Contents: Plotaroute.com

Plotaroute key facts
About plotaroute

Quickstart guide: Desktop plotter
• Plot a route
• Save a route
• Download a GPX file

Quickstart guide: Plotaroute app
• Pick a map and a settings change
• Plot a route
• Save a route
• Download a GPX file

Plotaroute key facts

Topic	Comments
Website	https://www.plotaroute.com
Plotting	Manual and snap-to-path. Online only.
Areas covered	World
What map types?	OSM maps, satellite imagery & OS maps with a subscription,
File export options	GPX (track or route), KML, TCX, FIT, JPG, GIF, PNG, PDF
Route map and downloadable GPX?	Share a link with anyone. They can view the route on a map and download a GPX file.
Library system	A great system allows multiple custom ‘tags’ to be added to any route. When browsing the library click your ‘tags’ to limit which routes are displayed.
Print options	An easy to use print tool for A4 paper.

About Plotaroute

Web address: https://www.plotaroute.com/
Plotaroute’s video tutorials
Plotaroute’s ‘How-to’ guides

You can use Plotaroute in a web browser on a desktop computer or phone. You won’t find the plotaroute ‘app’ in the app stores because it’s little more than a mobile interface for the website. It doesn’t store maps and isn’t a tool you can use offline.

I think Plotaroute has a dated look but don’t let that put you off. This is an excellent powerful plotter. The number of tools you’re presented with when you first click ‘Plot a Route’ is intimidating but most can be left untouched and the regular plotting functions are easy to use. Plotaroute is well worth learning. It is one of my go-to plotters.

Some of the functions are only available to ‘Premium’ users. That requires a subscription. This includes OS mapping but the free plotting options with OSM-based topo mapping are very good.

Make your routes ‘Public’ and plotaroute will store as many as you like. The library ‘tag’ system provides a powerful and very flexible way to organise your saved routes. ‘Tags’ work like the ‘labels’ Google uses to organise GMail. You can create your own ‘tags’ and attach them to your routes. When browsing your library you can select which tags are used to filter the list. It’s a great way to organise routes and it’s fast to find saved routes.

Quickstart guide: Plotaroute desktop plotter

• You need to register first. It’s free. Then you can save routes to your account, download GPX files and share your routes-on-a-map with anyone (includes a downloadable GPX file).

• Once you’re registered and successfully ‘Signed in’, your name replaces the Sign in/Register menu in the top right hand corner.

Plot a route

• In the ‘Create’ drop-down menu choose Plot a Route.

• You can close the box that pops up and just zoom into the map wherever you want to plot.

• In the ‘Map Type’ menu a good topo option is ‘Trails Map’.

• In the Auto plot box (just left of the ‘Map type’ menu) choose ‘Off’ for manual plotting or ‘On foot’ for snap-to-path plotting.

• Start clicking along your route. You can zoom in/out and drag the map freely, just be aware that if you accidentally click, you’ll plot a point. If you do make any mistakes, click ‘Undo’ (see pic) until you’re back to where you want to be, then carry on plotting.

• When you reach the end of your route just stop clicking.

Save a route

• Happy with your plotted route? Then click ‘Save’ and it will be added to your library.

• In the ‘Save the route’ box enter a route name at the top and unless you’re a subscribed user choose ‘Public’. ‘Off road’ and ‘Walking’ make sense if you’re hiking.
• Add any tags you want to your route. These allow you to find them quickly later.

• If you don’t add ‘Tags’ or ‘About’ notes now that’s OK, you can do it later. Click the orange ‘Save’ button.
• This popup box confirms a successful save.

• Saved routes are kept in [Routes > My Routes]

Download a GPX file

• Find your route in Routes > My Routes.

• You can reduce the number of routes in the list by clicking on the relevant tags. Scroll down the page to see your routes and click on the route name to view the route. The list defaults to alphabetical order.

• Scroll down the route page to find the download section and click the GPX download icon…

• …which opens the ‘Download this route’ box.You can change the route name if you like. Check the blue buttons are as in the picture below and click the orange ‘Download this route’ button. Save the file to your computer. All done.

The downloaded GPX file is in the ‘track’ format which will be successfully used by most GPS navigation devices. If your device happens to prefer GPX files in the ‘route’ format (unusual) then select the route button instead of the track button in the ‘Download this route’ box above.

Quickstart guide: Plotaroute app

Visit www.plotaroute.com/mobileapp with your phone browser and follow the instructions there to install the free app. You won’t find this app in any app store because it’s little more than a shortcut to the mobile web interface. The free version comes with banner ads and the occasional full screen ad but the tool remains very usable.

Register first (free). The option is at the bottom of the main menu in the app. Then you can save routes to your account, download GPX files and share a route-on-a-map. That shared map provides a GPX file download for anyone viewing it.

Pick a map and a settings change

If you’re successfully signed-in to the app, when you tap the menu symbol top left, you should see your name at the top of the menu.

Use the map icon [1] to select ‘Trails map’ so you’re using a good topo map.

Then tap ‘Plot a Route’ [2] at the bottom followed by the settings cog [3] top right. Change the ‘Plot on Drag’ switch to ‘No’. If you leave this on ‘Yes’, then every time you finish dragging the map a point gets plotted. Life is easier with this off when learning.

Check that ‘On foot’ is selected at the bottom.

Now you’re ready to start plotting.

Plot a route

• Drag the map so the central cross is positioned over the start of your route and tap the ‘Plot’ tab [5] on the right hand side to place a point. You don’t have to place the cross accurately, plotaroute will position the point bang-on the nearest path.

• Drag the map so the centre cross is further along your route and tap plot. Plotaroute will take the shortest line between the points sticking to the paths. If you make a mistake, or something unexpected happens, then tap the ‘Undo’ tab on the left until you’re back where you want to be and have another go.
• If the snap-to-path feature refuses to route where you want to go then switch ‘On foot’ off, manually plot the problem section, then switch ‘On foot’ back on again and carry on.
• Repeat until you reach the end of your route, then just stop clicking.

Save a route

• Open the menu [1] top right and choose ‘Save’ [2]

• Fill in all the fields in the ‘Save the route’ box [3] then tap ‘Save route’ [4] at the bottom. The route is added to ‘My routes’. Dismiss the ‘Route saved’ box by tapping OK [5]. All done.

• To plot another route, tap the orange ‘Edit route’ button at the bottom.
• Open the menu top right and tap ‘clear’.

• Tapping the ‘Clear map’ button in the ‘Clear the map’ box will return you to a blank map and you can start plotting another route.

Download a GPX file

• Tap the 3-bar main menu icon top left and select ‘My Routes’.
• Scroll through the list and tap on your route. On the ‘Select an option’ page choose ‘Download route’.
• Check that your ‘Download this route’ options match the picture below. Then tap the orange ‘Download this route’ button.

• The file will be downloaded to the ‘downloads’ folder on the phone. All done.