Travel Scotland

[otherclive]

I accept that you can get options with most sat navs but unless it allows you to specify routes suitable for the size of your outfit it can lead you astray. That trip down the back streets of Burford might have worked that day, but somewhere else it might have been a disaster.

The route via Burford was my very first test of one of those new satnav things shortly after receiving it one Christmas so no Caravan.
I don’t let it route me with the caravan in tow. I input my route with the aid of Basecamp software and double check on Google. But saying that we’ve done trips to the Mediterranean, Krakow and other places plus UK and it’s been a masssive aid to navigating distances. At times I would even have the car inbuilt and the Garmin in parallel and took the average. Left lane? Right Lane? No carry straight on 👍

 

[Niall_McIntosh]

The route via Burford was my very first test of one of those new satnav things shortly after receiving it one Christmas so no Caravan.
I don’t let it route me with the caravan in tow. I input my route with the aid of Basecamp software and double check on Google. But saying that we’ve done trips to the Mediterranean, Krakow and other places plus UK and it’s been a masssive aid to navigating distances. At times I would even have the car inbuilt and the Garmin in parallel and took the average. Left lane? Right Lane? No carry straight on 👍

That's a relief! I know Burford very well, as we live not too far away. I was having extreme difficulty imagining how you could possibly have taken a caravan down its back streets. It's bad enough taking a car down there most days in summer!

 

[Mandarin]

Annoyingly I notice that some sites don't indicate the direction of travel, one we stayed overnight at just said turn right off the A47 as you enter the village - which was fine if heading East, but we were coming West. We've noticed quite a few CLs and CSslike that, so we tend to check on Google earth before setting off now.

 

[Beachball]

...or bring you the wrong way to an angled site entrance which can only be entered from one direction, as we found lat year in the Peak District.

i also found the wrong way in the peak district to a site as well that was fun

 

[Johnb]

I accept that you can get options with most sat navs but unless it allows you to specify routes suitable for the size of your outfit it can lead you astray. That trip down the back streets of Burford might have worked that day, but somewhere else it might have been a disaster.

And it still can. Really and truly it can. Can't say it loud enough it can!

 

[RogerL]

The A82 will take longer than any route planner will suggest, there is no doubt that the A82 would be my first choice unless time was a critical factor.

The better route planners take actual journey times, not theoretical times.

 

[Johnb]

The better route planners take actual journey times, not theoretical times.

Can't understand what you mean Roger.

Surely a route planner can only know distance, speed restrictions, traffic delay estimates according to time and at best weather conditions, nature of the vehicle travelling the route etc and predict a "theoretical" journey time.
What do you mean a "better route planner takes actual journey times"?

Not with you on this one.

 

[RogerL]

Can't understand what you mean Roger.

Surely a route planner can only know distance, speed restrictions, traffic delay estimates according to time and at best weather conditions, nature of the vehicle travelling the route etc and predict a "theoretical" journey time.
What do you mean a "better route planner takes actual journey times"?

Not with you on this one.

Some route planners receive feedback from users which allows speeds based on actual experience to be used in the prediction, along with the external factors you mention.

 

[Johnb]

Some route planners receive feedback from users which allows speeds based on actual experience to be used in the prediction, along with the external factors you mention.

Right. I've learn't something new. Thanks for that.

I've not come across any route planner that asks for actual "actual user experience" to enable it to make a better job of routing people. I suppose I never thought it possible that such feedback could cover all times of day and season, not to mention the differing vehicles being driven by different people, nor that all roads/routes to even begin to be covered.

As a matter of interest can you give me (and others who may be interested) the name of any of the route planners to which you refer? I would love to check it out.

It's nuggets like this that make a forum so useful. We all benefit from your experience.

My only experience (apart from my SatNav - which I never trust) has been using Google Maps, Google Earth and ViaMichelin (none of which, although they may claim to) take account of road suitability for towing and certainly cannot make use of "actual experience".

I do create my routes in Garmin Basecamp with the help of the above mentioned route planners but would love to hear of better "starting points".

 

[otherclive]

Right. I've learn't something new. Thanks for that.

I've not come across any route planner that asks for actual "actual user experience" to enable it to make a better job of routing people. I suppose I never thought it possible that such feedback could cover all times of day and season, not to mention the differing vehicles being driven by different people, nor that all roads/routes to even begin to be covered.

As a matter of interest can you give me (and others who may be interested) the name of any of the route planners to which you refer? I would love to check it out.

It's nuggets like this that make a forum so useful. We all benefit from your experience.

My only experience (apart from my SatNav - which I never trust) has been using Google Maps, Google Earth and ViaMichelin (none of which, although they may claim to) take account of road suitability for towing and certainly cannot make use of "actual experience".

I do create my routes in Garmin Basecamp with the help of the above mentioned route planners but would love to hear of better "starting points".

Google use real data from phones and has a database of when routes are busy or not, but then will superimpose current conditions onto the route plan that you are interest in. If you are going to somewhere at the bottom of the Directions page is Popular Times histogram, Again collected by Google....not GCHQ

 

[RogerL]

Right. I've learn't something new. Thanks for that.

I've not come across any route planner that asks for actual "actual user experience" to enable it to make a better job of routing people. I suppose I never thought it possible that such feedback could cover all times of day and season, not to mention the differing vehicles being driven by different people, nor that all roads/routes to even begin to be covered.

As a matter of interest can you give me (and others who may be interested) the name of any of the route planners to which you refer? I would love to check it out.

It's nuggets like this that make a forum so useful. We all benefit from your experience.

My only experience (apart from my SatNav - which I never trust) has been using Google Maps, Google Earth and ViaMichelin (none of which, although they may claim to) take account of road suitability for towing and certainly cannot make use of "actual experience".

I do create my routes in Garmin Basecamp with the help of the above mentioned route planners but would love to hear of better "starting points".

It's was one of the bigger names in after-market satnavs but I honestly can't remember which - it related to solo use, not towing.

I find Google Maps journey times slow for solo use but a tad fast when towing - I recently did a solo journey in 1:45 which Google Maps had predicted 2:15, travelling within speed limits - so I'll use Google Maps for route planning but revert to an old MS Autoroute for timings, the combination works well

 

[keithmaclroz]

Train travel can be pretty budget-intensive, which is very important these days. However, using a hitchhiking, couch, hospitality of locals, their knowledge, realizing bold ideas, spent an unforgettable time. And with https://www.dbfahrplanauskunft.com/de/ I saved a lot of money when I went on a train trip to Scotland and found it excellent. Traveling alone, you see much more than running with a guide and a lot of tourists from the bus to the cathedral, from the cathedral to the museum ... Thus, you can see a country or a city from the inside, feel the atmosphere, understand the inhabitants.

 

[otherclive]

It's was one of the bigger names in after-market satnavs but I honestly can't remember which - it related to solo use, not towing.

I find Google Maps journey times slow for solo use but a tad fast when towing - I recently did a solo journey in 1:45 which Google Maps had predicted 2:15, travelling within speed limits - so I'll use Google Maps for route planning but revert to an old MS Autoroute for timings, the combination works well

My Garmin drivesmart61 picks up journey “ holdups” and puts them up on a side screen for information along with an option to detour around. But since my route would have been set up with the caravan in mind I wouldn’t opt for any detour unless forced to by an official diversion sign.

 

[Dustydog]

Unlike you Clive to take a year to reply😜😜

 

[otherclive]

Unlike you Clive to take a year to reply😜😜

Lured into an ambush by a newbie!!!!!

 

[Dustydog]

Four years ago at Hoddom Castle we enjoyed some excellent food and fine Malts in their on site Inn. Only ever used it as a staging post but may be one for a future longer stay. I’ve done both routes many a time. If you want to get to Lochness Shores quickly, A9 Without doubt . But as Ray said still very scenic.
Strange thing Scotland , people don’t appreciate how vast a Country it is. The NC500 for example in a week or two is a joke. Just part of it if explored properly can take weeks.
Keep a camera handy, you never know who might show his/ her head😉
And you need Avon Skin So Soft to keep the Mozzies off!

 

[Hutch]

That's an interesting topic

Are you a newbie or a scammer, ?

 

[Parksy]

Are you a newbie or a scammer, ?

Time will tell..........
🤔

 

[Beachball]

Are you a newbie or a scammer, ?

not sure myself

 

[Thingy]

Getting back to Satnavs, most decent ones will allow you to turn dynamic routing off, which is handy when towing. Then plan your journey using waypoints instead of a simple A to B. Anythinng on route you arent sure of, check out with streetview on Google Maps or Google Earth. There really is no need for people to get into a mess with Satnavs if they only apply a little brain power, and use the Satnav as a basic tool rather than the all seeing eye.

 

[Raywood]

Good advice, they are there to help you but you have to be aware of their shortcomings and use the sites own directions for the final lap as the site operators should know the area best.

 

[Beachball]

Good advice, they are there to help you but you have to be aware of their shortcomings and use the sites own directions for the final lap as the site operators should know the area best.

Actually i do follow the site directions for last few miles