Best way to plot routes in Europe

[Kosong]

Hi everyone

I was wondering what resources you all used to plot cycle routes across Europe...I am mostly looking at cycling from Oslo to Eindhoven, but would like to know if there's a site with good resources for most of the EU for future tours. I don't have a Garmin or any device like that but gpx files are still good for screenshotting and plotting onto a paper map

 

[Winnershsaint]

Ride with GPS is good.
Gives you cue sheet with route

 

[ianrauk]

Yup, Ridewithgps.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Ride with GPS gives this as a start - for you to refine.
Oslo to Eindhoven

 

[andym]

OpenStreetMap is the essential resource - most cycleways and cycle routes are now shown on it. It is way, way, better than Google Maps (used by RidewithGPS) in this respect. You can either access it online (try the excellent cycle.travel which will produce beautiful pdf maps for you to print) or there's Garmin Basecamp together with garmin-format maps from openfietsmap.nl (or other places) for PC/Mac.

Beware of relying on auto-routing - always at least check what is telling you.

If you are using Google Maps use the 'terrain view' to check whether your route makes sense or involves suicidal amounts of climbing (click the menu in the top left-hand corner of the screen).

 

[Debade]

You might find this useful https://www.velomap.org/ I think it is part of/related to Open Street Maps . Andym provides great advice. BTW, on the Google Maps pull down menu you can send them suggestions for updating their maps. If enough of us do this, perhaps we can do away with the terrain view

OpenStreetMap is the essential resource - most cycleways and cycle routes are now shown on it. It is way, way, better than Google Maps (used by RidewithGPS) in this respect. You can either access it online (try the excellent cycle.travel which will produce beautiful pdf maps for you to print) or there's Garmin Basecamp together with garmin-format maps from openfietsmap.nl (or other places) for PC/Mac.

Beware of relying on auto-routing - always at least check what is telling you.

If you are using Google Maps use the 'terrain view' to check whether your route makes sense or involves suicidal amounts of climbing (click the menu in the top left-hand corner of the screen).

 

[Kosong]

fantastic links, thanks everyone!

Was planning on seeing what route was suggested, then seeing what the gradients were like and if there was a longer but flatter route...then plotting on things nearby I want to see. So the ability to edit before printing out is great

 

[andym]

You might find this useful https://www.velomap.org/ I think it is part of/related to Open Street Maps .

There are different versions of the basic OpenStreetMap maps - the underlying data is the same, but the mapmaker can change the appearance of the map. They can also give different results for autorouting. Some also charge for some versions - the basic velomaps are free, but if you want things like topo maps and a Mac version then you need to pay (IIRC - I haven't used them in a while). So it's worth shopping around to see which one you like the best.

A tip: if you ever need to produce an altitude profile for a gpx/kml file that doesn't contain elevation data then go to gpsies.com and use their conversion page:

http://www.gpsies.com/convert.do

and select the 'add/replace elevations'. There are other sites that do the same thing. Beware that if you are cycling in very steep terrain this may exaggerate the amount of climbing.

 

[Kosong]

Just did a rough plot - 1500 kms. Not bad! I'll be meeting friends in Eindhoven and getting a lift back to the UK...or possibly be starting in Eindhoven (would probably fly to Brussels and cycle up from there if so) and flying home from Oslo...depends on work. I'll be in Asia for 5 weeks beforehand, flying back for Glastonbury then heading out to Europe to cycle

Now to try and get up to comfortably doing 70-80 miles a day. Can do 50-60 comfortably, and could push to 80 if needed but it would hurt. First stop, some padded shorts!

 

[jay clock]

i did Med to Channel in May and used a Garmin 1000 fairly successfully. RIdewithGPS is excellent. I tend to plot the routes in conjunction with a paper map and I then use Streetview (just drag Pegman to see if route is blue) to check I have not got bonkers off road routes.

 

[psmiffy]

I look at a map - generally a 1:1M showing all of Europe -decide where i want to go - plug the route I want into a basic distance calculator - MS autoroute, google maps et.al.to see if the basic alignment is doable - buy a map to get started - then I go and do it - buying maps as needed enroute and making it up as I go along - I have a GPS - but I just use it to see exactly where I am and to create a track of where I have been - Im sitting 200m from Basle this morning and ive talked to two cyclists this morning that have come from Rotterdam/Amsterdam in 7 days chained to their GPSs - in the month that I have been on the road I have not seen a single touring cyclist get off their bikes to look at something interesting or take a photo of it

 

[andym]

in the month that I have been on the road I have not seen a single touring cyclist get off their bikes to look at something interesting or take a photo of it

Which is, sadly, probably true, but so far as I can tell, nothing to do with whether people use a GPS. It's very odd, but IME touring cyclists seem be an uncurious bunch - more interested in getting from A to B than in the journey itself.

 

[psmiffy]

Which is, sadly, probably true, but so far as I can tell, nothing to do with whether people use a GPS.

Maybe, maybe not - as far as I can see most have a GPS - chatting to the odd one here and there the reason they have them is cutting down on all that wasted time and inconvenience of stopping to look at a map - Ive been coming down the Rhine - pretty much no chance you need a GPS to stop you from getting lost

 

[doog]

http://cycle.travel/map

Will keep you off any major road, used it for a 1500 mile tour (UK/ Holland/ Rhine/ France ) last Sept and France this year. I think the guy who runs it is a member on here as well.

I did however meet numerous people who were simply following signs, without a Garmin - some without a map. Things seem so much better signposted abroad.
A combination of everything works well - the GPS is probably more a fallback (also used for recording daily and total mileages plus route taken for later download), although quite useful in cities where things can get a little complicated.

 

[Ajax Bay]

you can select which mapping you use with RideWithGPS - including using OSM.

My default using RwGPS is 'OSM Outdoors' as at the large scales it offers an insight to the topography. OSM Cycle shows all the cycle routes and bridleways and the 'Map' ie Google map option allows one to look for shops, accommodation etc etc (at the appropriate (largish) scale). If I want to see excellent detail in a familiar format (UK) I will use Bikehike as that gives Ordnance Survey mapping vignettes (but close it down after use or it'll deny access as you only have a certain length of use time per day).
I use these for planning. Execution on the bike is by Luddite friendly paper map (atlas pages 1:200,000) (hope that's chimes with you @psmiffy ).