Planning routes (say France)

[Road Runner]

How do you plan yours?

On line map?

Plain map?

Sat nav?

 

[Forestboy]

Plain map for me everytime.

I'm can only just send e-mail & use a mobile never mind Sat Nav, anyway I'd argue with cause I know best.
Cheers
Ror

 

[Rapide561]

Route planning

Hi

Generally speaking, I know my way around Europe. I think driving in Europe is so easy. For example, you can get to Lake Garda from Calais by following basic directions of

From Calais - signs for Metz/Nancy, then Strasbourg, then Mulhouse/Basle, Lucerne, Gotthard, Milano and Venezia.

I always think the "last mile" is the hardest and things like hotels and campsites are the most difficult to find.

In answer to your question though, I use a map as a principal reference. Second is the internet and sites such as www.viamichelin.com

I must admit to getting lost on the Lille ringroad. This was due to missing a turn for the "A1 Paris". The distance on the A1 was only about 1KM, and so on the map it was barely recognisable! I am however now quite familiar with the Lille ringroad and did find a cheap fuel place.

Russell

 

[Damu]

general road map and AA routemaster thingy before we go ,

once there we rely on Sat Nav to get where we are going but dont stick to the route as we drift where we want

 

[TestPoster]

Hi John
I planned our route on MS Autoroute and ACSI CD. I managed to get some info on aires etc and the copy of ACSI campsite cd made it a pretty simple exercise.
We have not got any definite stops as such, just aires in different areas, so if we cannot get into one then we will just move on to the next one. The only fixed stop, which is unbooked is to a municipal site in Bayeux because we are booked onto a "D-Day Invasion Beaches" tour with a company called Battlebus
I am really looking forward to this tour as it really holds a fascination for me, but this is way off topic now, sorry.......
Anyway I would recommend Autoroute as a nav system too, I have recently bought a GPS reciever so that we can use it on the laptop to guide us to where we are going (or somewhere else if I have screwed up, but who cares )
Hope this helps

Keith

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[Jim]

Planning is more important if you tow, or are in a large motorhome. But we still don't do it nearly enough. I like the big picture so that always means a sheet map, how I hate map books with all that page turning every ten miles, and never being able to see more than a mile or two of your route. The sheet gives me a much better feel for the journey and the direction I'm taking.

GPS is fantastic and I was a early adopter but I've been lost more with it than with out it. If you haven't got it, you always ensure that you have the right map for the area your going, and you have a look at the map before you leave, but with the GPS, you can rely on it too much, just jump in and go, only later finding out that the postcode you put in was wrong or covers 5 square miles, and the thing tells you that you have reached your destination and you are no where near it. So for me the GPS is secondary, I plot the route on the map and then key in the waypoints on the GPS, that way I don't get any low bridge surprises or go on roads with grass up the middle.

Russell, how true, you can travel 500 miles and not put a foot wrong and then when you are only ten minutes from your destination, you can spend an hour looking for it.

 

[wildcamper]

Hello,

Once we know the general direction we're going in, we just go for it
Find some lovely places on the way that we wouldn't find normally and always get to our destination in the end always have fun on the way

Ken & Dawn.

 

[mondo]

First time we did Spain in Jan 2009....drove down through France from Calais..on the N routes and D routes..weather was kind which was a bonus...never bothered with sat nav..used the big map of France and Spain that we had...stayed on the Aires on the way down..Buchy..Mery sur Cher..Rive la Gaillard..then a site at Alet les Bains..over the border at La Jonquera...Dawn did the nav seat..and we eventually settled in Peniscola..Camping El Eden..
Coming back 3 months later in April..via Millau just to say we'd been over it stayed on sites Narbonne..Issoire..the Aires at Mery sur Cher..Forget les Eaux...and a site near Abbeyville..a total mileage of around 3000 miles...going South we never really had a plan apart from we were going South...and thoroughly enjoyed the experience...and got lots of Sun in Spain..

 

[Bailey58]

Blimey this is only 16 years old.

 

[claude et maude]

Blimey this is only 16 years old.

I think this thread was stolen from the British Museum…

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[Sue and Rick]

First time we did Spain in Jan 2009....drove down through France from Calais..on the N routes and D routes..weather was kind which was a bonus...never bothered with sat nav..used the big map of France and Spain that we had...stayed on the Aires on the way down..Buchy..Mery sur Cher..Rive la Gaillard..then a site at Alet les Bains..over the border at La Jonquera...Dawn did the nav seat..and we eventually settled in Peniscola..Camping El Eden..
Coming back 3 months later in April..via Millau just to say we'd been over it stayed on sites Narbonne..Issoire..the Aires at Mery sur Cher..Forget les Eaux...and a site near Abbeyville..a total mileage of around 3000 miles...going South we never really had a plan apart from we were going South...and thoroughly enjoyed the experience...and got lots of Sun in Spain..

I need a big scale map of Spain. Could anyone recommend one.
Has anyone used the Philips ?
Amazon product ASIN 1849075530Easy to read?

 

[15edward]

I used to like MS Autoroute…

 

[davidbaldam]

Always use a map to plan, then SatNav but usually only for the last bit and to know how long etc.

 

[jongood]

I need a big scale map of Spain. Could anyone recommend one.
Has anyone used the Philips ?
Amazon product ASIN 1849075530Easy to read?

I use this and had another previously. I would like a better Spain map, michelin do a Spain Portugal but didnt seem any clearer to me

 

[Fulham Dave]

We just stick the coordinates of the next aire, site or town in to the sat nav and press go!

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[our poppy llll]

I found it easy to use AA route planner, generally I put in from my home address to where I’m going, then look at the map. I make the map smaller and see if there’s anywhere I want to go on route, then I write down those destinations.
I then jot down the mileage between the start and stop point, guess how far 4 hours is along the route and look for sites or Aires then plan a route.
EG: home: Campsite Kent day 1 .. 3 hours x miles
Kent: Chartres day 2 .. 4 hours 25 mins plus tunnel x miles
Chartres: Brive day 3 .. 4 hours 35 mins x miles
Brive: Roses day 4 .. 5 hours x miles
Roses: Tarragona day 5 .. 3 hours x miles
Tarragona: Villa day 6 .. 3 hours 40 mins. X miles

I add the mileages and route points too, for example if at Calais you put in your sat nav ‘Chartres’, it takes you via Paris.. well no thanks, so we put in Abbeville, then the pretty flamingo puts in Rouen 10 klicks from Abbeville.. then 10 klick from Rouen she changes it again, to Chartres, this ensures we go our way not the sat nav push you on toll roads way. We put all the place names in the favourites section so they are easy to find on route. We then just trott along at our pace we always put in the campsite address or stopping place address before we set off and always have alternatives in case of delays…

 

[Sue and Rick]

We just stick the coordinates of the next aire, site or town in to the sat nav and press go!

We’ve done that and gone down so many narrow roads.

 

[Fulham Dave]

We’ve done that and gone down so many narrow roads.

We have a truck sat nav with relevant dimensions added, so we have never been down one

 

[our poppy llll]

I found it easy to use AA route planner, generally I put in from my home address to where I’m going, then look at the map. I make the map smaller and see if there’s anywhere I want to go on route, then I write down those destinations.
I then jot down the mileage between the start and stop point, guess how far 4 hours is along the route and look for sites or Aires then plan a route.
EG: home: Campsite Kent day 1 .. 3 hours x miles
Kent: Chartres day 2 .. 4 hours 25 mins plus tunnel x miles
Chartres: Brive day 3 .. 4 hours 35 mins x miles
Brive: Roses day 4 .. 5 hours x miles
Roses: Tarragona day 5 .. 3 hours x miles
Tarragona: Villa day 6 .. 3 hours 40 mins. X miles

I add the mileages and route points too, for example if at Calais you put in your sat nav ‘Chartres’, it takes you via Paris.. well no thanks, so we put in Abbeville, then the pretty flamingo puts in Rouen 10 klicks from Abbeville.. then 10 klick from Rouen she changes it again, to Chartres, this ensures we go our way not the sat nav push you on toll roads way. We put all the place names in the favourites section so they are easy to find on route. We then just trott along at our pace we always put in the campsite address or stopping place address before we set off and always have alternatives in case of delays…

However my new Poppylll has a great sat nav, you can plan a whole route on it, you put the weight, dimensions and expected speed in and you then put your destination, along with all stops and fuel stations or restaurants in and you can avoid tolls, so if touring, you can put all your Aires or campsites in and choose the actual route you prefer.
We are getting Poppylll ready to go, packing all the stuff we need and choosing the route this next week.

 

[scotjimland]

when first posted we were using papyrus charts

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[Grianan]

I have gone back to a large scale papyrus chart just like the one scotjimland has posted in the gif above for route planning through France .

Satnav is great for the small runs but sometimes I want the big picture.