Garmin 780 Sat Nav

[laimeduck]

I am averse to a machine telling me where to go (and many humans ... Tee Hee!) , so on trips I always check my intended route against a paper map or a decent map (eg Bing maps set to Ordnance Survey, or Via Michelin). I then decide the route and enter various co-ordinates to force the SatNag to do what I want, not what it wants. 

This often entails using small "white" roads  ... so I then look on Google street view to check the road size & amend the route accordingly. What this means of course is that I know where I am going and the places along the rote, not just a destination entered into the SatNag.

What I have noticed is that the standard Google maps suggested route always uses the Motorways or main Trunk roads, so everyone using google maps are using the same roads .. hence they are busy. (Yes, I know you can specify no motorways etc but I find the SatNag alternatives unnecessarily complicated)

More often than not my bespoke route is traffic free, and a pleasant drive, rather than sitting in a queue or on a very busy road.

It's not foolproof of course, and sometimes it doesn't work, but I am in control.

Jeremy

[simians]

Gassygassy, for sure at least the signs are very evident on major roads as you approach the last opportunity in avoiding  the LEZ and so join the M25. I occasionally also have to remind myself that I'm driving the M/home and not the car, which is compliant.

Because my m/home is truck speed slow, usually I don't overtake prior to the turnoff for quite a distance, sometimes those truckies are reluctant to let me in, and I've no spare speed left to get ahead safely!

[Brian Kirby]

4 hours ago, gassygassy said:

.............................................Europe has it sorted better, you pay €3.60 and get a badge which allows you into most towns and cities, it isn't a mayor's personal empire building system as it is here. Apparently Bristol collects £250,000 a day from fines for their LEZ.

"Europe" doesn't have it sorted at all!  😞 Germany does, in general terms via its "umweltplackette" (emissions sticker)  - but only within individual German municipalities, and, broadly, so does France with its Crit'Air sticker, but also only within individual French municipalities - some of which restrictions apply only when air quality deteriorates.  Spain is somewhat chaotic, although a number of (but I understand not all) municipalities agree to accept the French and/or German stickers as evidence of compliance - but this needs to be checked before entering any town with an LEZ.  Italy is even greater fun!  Last time I wanted to enter Turin (Sept 2019) the LEZ requirement was to have one's V5C with one so that, if challenged, one could produce it to demonstrate one's emissions standard - except, of course, a UK V5C doesn't show the vehicle's "Euro" status as, if it did, one would have to pay UK VED based on its emissions which, for most motorhomes, is punitive so, as a result of lobbying by the NCC, motorhomes were exempted and continue to be taxed as PLG or PHGV (the van was a personal import so I took a copy of its original, German, CoC which showed it was Euro 5, as well as the UK CoC that left that bit blank!).  Beyond those, I'm unaware of what other countries have been doing, but the point is that emissions controls lie in the hands of the individual states and their municipalities, and not with Brussels.

[Deneb]

Have you got "Avoid U-Turns" selected in navigation settings?

I had that on a Garmin, not the Camper version, and it did similar, directing me down narrow side roads to rejoin the same route, and sometimes trying to send me all around the houses, despite fastest route being selected.

Turning off the U-turn avoidance solved it. I realised through trial and error that with that setting enabled, it treated any junction or road deviation of more than 90 degrees as a U-turn and would suggest an alternative route if one was available, or reroute to avoid the junction or road section completely.

[stevec176]

Just checked and yes, avoid U turns was selected, now unselected so will have to see how it goes next time out. I've also got notice that there's an update to be installed so hopefully there might be an improvement with that too. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.