[Mr_Cus]

So the lamping sessions are beginning and it can be pretty hard to find particular boulders at night, especially if not visited before. Is there a decent (free?) app these days with most boulders coordinates on?  I'm aware of the ukc one (assuming it has locations) but I don't want another guidebook, just the coordinates.

I was more hoping to create or get access to some sort of spreadsheet or something with boulder and location.
E.g. I'd like to go to Ape drape at Froggatt and a few other bits around there but I've never bothered to find it in the day and at night I'm thinking this could be tricky.

Its also so I can easily text the wife which boulder I'm heading to incase of accidents etc.


Cheers

[dunnyg]

If you have a guide and google earth it  an be easy to drop pins on boulders, not aware of any resources though.

[Oldmanmatt]

I just take the grid ref from the guidebook, put it into the UK map app (iPhone) and walk to it. Seems to work for Bovey woods etc.
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/uk-map/id365745482

[Mr_Cus]

Yeah I thought this might be the way but I figured someone else may have already done a lot of the leg work on this.  I believe you can share a map of pins in Google maps too.

Anyone done this already?

[SA Chris]

All seems a bit 2010 now, but there's this

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/board,34.0.html

[Mr_Cus]

All seems a bit 2010 now, but there's this

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/board,34.0.html

This seems like the sort of thing I'm after.  Good to Know I'm 10years out of date with this! Trouble is I'm getting 404 - attachment not found.

Anyone got a link that works?

[Coops_13]

There's a relatively new app in the US called 'Climbing Pins': https://apps.apple.com/us/app/climbing-pins/id1360866980 that lets users add them. Not my favourite UI I've come across but it works. Currently loaded with boulders from the US, Font, Swizzy and SA. Needs some keen UK folk to add boulders for it to work though...

[SA Chris]

All seems a bit 2010 now, but there's this

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/board,34.0.html

This seems like the sort of thing I'm after.  Good to Know I'm 10years out of date with this! Trouble is I'm getting 404 - attachment not found.

Anyone got a link that works?

It may have not survived site updates.

[Bonjoy]

A simple solution for future guides would be to use the what3words code within a boulder description. Much easier to remember and input than traditional coordinates, and accurate to 3m.

[BrutusTheBear]

I just take the grid ref from the guidebook, put it into the UK map app (iPhone) and walk to it. Seems to work for Bovey woods etc.
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/uk-map/id365745482

I have a gpx. file that might save you a lot of work for Bovey woods!

[tomtom]

A simple solution for future guides would be to use the what3words code within a boulder description. Much easier to remember and input than traditional coordinates, and accurate to 3m.

There’s a fairly robust set of arguments for not using w3w recently. Mostly along the lines of it being opaque in operation and their quite aggressive marketing.

I think MRT’s were in favour but some are now against due to false locations given when a letter or two in a word was Mis communicated on the phone. The lack of transparency in how their algorithm works makes it harder for them to then figure out where someone may be.

[turnipturned]

27 crags has this feature. However, not sure of coverage and sometimes a bit inaccurate.

However, I have had some success, when I was in Gothenburg on a conference, I had no guide, I used 27crags and Uber/public transport, it was flipping great. Even for boulders in the middle of a wood.

[Bonjoy]

Tomtom - I can see the second point being a reason to be cautious about w3w use in an emergency situation. I think in the context of a climbing guide this would be a non risk -  both low probability and low consequence.
On the first point either the system gains traction or it doesn't. Guidebooks using it will have no bearing on this.

[remus]

What TTT said about what3words. Would seem a shame to build up a big library of boulder locations and then be reliant on a third party to actually be able to convert those in to usable co-ordinates.

I think google came up with a similar system called plus codes, but with the key difference that the algorithm is open https://plus.codes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Location_Code for the details. It also has some nice properties, like locations that are physically close together having similar plus codes and being able to shorten the code depending on how much accuracy you want.

Full details of various implementations available here https://github.com/google/open-location-code

[sxrxg]

Isn't part of the fun of climbing wading around in waist high bracken falling in holes trying to find a bloc when visiting a new venue?

Also I think finding blocs is a skill that you learn over time. You look for the little things, the depression in the ground where a craglet maybe hiding a small sheep track through the bushes leading seemingly to nowhere. I think just going straight there using a GPS would take away some of fun, maybe I am odd though and people just see getting to the blocs as a waste of time, for me that is already part of my day out. If I want to just climb there are plenty of venues where it would be impossible for even people with the worst sense of direction could get lost and I would just pick these when i am not looking for an adventure.

Based on the above what is wrong with Latitude and Longitude or/and OS GB grid references, both should get you within 100m of any bloc and can be used with many mapping apps or (shock horror) a paper map.

[Bonjoy]

What TTT said about what3words. Would seem a shame to build up a big library of boulder locations and then be reliant on a third party to actually be able to convert those in to usable co-ordinates.

I think google came up with a similar system called plus codes, but with the key difference that the algorithm is open https://plus.codes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Location_Code for the details. It also has some nice properties, like locations that are physically close together having similar plus codes and being able to shorten the code depending on how much accuracy you want.

Full details of various implementations available here https://github.com/google/open-location-code

In what sense is w3w not a 'usable' coordinate? Even grid references rely on a third party app AKA a map, surely?
For me a key point of w3w, and why I suggested it, is that the code is easily memorised and verbally transmitted (to your mate on the phone etc). As TTT pointed out, this might lead to errors due to spelling or missing a pluralisation or whatever, but in this context where the consequences are non serious this is no biggy. All other coordinate systems i've seen have the disadvantage that they are a hard to remember random looking set of letters and numbers.

[sxrxg]

Does anyone try and give coordinates over the phone anymore though? Surely you just share the location of the bloc either as a pin on a map or send a message with the grid reference/lat-long that can be copied and pasted into a mapping app. Seems that way there is less chance of miscommunication than even with w3w.

w3w seems like a solution looking for a problem using technology when technology has already solved the issue by being able to send as a message.

[SA Chris]

Exactly. I would just get an OS location from my watch or OS locate App on phone, screenshot and send, rather than phoning someone and saying purple.monkey.dishwasher* and them getting it wrong.

*5 points for getting the obscure cultural reference without google.

[remus]

In what sense is w3w not a 'usable' coordinate?

By itself the three words have no meaning so you're reliant on w3w to convert it to a location for you. What happens if they go out of business? Or decide they want to charge users for access? Other systems (e.g. google's plus codes, grid references) just tell you how to do it and don't have a proprietary step in the middle. For example, what3words are pretty aggressive in protecting their proprietary step (e.g. taking legal action against people who reverse engineer the algorithm https://justpaste.it/39hat) whereas there's plenty of websites will convert a grid ref to a lat,lon for you.

Maybe Im just being overly sensitive, but what3words' business leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It seems like a marketing exercise to extract value from something that realistically doesn't have much value (relative to sending someone a pin, for example).

[spidermonkey09]

Exactly. I would just get an OS location from my watch or OS locate App on phone, screenshot and send, rather than phoning someone and saying purple.monkey.dishwasher* and them getting it wrong.

*5 points for getting the obscure cultural reference without google.

No such thing as an obscure Simpsons quote. Skinner says the teachers will crack any minute, purple monkey dishwasher.

W3W is a waste of time, an attempt to privatise grid references. No reason not to use a drop pin or OS link.

[spidermonkey09]

In what sense is w3w not a 'usable' coordinate?

By itself the three words have no meaning so you're reliant on w3w to convert it to a location for you. What happens if they go out of business? Or decide they want to charge users for access? Other systems (e.g. google's plus codes, grid references) just tell you how to do it and don't have a proprietary step in the middle. For example, what3words are pretty aggressive in protecting their proprietary step (e.g. taking legal action against people who reverse engineer the algorithm https://justpaste.it/39hat) whereas there's plenty of websites will convert a grid ref to a lat,lon for you.

Maybe Im just being overly sensitive, but what3words' business leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It seems like a marketing exercise to extract value from something that realistically doesn't have much value (relative to sending someone a pin, for example).

Absolutely agree with all this. Not overly sensitive for me.

[Bonjoy]

In what sense is w3w not a 'usable' coordinate?

By itself the three words have no meaning so you're reliant on w3w to convert it to a location for you. What happens if they go out of business? Or decide they want to charge users for access? Other systems (e.g. google's plus codes, grid references) just tell you how to do it and don't have a proprietary step in the middle. For example, what3words are pretty aggressive in protecting their proprietary step (e.g. taking legal action against people who reverse engineer the algorithm https://justpaste.it/39hat) whereas there's plenty of websites will convert a grid ref to a lat,lon for you.

Maybe Im just being overly sensitive, but what3words' business leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It seems like a marketing exercise to extract value from something that realistically doesn't have much value (relative to sending someone a pin, for example).

What you mean is that is proprietary. I agree with you on that. That has no bearing on usability per se.


 

[Alex-the-Alex]

Agreed with the others. And Id add linguistic imperialism to the list of reasons not to use it. Mind you maybe numerals are too... Putting it in guides will give it traction and legitimise it the outdoors.

[Bonjoy]

Exactly. I would just get an OS location from my watch or OS locate App on phone, screenshot and send, rather than phoning someone and saying purple.monkey.dishwasher* and them getting it wrong.

*5 points for getting the obscure cultural reference without google.

That's how I send locations too. In the context of transposing a code from a paper guide to a phone I'd find it easier to type three words than a string of letters spaces and numbers. Minor UI improvement in my view. Obviously I wasn't factoring in W3W's nefarious and hegemonic plan to dominate the universe and subject its citizenry to enforced word based location finding .

[Alex-the-Alex]

Obviously I wasn't factoring in W3W's nefarious and hegemonic plan to dominate the universe and subject its citizenry to enforced word based location finding .

Easy to overlook. A David Fincher film adaptation of w3w would help.