Have you ever wanted to conjure up a GPS when you’re lost in the woods, or map your movements hour by hour?
We join forces with our fellow Facebook followers to take a look at our favourite outdoor phone Apps, and see how the latest technology can take you that extra mile.
Given that the world of technology is moving so fast, it’s not surprising that more of us are using our phones to enhance our outdoor experience. You could say that it’s wrong to do this, and that we should separate ourselves from modern-day gadgets when trying to get away from it all. But despite their frustrating ability to become addictive, there’s no denying their uses.
Let’s take a look!
This was one of the favourites on Facebook, and is a fantastic App for tracking your fitness. Clock the miles, reach your goals and achieve sporting perfection. Whether you’re running, cycling, walking, or pursuing any other distance based sport, Endomondo allows you to track your duration, distance, speed, calories and gives personal training support with regular audio feedback whilst exercising. It also has a built-in interactive side which allows you to send pep talks to friends in real-time, to comment on their workouts.
For more great Apps in this field check out Nike+, Strava and MapMyHike.
Never get lost again!
ViewRanger is a Mobile App which allows you to turn your Smartphone into a complete outdoors GPS. This then becomes an essential tool for any outdoor adventure. Packed with many features such as waypoint navigation, friend tracking, sports GPS, and with web based route planning and an extensive choice of maps, this is not one to be without!
ViewRanger is the trusted choice for over 50% of the search and rescue teams throughout the country. Find out more at www.viewranger.com
This App is a great way to plan and manage your camping meals, giving you the ability to search for meal ideas based on cooking method, meal type or ingredients. From there, you can find different recipes for cooking styles, such as cooking on a stick, with a Dutch oven, cooking wrapped in foil, and many more.
With a built-in meal planner so you can organise in advance, and auto-generated shopping and equipment lists, so nothing is forgotten, this little App is your camping sous chef.
One surprising favourite was this handy little star gazing App, not necessarily your essential outdoor App but once you’ve navigated to your destination and the skies are clear, you can sit back and be in awe of the wonders of the universe.
Star Walk allows users to easily navigate through and identify 20,000+ objects in the night sky, utilising a 360 degree touch control star map. Using GPS technology, you see real time motion tracking to tell you what stars are above you in the sky. With built-in Satellite tracking you will never miss the IIS flying over your head again. This App is packed with fun features and is a budding astronomer’s best friend.
Also see StarChart and Google Sky Map, suitable for other phone users.
This is one of my personal favourites. With the British weather being so unpredictable and the summer looking to be one of the wettest yet, I couldn’t be without this App for planning my day to day outdoor adventures.
The Met Office App provides extremely accurate and reliable weather forecasts right at your fingertips. It’s quick and simple to use and brings great features such as five day overview and three-hourly location forecasts. If the general weather outlook is not enough, you can dig deep and look into rainfall probability, wind speed and direction, along with UV and temperature stats. Maybe one day this App will thankfully not be needed, when we eventually get some better weather.
Finally, don’t forget our very own contribution to the App world: the GO Outdoors Discount Card App. It might not yet utilize GPS tracking to tell you where the nearest store is with the jacket you want and at the best price (maybe one day), but it will definitely give you an easier time in store, allowing you to use your phone as your scan-able discount card, and bringing you regular exclusive coupon offers that are not to be missed.
Feel free to join in and let us know your favourite outdoor Apps on our Facebook page.
