WALK THIS WAY...
CORONAVIRUS CAN’T STOP US FROM ENJOYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS AND THESE APPS MAKE GETTING OUT THERE EVEN MORE OF A PLEASURE
WE’RE all still living with some kind of restrictions on our movements right now – and feeling the strain perhaps a little bit more than when the trouble began back in March.
It’s more important than ever, then, to do something to make yourself feel better.
One thing the virus can’t take from us is the great outdoors – we can’t be with each other, but we can be with nature.
You may, like me, have rediscovered the joys of walking over the summer, or you may not yet know of the unconstrained joy it can bring.
Either way, you might be in need of a little inspiration – so here are three apps with quite different purposes, but all with the same goals – to help you hit the road and put one foot in front of the other.
VIEWRANGER
■ THEY SAY: Discover inspiring route guides, download detailed Ordnance Survey maps, and navigate with confidence on your next hike, run, bike ride, country walk or outdoor adventure.
Go anywhere: Viewranger works offline without mobile signals.
Download routes shared by top publishers and our community,
Or, create and follow your own.
■ WE SAY: Walking with Viewranger is like having a seasoned navigator with you at all times, able to lead the way while at the same time pointing out interesting locations and views along your route.
The app is useful for both casual walkers, and more serious hikers, with routes graded for all abilities, as well as handy warnings of difficult terrain.
The maps all work offline as they are downloaded to the app – and the ubiquitous GPS signal means you’ll never get lost.
One of the best features is the augmented reality view – which names peaks, places, and other points of interest on your skyline.
The very cheap premium subscription is well worth the cost, even for the casual weekend walker – you can relive walks you’ve completed, or preview walks yet to come, with the impressive 3D flyover view.
■ COST: Free with in-app purchases, premium subscription £4.99/year.
■ AVAILABLE FOR: IOS and Android
ECHOES
■ THEY SAY:
Beautiful content, smart technology, unique experience
– explore our collection of audio walks, created by authors and artists around the world and powered by Echoes.
Enjoy an experience that evolves as you travel around.
Our content is triggered by GPS or ibeacons when you physically walk inside the geofenced area of individual sounds – so you can keep your device in your pocket and concentrate on the experience around you.
■ WE SAY: We’ve all been to some kind of visitor attraction and been handed a headset to wear as we wander round the exhibit.
Echoes brings a similar kind of experience to the outside world.
It’s not just for consumers, either – the platform brings tools to allow you to create your own audio walks for others to enjoy.
It all works using the GPS system on your phone – the audio for the location you are in is triggered when you enter a GPS zone.
The tools used to create the walks are flexible enough to offer all kinds of options, meaning artists as well as traditional tour guides have got on board to create some ‘unexpected’ experiences.
There is a wide range of walks available already, but more are being added all the time.
If there are none for your location, it might be time to step up and make your own.
Like Viewranger, Echoes works off GPS with pre-downloaded content, so there’s no issues with patchy mobile connectivity.
COST: Free with in-app purchases – most of the walks are free, but some come at a cost ranging between £2.99 and £14.99.
Walk creators can sign up to a subscription allowing extra features (like being able to charge for walks) – these start at £38/month.
AVAILABLE FOR: IOS and Android.
PEDOMETER++
■ THEY SAY:
Use your iphone as a step counter.
Pedometer++ lets you easily keep track of your daily and weekly step counts, without any impact on your battery life.
You can view your progress each day from either the iphone app, Today View widget or Apple Watch app.
Pedometer++ integrates with the Health app in order to collect and display data collected by your Apple Watch.
It can display your step count, walking distance, active calories and heart rate data.
■ WE SAY: So, you don’t want any fuss, you don’t need any info about where to walk or what you are looking at – you just want to move.
Pedometer++ is a simple app that does nothing more or less than count your steps throughout the day, and keep a record of what you achieved.
All the info you’ll need to monitor your progress is stored in the app and in Apple’s own Health app.
All you need to do is get out there.
■ COST: Free with in-app purchases, remove ads – £1.99.
■ AVAILABLE FOR: IOS.