Please try out this new map

[Jacquetta]

Hey, all you hikers
We've spent quite a few hours putting an accurate route overlay for the West Highland Way on Google Maps.  Please have a look here and tell us if it's useful, what other features you would like to see, and if there are any places where the route needs more tweaks.

Be sure to zoom in all the way, and be sure to try the satellite view as well as terrain!
Thanks, Jacquetta

[TomAMoore]

 Wow! This is neat. It really works well, should be a great help in planning trips!

Tom

[RoyHayward]

Hi Jacquetta,

Excellent addition. The zoom facility is great but combine that with full use of the 'search' facility for example 'Obelisk' at Milngavie, 'Railway Station' at Milngavie/Fort William or your potential accommodation throughout the walk and it's superb. It also cross-references well with your guidebook.

You asked for possible additions so how about the following:
a) Perhaps your starting point should show Milngavie Obelisk rather than just Milngavie?
b) Dotted lines to show the path to Glengoyne Distillery to show there is access (shop is open Mon-Sat 09:30-17:00 with tours 10:00-16:00 as you say on the hour)
c) A pinpoint at the A81 cossing for the Beech Tree Inn - highlighted in your guidebook. Similarly for the Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha (well used by walkers when we did the 'Way').
d) When using the up/down/left/right arrows to bring up the next section of the walk it is easy to miss the potential overnights or side-trips (although they are clearly pinpointed on the single 'overview' page) - for example Drymen and Crianlarich. Would it be easy to add such indications at the appropriate deviation from the 'Way'?
e) One of the places I wanted to visit was the Drovers Inn at Inverarnan (we stayed at Rose Cottage - not too far to stagger). A lot of walkers stayed either at the Bein Glas Farm or the two Inns but little information or access is shown here. Similarly, Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy are used extensively but again no highlight.
f) Possibly also include the 'Devil's Staircase'?

To add to all this excellent information it's worth also cross-referencing the numerous sequential WHW photographs on the following web site www.jbutler.org.uk/e2e/whw/w4/index.shtml

But I wouldn't be without the RR guide!! Hope these comments are seen as constructive.
Regards
Roy

[Jacquetta]

Very constructive, Roy, and I've done my best to implement your suggestions: please revisit here.

a, c, e and f were an easy matter of adding pins.  I haven't done b and d because we are trying to bring in route maps throughout our website.  Drawing and editing route lines is extremely time-consuming, and I don't think side-trips should take priority over getting the main routes done. Also I fear that once we start adding side-trips and other deviations, there's a danger of cluttering or obscuring the main route.

I wonder if the problem you mention under (d) could be solved by zooming out and/or using the full-screeen version of the route map here?

Please try it and let me know.  And if I do need to add further route lines, do you agree that the Crianlarich links should be a much higher priority than side-trips such as Glengoyne?  And should the route alternatives be in a different colour??  Google Maps doesn't offer dotted or dashed lines, they would have to be solid, so keeping the same colour might leave people in doubt as to which is the main route.  And showing too many options risks confusion and clutter.

[RoyHayward]

Hi Jaquetta,

That's excellent and with the cross-references to your guide as well.  Totally agree with the "side trips" - as usual jumped in with both feet and followed the 'map' in detail on maximun zoom resulting in my comments, effectively following the route with minimal coverage either side.

Becoming accustomed to the map use now I like to use the satellite view on mid zoom and all is revealed so no further issues at all. Drymen, Crianlarich and Glengoyne distillery all show up fine. Just using the map format didn't reveal the paths from the 'Way' to the distillery. Crianlarich would have been a much higher priority (although we didn't take the detour - went by car on another occasion to 'see what I'd missed'!) but no longer an issue.

What I find extremely useful is the 'search nearby' facility on the pins as well - has picked up virtually all of the items we considered (accommodation, sights etc) when planning our walk.

A super addition to the your web site - just a few more walks to be covered then    Many thanks once again.

Roy