First trip away - Route Planner
After much thought and deliberation, we've just planned our first longish trip away in our new MH. From Lincolnshire to North Yorkshire to Northumberland to Edinburgh to Loch Lomond to Ayr to Newton Stewart to Kendal and then home. Lots to learn but so excited. Is there any kind of route planner app or PC programme that will allow me to input our trip and then print it off on A4?
Comments
-
Hi, we make great use of Google maps to pre plan our routes and find Streetview very helpful for the final approach to sites.
You can download directions to a smartphone or save and print if thats your preference.
We also use viaMichelin when travelling abroad and usually print this out for reference enroute so worth a look at that too.
Have a great trip!
2 -
All depends where you are going exactly, and how you plan to link your stays up. Things to be aware of with MH (and caravan) are more width and height related. Some may depend on how tall your MH is, and how wide, including mirrors. We have found it useful to have a little card with all our vital statistics on it, so co pilot can say yea or nay about going under or over bridges!
Take a good close look at your chosen route. Bridges, small villages with narrow roads, tight turns on roads, gradients as well. Seldom get issues on motorways and dual roads, but you may want to move away from these, and use more scenic and beautiful routes. With a bit of preparation, and a combination of technology, and dare I advise, some good old fashioned map reading, touring can become extremely interesting and much more spontaneous. Sorry, I cannot help on the apps bit, but do recommend OS maps in some form or another. These can be downloaded onto an iPad etc......
Sounds a very nice tour, Northumberland is great MH territory. A1 is single lane up above Alnwick, but very good. Have a lovely time.😁
0 -
I tend to use Google too, the route maps are good and give optional journeys. I don't download them or print them but you can do this if needed. A contingency for road works and delays in real time is useful so having a good up to date road map to hand is important.
0 -
If you have an iPhone, using the maps app, input your chosen route and it will give real time traffic conditions. We use ours all the time to check how traffic is moving or building up at delay hotspots, it works a treat as we can plan to avoid or detour before we set off, and during travel. We have on occasion used our iPhones as Sat Navs as well, as our MH is an older model. Don’t forget it doesn’t know you are an MH though, so look out for those bridges!😂
0 -
I must be old fashioned as I still use MS Autoroute and then usually create a spreadsheet (for longer trips) with where we are going and the various stops. When setting off for the next destination the details are put in TomTom and off we go. I don't need the internet to do any of that!
David
0 -
Hi John, I sometimes use AA Route Planner, then print them off. Cheers, Alex.
0 -
Not as old fashioned as us! We still prefer paper maps, OS detailed ones. We have found many a lovely stop off picnic spot this way. 😁
1 -
I, too, am even more old fashioned than David and use a paper map and have never had need of a route planner other than my map.
If it’s a straight A to B journey needing to eat up the miles, then we stick to motorways and A roads. If it’s a meandering journey taking in sights between site stops, then lesser grade roads will be used. Once the route had been decided, I can make sure the sat nav goes the way I want.
It's pretty basic stuff really and easier with a MH than a caravan. I tend to keep in mind the thought that if white van man can go there then so can I. The really important thing is to use the club's directions on the final approach to sites.
3 -
Buy a Truckers Atlas, these have the bridge heights shown on most routes. Or get a sat-nav where you input the size of your vehicle so you automatically avoid unsuitable roads. The club shop sells one of these, or check out truck sat-navs on the internet.
1 -
We haven’t used the Michelin Route planner for years as we have one of the much maligned Snooper sat navs (that has never let us down) however, as far as I recall, it allows you to specify that you’re towing a caravan (therefore suitable for a motorhome) and suggests a suitable route which you can print off for reference.
0 -
Me too, or the RAC equivalent. However if you do want to wander a bit between your sites then Google Maps or O/S maps would be a better choise, as tda says.
0
