I noticed that some people attending the walks in our group do not know how to plan or follow a hiking route. The good news is that there are several websites and apps that allow you to plan a hiking or cycling route. Then you can use GPS navigation to follow your route.

Notes:

The purpose of this online meeting is to show how you can create a route from scratch. I will also explain how you can do the actual offline navigation of your route.
I have been hiking for more than 20 years, in different countries. I consider myself an experienced hiker.
In 2024 I started using Komoot's website to both plan and follow hiking routes. I led many hikes in the Peak District national park using Komoot app on my smartphone, without having issues.
I really like Komoot and I want to show you its main features and why I like it. I can also explain you what I do not like about it. I am not trying to sell or promote something to you.
Another app / website I have been using for planning and following routes is OsmAnd. But my favorite one is Komoot.
The aim of this online meeting is to help people that are new to hiking and/or that don't have experience on using apps / websites to plan and/or navigate routes.
If you are an experienced hiker comfortable on using navigations apps / websites, then this meeting is not for you.
This is not a mountaineering course, nor a navigation course, nor a safety course.
Being able to navigate a route is a very useful skill. I encourage you to try learning.
Be aware that in certain situations relying only on GPS navigation could be risky. You might be in a remote place, by yourself, and your device might stop working and/or you might (temporarily) lose your GPS signal.
I promise you it will be very simple for you to learn how to use Komoot or OsmAnd.
During this online meeting I will share my screen and I will create a random hiking routes using the Komoot and OsmAnd web applications. It is possible to achieve the same using other apps or websites.
I should be able to cover the full content within 30 minutes. However I scheduled this meeting to last 90 minutes because I will allow people to ask questions (I could try creating a route for you, I can show you certain features of Komoot and/or OsmAnd, etc). The meeting will be interactive.
You can leave the meeting at any time. You don't need to stay till the end.
If you are interested to try creating a hiking route (with any app or website) after my explanation, I am happy for you to share your screen and try that during the meeting. I can assist you with that.
If any of you want to try navigate a route, please install the app and then you could share your screen whilst you do the navigation. We can see that in action during the meeting.

Previous recordings on how to plan a hiking route with Komoot website can be found here and here
You can see how to do offline map navigation with the Komoot app here
Some useful tips for the route navigation: download the route on your device, disable your Internet connection (enable airplane mode), enable your GPS location, do offline navigation using your route downloaded to your device.
If you like the idea of creating hiking routes and/or following a planned route, it would be nice for you to test your skills during a proper hike or bike ride. If you want to contribute to our hiking group, you could create new hiking routes and/or lead walks. Let us know if you are interested.
The meeting will take place on the Jitsi Meet web platform. You do not need to register a Jitsi account to join this meeting. You can join with using your computer (with a browser) or with your smartphone (with a browser or the Jitsi Meet mobile app).
The Jitsi Meet platform allows a maximum of 100 concurrent users to join a meeting. So, I will keep a maximum number of attendees for this meeting.
I expect more than 100 people to be interested in joining the meeting. If any of you has a paid plan with a platform that supports more than 100 participants (for example Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc) and would like to host the meeting, please let me know. I will still be able to share my knowledge even if I do not host the meeting.
If you are interest in this event, but can't attend it, do not worry, I will do similar meetings in the next few weeks and months.
If you are no longer able to attend this event, please cancel your booking, so that other people can take your place.
If you want to make a booking for this event, but there are no places left, you can join the waiting list (you might be automatically selected if other people cancel their booking) or make a booking in one of the similar online events I will be hosting in the future.
A link will be shared with everyone before the meeting. I will send you an email the meeting link at around 19:15 BST.

More details:

Start Time: 19:30 BST
Meeting location: online
Duration: 90 minutes

If you have any questions, please contact the event organiser.

Interactive online class: plan and follow routes with Komoot and OsmAnd