With GPS on the Camino(s) in Spain

New!

May 2007: Grant Spangler has (again) come up with some excellent gps waypoints and tracks along Caminos in Spain. I have converted his OziExplorer files to gpx format (generic exchange format) and thence to kmz format (for Google Earth). You can download each of them below:-
  1. The Camino del Norte
  2. The Camino Frances
  3. Paper map overview of the Camino del Norte and the Camino Frances
  4. The track from Santiago to Faro Cabo Fistera
  5. The Via de la Plata

    The rest of this page is
  6. Conversion tools
  7. Warning
  8. Contacts

  1. The Camino del Norte

    From Irun and Hendaye to Santiago de Compostela, in kmz (Google Earth) format, and in gpx format
    image missing! Please report to webmaster


  2. The Camino Frances

    From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port through Pamplona and Burgos to Santiago de Compostela, in kmz (Google Earth) format, and in gpx format
    image missing! Please report to webmaster


  3. Paper maps

    A nice image showing the Camino Frances, the Camino del Norde, and the Via de la Plata, superimposed on a grid of ?official maps? of Spain. Looks to me as though the grid refers to official maps at 1:10k or 1:25k. See the gif full size
    image missing! Please report to webmaster


  4. Track to Faro Cabo Fistera

    From Santiago de Compostela, in kmz (Google Earth) format, and in gpx format
    image missing! Please report to webmaster


  5. The Via de la Plata

    From Merida through Salamanca and Benavente to Astorga, in kmz (Google Earth) format, and in gpx format
    image missing! Please report to webmaster


Conversions

I used
  1. Eino Uikkanen's GeoConv.exe to change the GPS waypoint and track files from datum "European 1950" to datum "WGS84"
  2. GPSBabel to convert from format OziExplorer to format gpx
  3. Saxcount.exe to verify the gpx files
  4. GPS Trackmaker to convert the gpx files to kml / kmz format
There are good reasons for each of these choices, but I wont bore you with them here.

Warning

Errors and omissions probably remain. You use the files at your own risk.
Please take note that the "Mountain leader" course of the British Mountaineering Council specifically teaches people not to use GPS. Their reasoning is that you should be following your position on the map, rather than relying on a magic device to tell you where you are. Ask any instructor and they will tell you about how the GPS's battery will die when you need it, how the US army will turn-off the satellites, or that it will only be accurate to 100m and won't correlate with your map. You have been warned.
On the other hand, GPS is a lot of fun. And if you know how to use a map and a compass and a GPS, it could save your life.

Contacts

Back to Camino main page or to other links for Camino tracks in Spain
And, if you really want to,

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uri http://users.skynet.be/watermael/gps/espana/51139.html
-- Original file 51139.html --
-- Dated 2007-05-09T14:05:00CET --