While some people will happily use GPS navigation systems in their cars, some don't think it applies to walking. OK, it isn't quite the same and requires a bit of pre-planning but it can be very useful and personally, when walking in the Chilterns and elsewhere, I now often use a phone App in combination with a paper map.
What do I need?
Firstly, you need an App on your phone and because the mobile phone signal is not great where you often walk and this certainly applies to the Chilterns I believe it is essential to have offline maps. These are just files on your phone and many you have to pay for but not all.
Secondly, it is very helpful to have your route in the App as you do in your car. For car satnavs, the route finding is all built in but for walking Apps, you need to download a GPS Exchange Format file of the route (file with an extension ".gpx") before you head out. For all the walks on this site, I create this file.
I personally would always take a paper map but often these days, this is just a backup. On the walks I create on this site I will provide a paper map you can download and print (or view on your phone) but I like the comfort of an OS map too.
What App should I use?
The App you choose depends on your phone operating system and whether you are prepared to pay for offline maps that I recommend you download to your phone.
Here is a good review of Apps I believe is a reasonable summary. Personally I think open source maps are fine for Chilterns walks which are generally well marked with signage and aren't wild locations. So I use Green Tracks as I have an Android phone. ViewRanger (now called Outdooractive) is a recognised top 3 App if you are prepared to pay for maps.
Steps before going for your walk
Once you have your App installed and offline maps downloaded to your phone, on a walk by walk basis you just need to download the GPX file for the route you want to take.
On the walk itself
On the walk itself, the GPS system will show your current position on the map and the route is shown too. So if you are going the wrong way, it should soon be obvious!
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