Route planning help please!
Hello hive mind!
Could I please ask for some advice?
We are in yr 4 of renovating our old airstream, and have been taking her out on longer trips. As a heavy, long, twin axel, we need to be extra careful with narrow roads, turning angles and road gradients. My question is - what resources have you found most useful for route-planning?
Thanks in advance!
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A good truck sat nav or one that allows you to set road preferences in the first instance to come up with a route, I use Co-Pilot. Then I would check using google maps plus street view to check in detail any areas I though iffy. If you are just travelling in this country the the OS maps 1 : 50k can also be very useful.
peedee
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We tend to do an AA route planner then check the directions with the club book. We then get the road atlas out, write rough directions so we know if the sat van starts going off piste that our written directions from the map will keep us on hopefully good roads till the sat nav catches up! Once we’re within striking distance from the site, we go by the club book. Works for us and mostly takes the stress out of traveling on unfamiliar routes 🤞😂
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Without a doubt, for travel in UK, Ordnance Survey maps are invaluable. They will certainly allow you to check out gradients, bridges, the roads are coded to give you everything from motorways to unfenced lanes, and everything else you need to plot a route. Couple this with something like Google Earth to check out any issues highlighted by actually driving sections of your route, and you ought to be able to have a fair idea of getting from A to B and any hazards along that route. Map reading is easy once you make a start. I can’t comment on Sat Navs for towing, as we have never used one, but no doubt others can advise.
National Parks, such as Dartmoor, North York Moors, etc are bound to have some tricky roads, and coastal areas are prone to narrower roads. A basic understanding of the types of hedges around the UK is a bit of an overlooked aspect as well, as some find to their cost. Granite walls in Cornwall, and drystone walls in Yorkshire are much less forgiving then hedges elsewhere. But if there’s a caravan site out there, with care and some forward knowledge, unless the site says unsuitable for very wide or long outfits, mos5 are reachable if you go having done some research. Happy touring😁👍2 -
I couldn't tell you the last time I saw an OS map, let alone used one for navigating, especially while towing. EmilysMum is almost always too busy on her phone to have a paper map on her knee. 🤐
I do as Deleted User User .... enter postcode on my car's sat-nav &/or WAZE on my phone & set off. I've always got there.
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I don't tow but the ability to reverse and get out of difficult situations is important especially in rural areas where you can cause potential problems for other road users. An awareness of single track roads and common sense springs to mind. I agree with others about good maps and forward planning. Always bear in mind the local instructions offered by the club and site owners.
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good maps & forward planning don't make any difference if you're faced with on coming traffic on a single track road ... you just need to try & read further up the road than you would if you were not towing or driving your car rather than a large motorhome and wait at passing places if need be.
The official route/intsructions to the club site at Castleton would have you drive for miles to avoid Winatt's Pass .... the wardens there nearly faded away when I said I'd just towed down there to get to the site ....
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ED, you are a professional driver, so probably have an excellent understanding of getting a huge vehicle from A to B, and down the trickiest of roads😁 Agree about reading the road ahead. Good manoeuvring skills are a boon as well. And don’t be intimidated into doing something by anything easier or smaller to reverse simply because they are incapable of using their mirrors or turning their necks.
Winnats Pass without snow is a pussy cat😁 The Long Mynd however…….🤣We survived.
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We love an adventure, and getting to those beautiful, hidden gems. Quite possible to still achieve with research, care, and practising those skills.
I didn’t enjoy towing that much, but made myself do it, and got quite happy at taking a caravan over Dartmoor and up onto the NYMoors. I work on the theory that thousands of others do it, so it’s not beyond me😁 I actually disliked motorways more
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I agree with you AD. In over 40 yrs towing all over Europe (no idea how many miles but a lot) I too can count on one hand the number of times I have had to reverse to get out of a difficulty. I would say to the OP do the Club towing course and then get out there and drive carefully perhaps putting into practice those skills you will have have learned on the course in a quiet industrial area. Always remember that your outfit bends in the middle so allow for that when taking corners especially tight ones and check for overhangs (ouch!). Getting a Motor Mover will always give you a fall back option and will be invaluable for getting into tight pitches! As already said, really no extra resources are needed for route planning, just be careful to avoid narrow Devon lanes! Use a Sat Nav in conjunction with a good road map. The only OS maps I have are local ones for when we go for walks!
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I have all the CLs plotted on my digital OS maps and see at a glance what access is like to those of interest and likewise on Google Maps. As for reversing a caravan, everyone should be competent. While you maybe able to count on one hand the number of time you have had to do it, there will always come a time when you won't regret not having the skill.
peedee
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At the risk of just 'advertising' club sites then the directions to them given by the club are tried and tested and will accommodate the largest outfit on that club site.
When we first started out there was satnav (the nearest thing we had was Microsoft Autoroute) so we always used A roads and motorways till the club site directions could be used.
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There are many options, as mentioned, but for me the use of Google maps and Streetview is the way to go.
As AD says it depends on destinations but Streetview allows you to see what its like rather than having to make assumptions.
Looking at a route that Google suggested yesterday, in France, it looked like one section was narrow-Streetview showed it was very narrow with no passing places for about 2 miles so we will take an alternative.
To the best of my recollection I have never set out on a journey to a new destination without planning the route-on a road atlas years back and now on the laptop/iPad/phone-so i have a picture in my head of where I am going.
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I have a fairly new Tom Tom which has the ability to connect by Wifi. I use it in conjunction with the TT "MyDrive" app on my computer. Initially I plan any new route on Google Maps and 'drive' any dodgy bits in Street View. When I am happy with the route, I then replicate that route in MyDrive. (Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way of transferring it directly). I then save that route in "My Routes" in the App and then it transfers automatically by Wifi to the same folder on the satnav. It is there, ready to use when I need it.
It takes a bit of time to do but it guarantees - 100% - taking me along the exact route I have chosen and doesn't throw in any horrible surprises - unlike the satnav built into my car which seems to have a mind of its own!
Our unit is also quite large at 8.1m long and 8' wide - so that's why I tend to be a bit cautious.
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Thus far I have towed caravans and driven motorhomes a total of 110,000 miles since 1982 and I still get it wrong sometimes
When I do get it wrong its because I haven't paid enough attention to the planning. I think that is the key, especially as the OP seems a bit cautious about the size and weight of their outfit. If you rely on a sat nav make sure you review the route it will take you on and make adjustments as necessary. As mentioned there are so many online options to help, particularly Google Earth and Street View which gives you a pretty good idea of what you will encounter. We always have a road atlas with us, I rather like the A to Z one. As to gradients there are not so many places in England which would cause a problem, although there are a few, if you can stick to main roads. Good Luck.David
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Get yourself a 7" or bigger truck sat nav, I have a cheap one off Amazon, set the dimensions of your outfit larger than the actual, plot your route, you should get options such as fast, easy etc, check the route against a map if your happy with the route check the parts that could cause a problem on Google street view, if you're not happy with any part of the route use way points to avoid and re route, whatever sat nav you choose try a known route and make sure it plots it correctly I use the route to the Slapton Sands site, on top of the hill before Kingsbrige there is only one suitable route to Kingsbridge both Garmin and Tomtom failed this test.
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Google maps integrating what3words. If sticking to major roads & highways there’s no worries re size or issues. Once GM’s gives you your route check it over visually👍🏻
PS-spreadsheets?🤷🏻♂️, me either.0 -
Apologies, I got you mixed up with someone else.😁
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With narrow lanes, if in a motorhome, you are usually in a position to withstand a siege for 2-3 days. Few have the patience not to reverse before then.
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