We offer GPS route navigation on most of our walking and cycling holidays so even if you have no map reading skills - you won't get lost with Headwater!
The Headwater Navigation App provides our comprehensively researched and carefully checked routes in an easy to use and convenient format. Cyclists receive easy-to-follow turn-by-turn audio instructions all along the route, whilst walkers follow text notes that appear, in the right place at the right time, for you to stop and read.
You can view all trips that feature the Headwater Navigation App here.
Before you travel, we'll send you everything you need to download your route directions and the free Headwater Navigation App which is available to download for both iPhone and Android.
Your daily guide in the app includes everything you need for your holiday including details of where you stay, what you'll see along the way, contact details and (of course) instructions on how to follow our routes. You'll also be able to view your route on-screen prior to your holiday - zoom in and out, see an overview of the tour, pick out where you'd like to stop each day, choose the places you'd like to visit along the way, and much more!
The app is like having your own personal guide with you - tracking your position along the route while providing you with clear directions, whether you're on a coastal path during our walking holidays or riding past lush vineyards on our cycling holidays. It will notify you if you are heading in the wrong direction and will offer to re-route to the closest path if you do go off track (as long as you have a wifi or data connection). We've optimised the app to provide clear and easy to see navigation on your holiday; however there are also lots of options to personalise the app to suit your preferences and rest assured our local agents will go through these with you at the start of your holiday to ensure you're comfortable before you set off.
Inspire your next Headwater holiday with a look at 5 wonderful destinations you can explore with our Headwater Navigation App here.
“The Headwater Navigation App was brilliant. I've never used an app before; I normally follow a map or the leader of a group. Once we got to grips with it on the first day, we never looked back! It was brilliant. It saved us so much time - if I went off track, the app alerted me so I could get straight back on course. It made life considerably simpler”
Mr Hall
“The GPS has worked well and has avoided me taking the wrong turn here and there, including on the misty mountainside. If I would have tried to organise this all on my own it would have taken ages, so I feel it is worthwhile using Headwater's service.”
Mr Becker
“The Headwater App was so good that it was impossible to get even a foot off the proper route! So, no chance of getting lost! Our first experience of using a walking GPS app and we found it very reassuring and made the whole experience very comfortable.”
Mr Daffarn
The Headwater Navigation App is always up-to-date and there to enhance your overall holiday experience. Our app and our carefully created routes are the perfect combination for a relaxed walking or cycling holiday - but if you're still not convinced, you have the option to download all this information in PDF format or print a hard copy if your prefer. They follow the same routes and have all the information you will need to get from A to B. Find out more about maps & notes for our walking and cycling holidays.
No - it's even better than sat nav! Not only will the app track your position along the Headwater curated routes, you will receive visual route instructions along the way (as well as audible instructions for cycling). It will also tell you very quickly if you have taken a wrong turn. It will even route you back to the nearest point on the route should you wander off-course.
As a guide, a typical 7-day Headwater holiday might occupy, on average, around 40MB of storage, so you'll need to make sure you have enough storage capacity.
We strongly recommend that you download the Headwater Navigation App before travelling as it's more likely that you will have a reliable and fast WiFi connection. It also gives you the opportunity to check you've got the required storage capacity on your phone.
No, once the routes are downloaded to your smartphone you don't need a telephone or data connection to follow the 'turn-by-turn' direction cues. Your phone just needs to be able to receive a GPS signal, which it will be able to do with mobile data disabled.
We have thoroughly tested all our routes and have not experienced any satellite 'blackspots', so we are very confident that you won't experience interference with the GPS signal whilst you are on your trip. However, you will be provided with a PDF copy of the route directions, electronically, just as a back-up in case of any technical difficulties en-route.
We recommend that you disable all unwanted wireless connections, for example, Bluetooth, WiFi and mobile data, or switch your phone to 'Flight Mode' whilst you are navigating. We also suggest that you allow your screen to go to screensave mode (the audio instructions for cyclists will still continue). These actions will preserve battery life and ensure that you have plenty of power to run on throughout the day. In our testing, we've found that the app is very battery-efficient - but you should start the day with a fully charged battery (and if you have an older phone you may want to take a portable power bank with you).
Yes, when you're on a cycling trip we provide a 'Universal' Weatherproof Phone Mount that attaches securely to your handlebars. The holder is suitable for all standard size phones up to the dimensions of the latest standard size android or iPhones. If you have a 'plus' size phone, you will need to bring your own holder with you.
We have marked places/sights of significant historical or cultural interest along the route and these are embedded in the route map as 'POIs' or 'Points of Interest'. You just need to click on the little brown information icon on the map. We have given additional direction 'cues' to tell you about POIs if they are off-route, should you choose to take a detour and visit them. Where possible, we have also embedded a link to the relevant website so that you can find out more and can pre-plan things like visits to museums, which might have limited opening hours or need to be booked in advance.
We identify in the route description for each day where there are particularly nice places to stop for a lunch or refreshments.
For cyclists this is important as the directional cues are audible. With your phone mounted on your handlebars we have found that most of our customers have had no difficulty hearing the audio cues and if you should miss one, it is very simple to review the cues to clarify what the instruction was. If you want absolute certainty that you won't miss a cue however, or, if you have hearing difficulties, you might want to consider bringing a Bluetooth earpiece with you.
