gps do they work

[Andy in Sig]

thanks again lads, basically all i want it to do is keep me in the direction i want to go.not really interested in shopping cinemas.nightclubs well you know what i mean.and i like that i can take extra batteries good thinking garmin.so all i would need to buy then is the city nav maps and that would do for all of the Uk.
one last thing where is the best placeto buy on line.
thanks again for all the help.
cheers
jags.

I've got a GPS for which I've never bought any mapping and it is not a cycling specific model. The only thing I ever use it for is to get the grid reference for where I am when I'm not too sure of my exact location. That obviously means that I have to be using a 1:50,000 or 1:100,000 map which actually has the numbered grids on it e.g. OS Maps. That means I do my own navigating from the map which somehow seems to be a more natural kind of touring than keeping my eyes glued to yet another electronic screen. The big advantages of doing it this way are that you don't get in the habit of being dependent on a gadget which could conk out on you, you gain confidence as you get to see how few times you actually need to switch the thing on and look at it during a day's cycling and you keep up your mapreading skills because when all else has failed in the worst possible conditions it will be your map and compass on which you will be relying.

 

[arallsopp]

My experience is that GPS is great if you already know where you want to go and how to get there. That's not as bad as it reads.... Merely that they work best if you take the time to plot your route *before* you start trying to follow them. Onboard routing via GPS is always a little exciting. You don't always get where you want, but it does generate an interesting narrative.