Author Topic: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?  (Read 2286 times)

onestep

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Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« on: 17:24:55, 15/10/18 »
Hey all - I was just wondering if anyone posts walks up on walking websites like walkhighlands and what they get out of it? it must take a long time! would maybe like to do something like it myself but wouldn't know where to start really!

gunwharfman

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #1 on: 17:31:27, 15/10/18 »
I never have and like you I would not know where to begin.

ninthace

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #2 on: 18:13:39, 15/10/18 »
I don’t blog as it seems like a lot of hard work and I am not convinced anyone cares what I do.  However, I do post gps traces of my walks to gpsies.com, haroldstreet.co.uk and the OS mapping app. It is very quick and easy, especially with cut and paste.  I use Garmin BaseCamp to export the gps trace from my Etrex to the cloud. Then I open the OS app,  import the gps file, add a short description and then save it. For the other 2 sites I just import the traces, copy and paste the same description onto each site.
Why do I do it? Well I enjoy walking and I like finding new routes. I hope by sharing them, others may enjoy them too. The sites get an income to keep them going and they are a good source of ideas for me and others.
In the last week I have added ViewRanger to my list. I have a backlog of over 400 traces to outload to it and it is a bit tedious as the site needs a bit more description for each trip. In this case my motive is not entirely altruistic. I have a walking trip to NZ next year (well my son is getting married there and I never waste a trip). I hope to earn credits from people downloading my routes to get enough credits for ViewRanger mapping of NZ.
Solvitur Ambulando

dank86

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #3 on: 20:27:51, 15/10/18 »
I use osmaps website for plotting routes in the UK and for Europe I use plotaroute.com all are accessible to everyone on both sites

BuzyG

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #4 on: 21:54:02, 15/10/18 »
I really enjoy writing up trips away.  I start picking a selection of photos that can hopefully convey the feeling of the day, without being too repetitive.  I load those up into msWord. Then I add the words, stating with a preamble on why we were there in the first place.Taking care to try and create a flowing story rather than just a series of statements.  Then finish off with a few words on the journey back home. 


It does indeed take effort and hours to write up a walk even after some practice.  Personally I get plenty out of the effort for a few reasons...


It provides a record of the trip, for when I am too old to do them over.


One site, where I post most of my reports is very active and always provides vibrant positive feedback, along with a little micky taking, as it is actually a car forum.


When people do ask about walks I can link them to earlier reports. 


Alas most sites require third party hosting for pictures.  This can be a bind and it is why I do not post reports directly on this site or walking highlands.
« Last Edit: 22:02:20, 15/10/18 by BuzyG »

BuzyG

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #5 on: 22:14:10, 15/10/18 »
In this case my motive is not entirely altruistic. I have a walking trip to NZ next year (well my son is getting married there and I never waste a trip). I hope to earn credits from people downloading my routes to get enough credits for ViewRanger mapping of NZ.


A smaller world than it once was.  My son is off to New Zealand after Christmas with his girl freind.  Her parents have moved there, so no idea if or when he might return.  Might see you out there next year. LoL.

happyhiker

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #6 on: 08:42:47, 16/10/18 »
I started doing this a few years ago on my website happyhiker.co.uk. There is a fair amount of information about why etc on the site. I had been on walks where friends had used routes from books, newspapers etc and frankly the directions were rubbish. I thought I could do better. I wanted to make the information free because walking is of physical and mental health benefit and I did not want to put people off by charging. A bit of advertising covers my costs. I only introduced advertising originally in response to requests.


I get a lot of pleasure researching information and trying to make the directions as useful as possible. I have had many emails of thanks so I must be doing something right. I suspect many of the contributors to this forum just do their own thing but there are many who lack confidence in their own map reading abilities or are just occasional walkers and like the reassurance of written directions.

It has proved more popular than I expected and I get over half a million visits a year.

My website software is long in the tooth but I can't decide what to use to update and it will be so much work!


There are various free ways of creating a website. They are limited but you could give it a try to see if you enjoy it. Email me if you do and I will post a link on my site.

vizzavona

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #7 on: 10:02:35, 16/10/18 »

I don't especially send a route description with any expectation that anyone would want ro walk the same route....more about sending a few images and a little narrative to perhaps convey what I found when walking in the hills.
Although I post some replies on here as vizzavona I do send a few images/comments to the Walk Highlands site as gaffr….Roger Gaff is my 'normal' name....the name that I collect my pension as. :) 
I also use a Google blog thing to record some walking trips in Europe....especially Corsica. A place that I started to go for walks after I retired....gaffr.blogspot.com   It is a bit shambolic on account of not having the knowledge to organise it properly however it does convey some of the pleasure, I hope, of walking on the island.

pleb

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #8 on: 10:03:14, 16/10/18 »
I put links to pics on flickr from my walks, never sure how to do a trace of a route. Have to just describe it if anybody asks.
I put em on more than 1 forum.
Whinging Moaning Old Fart

adalard

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #9 on: 11:07:35, 16/10/18 »
Hey all - I was just wondering if anyone posts walks up on walking websites like walkhighlands and what they get out of it? it must take a long time! would maybe like to do something like it myself but wouldn't know where to start really!


I've never posted on Walk Highlands but I suppose it offers people a ready made template to post their trip reports without having to worry about setting up or maintaining a blog/website. And there seems to be a community of regular posters who know and interact with each other (a bit like here).


There are some really entertaining and interesting trip reports on WH and it's a useful resource. Same with the Happy Hiker and Walking Englishman sites, I think. I do plot my own routes and that's part of the fun for me but there are always things that a map (or even an aerial image) can't tell you so it's handy to have access to the kind of "on the ground"  info that they provide. And if you don't want to plot your own walk then obviously they are a great resource for finding complete routes to follow.


I started out writing trip reports before I decided to have a blog. I like the latter because:


1) Everything's collected together in one place.


2) Like BuzyG, it provides me with a "journal" through which I can re-visit walks I've done.


3) The act of writing keeps my brain ticking over and makes me think - though I do find it hard work sometimes. I guess I have to be in the right frame of mind to do it but it is worthwhile and satisfying.


4) I hope it can be useful to other people - although I don't provide routes as such, I do try to provide any useful info from my own experiences for people who might be walking in a particular area. Thinking of walk I did where I was looking for images and details about a "bad step"beforehand and I couldn't find anything, I tried to give as much detail as possible about that when I wrote it up afterwards for anyone else doing the same route.




pleb

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #10 on: 14:35:38, 16/10/18 »
Dunno what the future is, seems to get harder n harder to get pics on interweb. Maybe one day its a full blog or nothing? As in a paying blog, rather than free photo albums.
Whinging Moaning Old Fart

adalard

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #11 on: 15:24:30, 16/10/18 »
Dunno what the future is, seems to get harder n harder to get pics on interweb. Maybe one day its a full blog or nothing? As in a paying blog, rather than free photo albums.


I don't pay anything at present for my blog, which is run via Blogger, but it wouldn't surprise me if that changed at some point in the future - if not completely, maybe into a two-tier system where the free blogs only have limited features or picture capacity.

Mel

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #12 on: 23:47:38, 16/10/18 »
I don't pay anything for my blog either.  I upload pics from there to here, no problems.


To the OP.... there's loads of trip reports on this forum too though I think the likes of WalkHighlands is more structured and has route maps and such like.


I like keeping a blog diary of my walks, epic or otherwise.  Sometimes I get carried away and write war and peace, other times, it's simply a functional storage of my pics with captions - a brief reminder of the day.  Whenever I update it, it makes me re-live the walk I'm writing about.  I link my ViewRanger track recording of the walk to most of my listings.

archaeoroutes

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #13 on: 08:20:52, 28/10/18 »
I do put some on Viewranger: https://my.viewranger.com/user/details/36040
Just noticed on looking up that link that I'm a 'top publisher', whatever that means!
Walking routes visiting ancient sites in Britain's uplands: http://www.archaeoroutes.co.uk

Islandplodder

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Re: Does anyone post routes on walk websites?
« Reply #14 on: 10:24:50, 28/10/18 »

I'm really grateful to all you people who do post walk reports, links to blogs and so on.
I do get walking ideas from them, particularly in areas I don't know very well, and on the rare occasions I get Mr. Islandplodder out for a walk, he likes to know what he's getting himself into, which the photos are handy for.
And in places I know well, I like to have a nostalgia trip looking at the pictures.  Thanks, Pleb, for all the Wharfedale pictures!
I feel a bit guilty that I don't post walk reports myself, but it's mainly because I never take photos.

 

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