Sat nav

I think some of those specialist sat navs are a triumph of marketing over function. They all have one thing in common, they’re very expensive compared to their base counterpart. I suspect they all use the same underlying data. So, however clever the sat nav is, if the database doesn’t know it’s a single track lane with a grass strip up the middle without passing places, you could find yourself there one day! There are obviously other specialist ‘bells and whistles’ like campsite POIs, bluetooth connectivity and voice control, but at a cost, whereas you can simply download POIs to more modest devices. I’ve got a TomTom Go Camper which allows me to enter vehicle dimensions, but I’ve still had a few moments I wouldn’t be keen to repeat involving lots of reversing. Personal choice I think, but they’re not the be and end all for stress free navigation. You could buy something cheaper and simply check the route beforehand and save yourself a lot of grief (and money).

Always follow the club’s instructions on the final approach whether for a club site or a CL. If you read some of the reviews you will see why!

Our MH has the fancy Garmin Avtex sat nav with the club apps in it as standard (not worth the money in my opinion). Sometimes it goes to the site gate but often only to the general postcode. 

Enjoy your MH. 

While site final directions can be helpful they tend verge on being over cautious e.g. the club final directions suggests that Wynatts Pass is a no go when travelling to the Castelton site

Hi HR, Agree with others, my advice is try the built in one first, ours is a new Ducato, while the Satnav is basic, has got me to 12 sites this year including 2 in France with little issue, they all just need a bit of learning, any errors mine has made is user inputting !!  

In my experience all satnavs are as good (or as bad) as each other.  I have a Tom Tom 6200 which supports the "MyDrive" App which allows you to plan the route beforehand and transfer it by wifi to the satnav - so that it (in theory) will stick to the route you have selected (and researched on Google Street View).  Even that, though, can throw a 'wobbly' sometimes.

Does the new motorhome have a built in sat nav? On your question about the Club recommended sat nav, just because its endorsed by the Club doesn't mean it has any special software on it other than perhaps Club site POI's. So it won't magically override the need to follow the written instructions. What some sat navs allow you to do is the view the final destination. Using this facility you could compare the final approach that the sat nav will take with the written instructions and make changes accordingly.

David  

I am inclined to use beforhand Google Maps in its "Street View" mode and virtually "drive" any last few miles from say a "B" road.

Valuable for CLs because so many are "rural" but also because I have found that the coordinates the club and others quote are not reliable.

On most occasions using this online tool you can work out where the site actually is located and possible access challenges.

I also have a system that shouts at me and the SAT NAV, if the indicated route is not to her liking! Possibly justified, as  the SAT NAV is happy enough to send me on a farm track or byway if doing that clips a bit off the metalled road route, plus it likes going right through medieval hamlets.

Thank you everybody  for your comments