Until last year, we navigated with paper maps, usually Michelin's 1:200,000. Oscar likes to have an overview of where we are and where we are going and certainly in sparsely populated areas that always worked well. In recent years, we sometimes turned to google maps when we couldn't figure it out with the map, for example in a city.
Campsites we found to the map or using copies from camping guides. A few years ago we got the tip from Pocket Earth. This app really gives all the amenities you can think of. You can also search specifically for a certain facility, for example "camping". Then it gives everything in a big radius around the center of what you have in the picture. For example, nowadays we find the campsites for the next stage, but we can also find out where we can do our shopping.
Last year we met someone who recommended MapOut. He had a GPS track of a route that we could also take. So I bought MapOut and he emailed the route. All went very smoothly. In the meantime we have found a lot of GPS tracks from a distance cycling routes and put them in MapOut.
This year we are experimenting with an ipad mini (MapOut is only made for iOS). Oscar likes it, because you can both zoom out and zoom in when necessary. The disadvantage of a path is that you do not see much on it if there is a lot of sun and you do not look perpendicular to it. Oscar has managed to make a sunscreen from the flap of the protective cover with some iron wire and now we are still looking for a way to make the viewing angle more favorable …
Another disadvantage is the power consumption. With the pass on we can not cycle a whole day. The combination of alternator and lamp with USB charger does not appear to be able to charge the pass. Now we have put a power bank in the handlebar bag that is linked to the pad during the course of the day, unless the route was so obvious that we could cycle out with the pad for large parts of the time, which was common enough in France. In the meantime, we have ordered a forum charger in the expectation that it can load a pad. Hope that the electronic parts will be available this autumn and we can receive it from the winter…
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