Navigation - Apps or Maps?

[Ray T]

On 24/12/2019 at 13:42, Richard10002 said:

???

 

I was less thinking about “your” memory, and more about “a” memory. If you haven’t been there before, there is no memory to rely on  

The ex Barlow's captain I visit has a remarkable memory, as do many of the boaters.

In his working life he travelled The Coventry, Oxford and Grand Union canals.

I can show him a photograph of a bridge or a lock on any of these, not only can he tell me where it is but also in 8 out of 10 cases give me its number.

A couple of years ago I took him to Tooley's boat yard at Banbury. Went along the old Oxford road, on occasions he'd say "We've just gone over bridge No#"

 

He can also recite all the lock flight names between Braunston and Paddington or Brentford.

Who needs aps or books? - he and his fellow boaters didn't.

Edited December 25, 2019 by Ray T

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Ray T said:

 

 

He can also recite all the lock flight names between Braunston and Paddington or Brentford.

Who needs aps or books? - he and his fellow boaters didn't.

Did he know all that the first time he travelled it, or even the fifth.  How often did he go to Oxford, once a year or once every five years. I don't travel the GU every day for 40 years I need a bit of help to tell me where the water points etc are.

[Arthur Marshall]

There was a series of posts on here that the apps don't work on the latest iPhone updates.  the original eCanal developer doesn't work on them any more as far as I know, which is a shame because he was very helpful when they came out first.  Like all stuff, they have their uses, and their limitations.  Books don't crash and you can write on them, and if you drop them in the canal and fish them out again they still work. Mostly, anyway.  Same as using an eReader rather than a book.  No point in being snobby about technology or we'd still be using horses.

[Ray T]

15 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Did he know all that the first time he travelled it, or even the fifth.  How often did he go to Oxford, once a year or once every five years. I don't travel the GU every day for 40 years I need a bit of help to tell me where the water points etc are.

The first time he travelled the Oxford he was 6 months old so, no, I don’t think he knew them all. I was just using the example as an illustration of a skill the working boaters have. Not to be psycho analysed.?

[churchward]

2 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

No one needs it, but it's cheap and quite fun. And it's useful to find shops, postboxes and stuff, but mostly it's just another toy which, after all, is what a boat is for most of us. 

You (and the OP) are free of course to spend your money on whatever you choose but the OP asked a question of the forum and I offered my opinion which I am just as free to hold.

Edited December 25, 2019 by churchward

[TheBiscuits]

Heathens the lot of you. 

 

http://www.waterexplorer.co.uk/

 

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

14 hours ago, churchward said:

I cannot really fathom why on earth would anyone need technology or an "App" to navigate the canals.  It is not hard most of the time you just keep going in ones chosen direction and every few days if you are lucky you get to choose to turn tight or left at a junction. Maybe at bit more often in Brum but even there it is pretty difficult to get lost.

 

By some Nicholson or Pearsson guides is as much as anyone needs.

I am (slowly) building up a set of 1:25,000 OS maps, which I enjoying having open at the same time - gives you lots more information about the surrounding area, ideas for walks etc. They are not designed around the canal system, though: there are a few annoying sheets with only a few miles across one corner ....

[Alan de Enfield]

22 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

I am (slowly) building up a set of 1:25,000 OS maps, which I enjoying having open at the same time - gives you lots more information about the surrounding area, ideas for walks etc. They are not designed around the canal system, though: there are a few annoying sheets with only a few miles across one corner ....

My hand-held GPS has the full UK OS maps at both 1:25k and 1:10k so you can zoom in and see pretty much every feature, house, street name, pub name etc.

Doesn't show if the pub closed down last week tho'.

[huami]

On 26/12/2019 at 08:33, TheBiscuits said:

Heathens the lot of you. 

 

http://www.waterexplorer.co.uk/

 

 

This looks very interesting. As soon as I  am  settled I will be trying it out.

Thanks and all the best for the New Year. 

Neil

[Arthur Marshall]

If you're a member of RCR you get one of the eCanal maps free. They work offline.

[Arthur Marshall]

On 25/12/2019 at 22:05, churchward said:

You (and the OP) are free of course to spend your money on whatever you choose but the OP asked a question of the forum and I offered my opinion which I am just as free to hold.

I don't think I was criticising your view which is of course perfectly valid. If anything, I agree - if I had to choose I'd take an old out of date Nicholson over an app any day. But the apps do have their uses - the ones based on OpenStreet maps are handy for planning walks as they show footpaths etc. And they show post boxes, phones, bus stops and up to date shopping places. 

[Alan de Enfield]

39 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I don't think I was criticising your view which is of course perfectly valid. If anything, I agree - if I had to choose I'd take an old out of date Nicholson over an app any day. But the apps do have their uses - the ones based on OpenStreet maps are handy for planning walks as they show footpaths etc. And they show post boxes, phones, bus stops and up to date shopping places. 

The problem with Open Street maps is that the information is a montage of bits of information provided by the public.

If the member of the public 'reporting' a footpath only walked 1 mile along it, then on Open Street map it will show the footpath as being 1 mile long and (probably) stopping in the middle of a field.

 

I have actually found Open Street maps to be almost unusable and have reverted to OS mapping.

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Arthur Marshall said:

But the apps do have their uses - the ones based on OpenStreet maps are handy for planning walks as they show footpaths etc. And they show post boxes, phones, bus stops and up to date shopping places. 

Ah, but do they tell you whether a shop us "useful" or lead you to walk 2 miles to the "friendly local with an open fire, good food and a selection of real ales" which closed down 5 years before the printing date?

[Athy]

On 24/12/2019 at 17:08, The Dreamer said:

That’s one that autocorrect could inadvertently change the context of!

Er, how? As far as I can see, it IS correct.

[churchward]

6 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I don't think I was criticising your view which is of course perfectly valid. If anything, I agree - if I had to choose I'd take an old out of date Nicholson over an app any day. But the apps do have their uses - the ones based on OpenStreet maps are handy for planning walks as they show footpaths etc. And they show post boxes, phones, bus stops and up to date shopping places. 

Sure thing.  It is not everyone's wish but as a boater who holidays on the boat rather than lives there  I enjoy the voyage of discovery rather than being guided to everything even if it is at the risk of missing something.

 

I also like to boat with minimal electronic devices I do not wish to bring my life at home with me I prefer the sense of escaping the modern world. Again that may not be everyone's thought of a good time. The importance of that for me was more distinct when I was working but now I am retired less so but it is a hard habit to break.

Edited December 27, 2019 by churchward

[Arthur Marshall]

5 minutes ago, churchward said:

Sure thing.  It is not everyone's wish but as a boater who holidays on the boat rather than lives there  I enjoy the voyage of discovery rather than being guided to everything even if it is at the risk of missing something.

 

I also like to boat with minimal electronic devices I do not wish to bring my life at home with me I prefer the sense of escaping the modern world. Again that may not be everyone's thought of a good time. The importance of that for me was more distinct when I was working but now I am retired less so but it is a hard habit to break.

I very reluctantly now have to have email access on the boat. When I started this lark you were gloriously out of contact with everyone and everything unless you found a working phone box or somewhere to post a letter. I still can't work out if it's an improvement. I suspect swings and roundabouts, really . As I get older, I may be glad of the phone sometime though. Mostly, I read books and play music. 

[koukouvagia]

Has anyone mentioned  Chris Clegg's map which shows how long it will take between two points at two hourly intervals?  

I've used it for donkey's years.

I can't be bothered to look anything up on any of the various apps.

 

https://www.waterways.org.uk/product_images/chris_clegg_s_canal_time_map_1030_1.jpg

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

4 hours ago, koukouvagia said:

Has anyone mentioned  Chris Clegg's map which shows how long it will take between two points at two hourly intervals?  

I've used it for donkey's years.

I can't be bothered to look anything up on any of the various apps.

 

https://www.waterways.org.uk/product_images/chris_clegg_s_canal_time_map_1030_1.jpg

 

 

Best thing I ever got. Really well worked out. I think it's got four hour intervals on the back. 

[AWETHEAYET]

Forget the maps & apps try talking to people along the way.

[Arthur Marshall]

1 hour ago, AWETHEAYET said:

Forget the maps & apps try talking to people along the way.

Hard to do with a Lister thundering away under my feet. Year or so back someone on the towpath shouted to tell me the next lock was being repaired and I politely told him the time. Only realised what he'd actually said when I got to the lock. 

There again, why should having maps and apps stop me talking to people anyway? 

[Sea Dog]

6 hours ago, AWETHEAYET said:

Forget the maps & apps try talking to people along the way.

At what point after "do you live on it?", "have you got a cooker?" and "isn't it cold?" do you expect to get sensible inland waterways route advice?

 

[cougie]

7 hours ago, AWETHEAYET said:

Forget the maps & apps try talking to people along the way.

We had a lovely cruise in December. One day we saw no other boats moving. Hardly anyone to talk to. The app is brilliant for telling you what's coming up. 

[ditchcrawler]

6 hours ago, cougie said:

We had a lovely cruise in December. One day we saw no other boats moving. Hardly anyone to talk to. The app is brilliant for telling you what's coming up. 

Its been very much like that for us until we turned onto the Oxford Canal