How To Program A Route Into Your GPS

There are several ways to put waypoints or a complete route into your GPS. The most basic is to enter the grid references manually from an OS map, but this is enormously tedious and time-consuming on a traditional device. On a GPS that features OS mapping, like a SatMap, it is considerably easier as you can mark the points directly onto the map using the tiny joystick. Most people will prefer to set up their route on a computer using some sort of mapping software. To draw your own routes, you'll need software with proper mapping data for the area you are visiting, such as Memory Map, Anquet or Mapyx Quo. All have their fans, but we recommend Quo as being both simple to use and having the best value OS mapping. Once you have drawn a route using any of these packages, you can transfer it to your GPS – presuming you have the right cable, which you may have to buy separately.