[Closed] Creating a ViewRanger route - How accurate?

Any reason for using Viewranger? It's a great mobile mapping (and even plotting) tool, but I don't think I'd use it on the desktop for route planning. I'd use something else and then import a GPX file.

For on-road routes, bikehike will follow roads and for off-road routes, Plotaroute will do the same (albeit with a few more glitches). Both work very well and can quickly produce accurate results. I've found that they both produce tracks that are plenty accurate enough for either road or MTB. Plotaroute is quite nice because you can specify whether to use roads, tracks or paths, so if you leave on road it shouldn't try to take you down Jacob's Ladder on the way 😉 Bikehike only uses Google, so mostly sticks to roads anyway.

With Viewranger, the plots you enter are the plots you'll see - there's nothing clever going on. The level of detail is up to you, but if you have the 'separation alarm' (or whatever it's called) to warn you when you've gone off track, then being reasonably accurate stop loads of false positives...

EDIT - better to create a route using a proper mapping tool and import the GPX. I only use the manual plotter when I don't have access to my laptop.

Only trying it on Viewranger as I use that for tracking rides and runs.

I'll try the others though as they sound better for what I need.

Do you know if you can get viewranger to do turn by turn routes from a GPX file as the last time i followed a route that I'd downloaded all i could get was the compass arrow directions which meant I had to be just about in the middle of the junction before it told me which way to go, and I missed a few turns going to fast down hills....

I use Ride with GPS (free version) and the Follow Roads option. Works well for me and syncs automatically to my Wahoo Elemnt.

Or Strava using the Heatmap option to find the most bike-friendly roads.

Second ridewithGPS, works very well even on free version, very consistent distances for me on road. Can export to GPX then in to viewranger. I did plot a few tracks on viewranger manually, life is too short for that nonsense!

Viewranger doesn't do turn by turn, which is a shame, but it's a whole other layer of complexity I guess.

When I used my phone for riding nav, I turned the screen off an flicked it back on occasionally to conserve battery, and I could get at least 8 hours out my phone that way with the mapped cached and all comms turned off.

I did ask support if they could put an option in to turn the screen on at specifc waypoints so you could at least flag the junctions and not have to turn the screen on when braking, which was a bit annoying. I think they said they'd pass on the request (like every other request they get!), but I've got a ELEMNT Bolt now, so don't use my phone for nav any more.

As 'Daern' says.... I use 'BikeHike' and export the GPX to Viewranger.

Then i just use the App on my phone to visually follow the course, if i get stuck.

BikeHike is great for checking out routes, gradients, gravel options, sustrans etc:

I always used to use bikehike - until I discovered Cycle.travel

This makes much better use of cycle paths, bridleways and towpaths.

I quite like viewranger.

In the desktop/web app, mine has an option for route generation (top right, just below where you choose which style of map to use).  I find that opencycle map is fairly useful for route planning, and the rout generation means you can click at intervals and it fills in all the fiddly bits for you.

Turn by turn would be good, but probably mainly for road use - I doscovered too late that my new phone lacks a compass - if you've got one theres a nifty look where you are going app that ive forgotten the name of.

At the risk of a slight hijack, does anyone know if its possible to use the OS download links (that comewith paper maps) in view ranger, or do I have to buy through them?

Loads of sites/apps to try out. Cheers, I've managed to download a go from bikehike so hopefully that get me there!