me down narrow roads but thankfully not towing. I,ve been sent down cul-de-sacs and down a road leading to a river bridge that was for cyclists and pedestrians only.Many times it's sent me down single track roads with grass growing up the middle. It sees it as a short cut, probably more direct, but the time you lose negotiating tight bends and finding passing places makes it slower. If towing, once off the major roads rely on the site directions NOT the SatNav. I don't think it makes any difference if it's a cheap unit or not because it happened to me a few times while driving front line ambulances and their systems are expensive and updated on a regular basis. For all it's little problems I still wouldn't be without it though.

 

[LMH]

Hi

I use my sat nav all the time (TTG 500) as most weekends I'm up and down the country at events. I wouldn't be without it and have only praise for it. If I am going somewhere where I have never been before, I will look on RAC route finder the night before to give me an idea of where I'm going.

The only time it's let me down and I probably have to take part of the blame for this too is when I went to Birmingham the other week. I was going to a leisure centre and put the postcode in but as it was a leisure centre, it didn't have a number so I just put a number in. My destination was on one of the longest roads in the world! (One way system too). The leisure centre was poorly marked and tucked away behind a school entrance. I found it in the end by a process of elimination but it was frustrating.

When I'm towing, OH always has either a map and or a print out from RAC route finder. I have heard horror stories and would hate to be in the situation of towing and being led down an unsuitable road etc.

So the upshot is, in my opinion, brilliant for solo driving but use your common sense and don't trust it 100% when towing.

Lisa

 

[GillC1]

Baldylocks,

I would stick to the map. Friends of ours had one in France this year, it took us under a low tunnel the caravan was fine but when you have a renault espace with bikes on the roof - crunch. Also looking for Futuroscope we ended up in Auchan Carpark. I guess if you use it as a guide and don't rely on 100% you may be ok. I personnaly would rather stick to a map and the mitchelin guide, save yourself the cash

 

[Allyson]

Hi

We used our Garmin for the first time last year when we went to St. Ives.

We were staying at the Polmanter Site.

It took us left on the roundabout and the road was lovely and wide ideal for us pulling the caravan at 2.00 a.m. in the morning, just has we started to climb a slight hill (and after passing a pub on our right for those of you who know the area I am taking about) it told us to take a next left, we saw a brown sign stating Caravan park to the right. so we pulled off the road and started to go up this road, you guessed it we passed a caravan site on the left, but it was not Polmanter the Garmin told us to keep going, the road was getting narrower and narrower I was sat on the edge of my seat thinking I hope nothing comes the other way. The road was going to the left and then to the right. Up in front I could see roof tops and noticed cars parked outside, my heart was in my mouth was we going to get through with the car and the van or would we have to wake the people up to move their cars lucky we got through.

When we passed the houses we had to take a right into Polmanter, it had taken us the back road into the site.

I had programmed us as driving a lorry glad I wasn't.

Allyson

 

[Steve L]

My best advice is to still keep a map handy and study your proposed route beforehand.

A sat nav is your basic computer and does only what it states on the box. "take you from A to B by the quickest/shortest route" and this can mean single track roads that are not speed limited so therefore the sat nav believes you can do 60mph. Now if you were Colin Mc Rae in an Evo 6 then may be, but Mr average in his Vectra has no chance.

So by setting up some "via points" on the sat nav route you can avoid getting in a pickle.

With a bit of common sense applied and a map to assist you can find the sat nav a delightfull tool.

For instance today on our way up the A5 to Llangollen we are stopping off at Oswestry to call in at Argos. Now with the Argos post code found via their web site we can now go straight to the store and go from Leominster via Shrewsbury Via Oswestry then Chirk to Llangollen. I'll also have an ETA (arrival time) on display so that if we are going to be late for the party we can phone ahead.

By the way I have a map in the car as backup together with tow rope, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, small tool kit, hazard triangle, wind up torch and two mobile phones. Never say I'm not prepared!! Mind you, I've only twice had to use the kit for my breakdowns, it is usually for those I come across in dispare at their misfortune that my first aid, car mechanics and rescue experience is used upon.

Steve.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Hi

We used our Garmin for the first time last year when we went to St. Ives.

We were staying at the Polmanter Site.

It took us left on the roundabout and the road was lovely and wide ideal for us pulling the caravan at 2.00 a.m. in the morning, just has we started to climb a slight hill (and after passing a pub on our right for those of you who know the area I am taking about) it told us to take a next left, we saw a brown sign stating Caravan park to the right. so we pulled off the road and started to go up this road, you guessed it we passed a caravan site on the left, but it was not Polmanter the Garmin told us to keep going, the road was getting narrower and narrower I was sat on the edge of my seat thinking I hope nothing comes the other way. The road was going to the left and then to the right. Up in front I could see roof tops and noticed cars parked outside, my heart was in my mouth was we going to get through with the car and the van or would we have to wake the people up to move their cars lucky we got through.

When we passed the houses we had to take a right into Polmanter, it had taken us the back road into the site.

I had programmed us as driving a lorry glad I wasn't.

Allyson

My Garmin is also programmed for a lorry but would hate to take a lorry down some of the roads, infact it would be impossible with a few tracks we've been down. In my hobby of taking pics of streets etc. as they are now compared to pics I have of them from early 1900s I find the Garmin excellent.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

My best advice is to still keep a map handy and study your proposed route beforehand.

A sat nav is your basic computer and does only what it states on the box. "take you from A to B by the quickest/shortest route" and this can mean single track roads that are not speed limited so therefore the sat nav believes you can do 60mph. Now if you were Colin Mc Rae in an Evo 6 then may be, but Mr average in his Vectra has no chance.

So by setting up some "via points" on the sat nav route you can avoid getting in a pickle.

With a bit of common sense applied and a map to assist you can find the sat nav a delightfull tool.

For instance today on our way up the A5 to Llangollen we are stopping off at Oswestry to call in at Argos. Now with the Argos post code found via their web site we can now go straight to the store and go from Leominster via Shrewsbury Via Oswestry then Chirk to Llangollen. I'll also have an ETA (arrival time) on display so that if we are going to be late for the party we can phone ahead.

By the way I have a map in the car as backup together with tow rope, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, small tool kit, hazard triangle, wind up torch and two mobile phones. Never say I'm not prepared!! Mind you, I've only twice had to use the kit for my breakdowns, it is usually for those I come across in dispare at their misfortune that my first aid, car mechanics and rescue experience is used upon.

Steve.

That is a plus, having a search for shops etc. After setting up on site we go off to get the shopping. Her Ladyship loves Asda (ok I know it's sad) so I just type in Asda and it tells me of the stores, starting off with the closest. Same thing for Tesco, Morrisons etc.

 

[Steve_5090070]

Hi,

I have owned a Tom TOM for 10 mths. I have been sent down a narrow road. It was a correct road and the site was on it, the system told me to turn on to the road which did have a street sign. The raod was a very narrow single track lane. I had to travel for about 10 mins down this lane until I got to the site. Once I arrived at the site gates the lane changed to a normal two carrige road. It continued onwards to the same road I turned of f originally. It turned out I had been sent in from the wrong end of the street.

That aside I am glad I have bought one it has helped me find many places such as shops, banks, train stations car parks as well as sites. When driving in strange towns it is hard to know which lane etc to be in to prepare for your next turn. A sat nav helps with this. As some one mentioned earlier, use a map to double check the route and when you are confident with the route set off.

cheers Steve