Navigation in Scotland

[Aleks]

Hi All,


Am planning on doing the NC500 solo next May (500 miles around the coast of Scotland for those that don't know).

I don't like the Garmin's and Wahoo's as the navigation screen is small and I hear they don't like it if you go off the route and will not just re-route you in the same way a car sat-nav does.

I do like Komoot on my phone so will be using this - iPhone clipped to my handlebars.

Am I likely to go through big area's were there is no phone coverage ? Or will it just be the odd blip before it picks up a signal and goes again...

I am trying to explore whether I am likely to be in the middle of no where and at a junction with no idea which way to go....


Thanks

Aleks

[Oldjohnw]

Paper maps work in such places.

[Paulatic]

Phone coverage won’t matter For your navigation it uses gps.

[Syd]

Expect there to be large areas of no phone coverage. Plan for that and anything less is a bonus.

Mrs Syd had difficulty getting reception on O2 around the Glencoe area earlier this year and that’s a lot more populated than some parts of the NC 500.

[Jdsk]

Phone coverage won’t matter For your navigation it uses gps.

I've never used Komoot. Does it preload and/ or cache the maps for a large enough area?

Jonathan

[Boring_Username]

That far north in Scotland, there simply aren't many roads, so you won't often come across a junction at which you will have the opportunity to take a wrong turning, and even a car road atlas will probably give you all the detail you need.

[Paulatic]

Phone coverage won’t matter For your navigation it uses gps.

I've never used Komoot. Does it preload and/ or cache the maps for a large enough area?

Jonathan

I would hope so as it promotes itself for use in remote areas. I’ve only trialled it for route making as it links seamlessly with Lezyne.
I found it’s routing decisions no better than cycle.travel and despite its ease of use I returned to cycle.travel or Lezyne's own

[Jdsk]

Thanks.

I'd test that before the trip.

Jonathan

[Richard Fairhurst]

That far north in Scotland, there simply aren't many roads, so you won't often come across a junction at which you will have the opportunity to take a wrong turning, and even a car road atlas will probably give you all the detail you need.

Exactly this. The NC500 is largely a series of A roads strung together. You could navigate it with a piece of paper taped to your top tube. It's not like an NCN route which has a series of little turns you could easily miss.

[Boring_Username]

That far north in Scotland, there simply aren't many roads, so you won't often come across a junction at which you will have the opportunity to take a wrong turning, and even a car road atlas will probably give you all the detail you need.

Exactly this. The NC500 is largely a series of A roads strung together. You could navigate it with a piece of paper taped to your top tube. It's not like an NCN route which has a series of little turns you could easily miss.

I remember cycling from Lairg to Tongue a couple of years ago. Only 3 junctions in nearly 40 miles, I think.

[pq]

You need to make sure that the maps are stored on your phone, that way navigation will work even when there isn't a signal, but as others have said, there are very few roads up there, you could probably write the route out on a scrap of paper and sellotape it to your stem.

[Oldjohnw]

You need to keep stopping to view the scenery anyway. Looking at a map beyond your Garmin or whatever enables you to identify the peaks and lochs around you. So checking your route should not present a problem.

[nick12]

Totally agree with you oldjohnw. A paper map shows you a lot more than the route. It shows you the whole area .

[climo]

With Komoot you plan your route online and then syncs to Komoot on your phone or other device. You can download the relevant maps and therefore doing need an active 4G signal just a GPS signal which is rarely a problem. IIRC Komoot on your phone won't let you plan routes and you need to be on their website to plan.
I prefer planning in cycle.travel online, transfer the GPX file to your phone via Google Drive or similar and use it in Osmand. Cycle.travel will make a way better route the Komoot and Osmand a way better mapping system. Smaller map files, ability to plan offline, ability to add POI's, clearer mapping, better voice directions, etc than Komoot but a steep learning curve. Komoot is easier and slicker but not as good.
As other people say routefinding is easy, if in doubt follow the endless line of motorhomes many of which have bullied you out of the way.

[Jdsk]

With Komoot you plan your route online and then syncs to Komoot on your phone or other device. You can download the relevant maps and therefore doing need an active 4G signal just a GPS signal which is rarely a problem. IIRC Komoot on your phone won't let you plan routes and you need to be on their website to plan.

Do you need to explicitly download maps or set a setting in advance or is it automatic?

Jonathan