Mapsource and Topo maps

[Achilles]

How do you define the route? On your PC or using the GPS - if on the PC which software and how do you 'define' it?

[dima]

While I'm a bit late to the discussion, I thought I'd add this: I have eTrex Vista HCx, and noticed the following: with Garmin City Navigator, and GPS set to "bike" and to avoid highways, when I asked the unit to take me from point A to point B, I got turn-by-turn directions that did avoid highways (motorways in UK) where bikes are not allowed. With Garmin Topo loaded into the same unit, while it could still provide turn by turn navigation, from same point A to same point B it tried to direct me via highways despite the bike/avoid highways setting. Apparently the topo maps lack some details on roads that city navigator maps do have (such as a road being a highway). (This all was with North American maps, though.)

Yet another point: while turn-by-turn navigation can be very convenient, I found that asking the GPS to plot a bike route (i.e. avoiding highways - thus adding to the route's complexity) longer than 50km or so over a dense road network does not work that great without "via" points - the calculated route tends to be far from optimal, making unnecessary loops and such.

[Achilles]

My waypoints worked really well yesterday - turn by turn by turn warming - labelling them 01R, O2L ( right turn left turn etc) really helped. I delibarately chose an area I did not know and which was on roads that do not feature on CityMaps/the cycle map I have installed - just trust the machine and head in the general direction of the next waypoint. I will try a track as opposed to a route next and filter the points down to a sensible number. Defnitely worth going into an area you do not know well as a real test.

Has anyone found an easy way of creating POI data? What I really need is a bit of software that lets you click on the map ( idealy using BNG), enter the name and notes and save this to lat lon in a .csv format. The thought of converting every grid is a bit daunting - anyone managed to automate the conversion in Excel?

Edit - there appears to be something on the OS website - I shall have to play one damp evening. Too much else to do in this nice weather!

[byegad]

I've just upgraded from a four or five year old Grey scale Legend to a new colour Legend HCx. Nothing wrong with the old one, they both have an onboard map showing main roads only, the HCx takes a SD type card map, this is what I wanted.
So far I've bought the City Navigator card for £35 ish which is good for turn by turn and Sat Nav'ing as per select the destination and the unit chooses a route for you. It will also take a route generated by Memory Map OS maps. After a few runs out with the HCx I've ordered a Topo for the North of England. I feel this will allow me to navigate countryside I don't know allowing me to choose the hills I wish to climb and those I wish to avoid. I'm intending to carry both SD card with me and use the one I feel I need in the unit at the time.