The Bradford on Avon WAW walk leaders were often asked at the end of their walks whether a map of the route could be made available so people could follow it at their leisure. So we started to consider how we might do this.

Two of our regular leaders were using ‘Viewranger’ on their smartphones and suggested we give it a try. We did and liked what we found so decided to start using it.

So, what is Viewranger? It’s a free to download smartphone app that can be used on desktops and tablets as well as smartphones. You can use free Open Street Maps or pay to download tiles of OS 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps.

It’s very flexible and adaptable. You can set it to record a walk you are doing – it works by GPS so wifi signal is not required, you can plot a route to follow using your desktop, or you can follow someone else’s route.

We try to record all of our regular monthly walks and share them in our monthly newsletters. We are also building a suite of walks on our website: www.walkbradfordonavon.org/viewranger-walks.

Bradford on Avon Walkers are Welcome’s big project in 2017 was to record the whole of the Bradford on Avon Walking Wheel on ‘Viewranger’. You can access this at: www.walkbradfordonavon.org/viewranger-walking-wheel-routes. You can also download the routes to your phone or tablet and can even adapt them to suit your needs

Viewranger’s website is: http://www.viewranger.com/en-gb

If you’re in the lovely Bradford on Avon area of West Wiltshire, just 10 miles from Bath and would like to walk The Wheel but would prefer a paper map, a 1: 16,000 version can be bought at our Tourist Information Centre, Ex Libris bookshop, Town Library or Holidays and Cruises Travel Agents. They are laminated, fold up small enough to fit into a standard pocket and are very durable – a bargain at £5 each.