As I wrote in the introduction, turn-by-turn instructions, especially with added voice navigation, works pretty well for me.

When you are using a Garmin gps watch, like my Fenix 8, the default way to create, upload, and sync routes is through Garmin Connect.

Garmin Connect does a really bad job in creating these turn directions. They are created based on the shape of the GPS track, not using the underlying map information. For a city run with named streets and normal turns this works ok, but on trails this fails miserably. Important turns are missed because they are not sharp enough. And useless turns are added, when the turn is the only way to go. Take switchbacks for example. Garmin will keep adding turns left and right, when it is pretty obvious which is the way forward.

Garmin also does not allow you to add or remove turns. Sometimes you only want a few important turns to be announced, sometimes you want to remove obvious turns, etc.

For me the above makes the default Garmin solution completely useless on the trails.

What are my requirements for an alternative solution?

• Turns are (automatically) added based on the underlying map information
• Turns can be fine-tuned (added, removed, change turn symbol, … )
• Turn warnings should come just before, not at the turn

Luckily, my favorite route planning website has this functionality. Plotaroute adds course points for directions in a much better way. Let’s see how Plotaroute handles these switchbacks:

Only two turns are generated by Plotaroute, which is exactly what you want in this situation. Not 14 turns, as Garmin would force onto you. And the turn names, directions (and arrows) can be managed as well.

To meet my last requirement of having the actual turn announced just before the turn instead of at the turn, this can be set during the plotaround “download” step. When you download to a .fit file there is a shift-back option for the directions. For me 15 meter is the sweet spot, not too early, not too late.

The only thing to avoid now is sending this fit file to your Garmin watch using Garmin Connect. Doing so will overwrite the turn directions with Garmin’s rubbish. So you will have to use another method of uploading the route to the watch. I follow this procedure for every route:

1. Create (or upload) a route in plot-a-route
2. Optionally add or remove turns (and waypoints)
3. Export the route as a fit file to the GRouteLoader pc app
4. Import the route with the GRouteLoader widget on the Garmin watch (wirelessly)

See article #8 in this series for more details on bypassing Garmin Connect.

Plot-a-route can also make a distinction between turns and waypoints, which is the topic of my next article.