Hoe do I add waypoints to a route so that Garmin watch will recognize them

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• Boo Ids   Sunday 04 May 2025 14:18:40

  I go Munro bagging.  I want to add the Munro peaks plus othe things like river crossings and ridge drop offs to my routes so that when I export them my Garmin watch wll give me distance to the next waypoint when I'm walking the route.  I can't plot a route using waypoints because most of the walks haven't got any paths on the map so auto-routing either fails or makes me walk miles out of my way on paths that don't go where I want them to go. 

  I've found labels - but these just seem to be just that - labels that I can put anywhere on the map as opposed to waypoints along the actual route which Garmin will recognize as Waypoints in the navigational sense.  

  Is it possible to do this or have I just wasted £20?

  Thanks in advance for any help.

• Mark Worthington   Monday 05 May 2025 09:01:01

  Turn auto-plotting off and click the map to go where you want to go in a straight line. You then have total control of yor chosen path. Add your waypoints ("directions") accordingly.

• Boo Ids   Monday 05 May 2025 10:40:43

  @Mark. Sorry, I don't understand.  Are you saying that labels are the same as waypoints?  If so, then how do I add them to the course as opposed to just a location on the map?

• Boo Ids   Monday 05 May 2025 11:15:03

  @Mark.  I just tried this.  I created a short course from my house with all auto plot turned of and I added two labels to it.  When I synch it with Garmin the labels don't appear as waypoints on the course either on the Garmin Connect website or on the Garmin watch when I synch the route to it.  Is there no way to add proper waypoints to a route?

• Tim Slater Monday 05 May 2025 11:54:00

  I came here to ask the exactly same question. I have previously been using the Ordnance Survey app to create routes and download them to my Garmin Instinct (this doesn't have proper maps, just a breadcrumb trail of the route) and I'd use a printed map. I now have a Garmin Fenix 7s with the Talkytoaster maps so I want to improve the information on my watch about upcoming directions and information. Like Boo, I haven't been able to find any instructions all in one place about how to do this in Plotaroute.

  Here's what I've managed to do so far:

  • I created a route in Plotaroute
  • I clicked on "Dir'ns" in the righthand panel
  • I deleted all of the automatically generated directions (I'll allow Garmin Connect to add these instead)
  • I added a couple of directions to the route (these are what you're calling waypoints I think)
  • I chose the symbol in Plotaroute accoring to this list: https://www.plotaroute.com/posts/3112/D/1 (I've just used "info so far")
  • I downloaded the rote from Plotaroute as a FIT file and imported this into Garmin Connect
  • I checked on Garmin Connect and my directions from Plotaroute had correctly appeared as Coursepoints 
  • I sent the route to my watch and the route appeared correctly with the Coursepoints showing in the "Up Ahead" screen. The labels were visible on the watch's map.

  I'm only using the free version of Plotaroute at the moment whilst I work out whether I want to move from the OS product.

  I'm also climbing the Munros. Just back from climbing Am Basteir and Mullach na Dheiragain, with seven left to go.

  Hope this helps.

• Tim Slater Monday 05 May 2025 12:00:33

  I just typed a detailed reply to your question but for some reason it was flagged as spam. Whilst that is being moderated, the short answer is yes you can do exactly what you're trying to.

• Mark Worthington   Monday 05 May 2025 14:55:20

  Boo Ids,

  Have you seen How To Add Labels And Symbols To A Route Map? That may help.
  
  

  In your case, just create the route "manually" (auto-plot off) and add the "directions" to the route. 

• Boo Ids   Monday 05 May 2025 15:43:59

  @Mark.  I can add labels and symbols to the map OK but when I synch with my Garmin account the labels do not appear.

• Mark Worthington   Monday 05 May 2025 16:48:39

  "Labels" or "directions"?
  
  Can you attached a screenshot?
  
  I transfer to a Garmin Edge, but have no experience with the watches. However, Tim indicates it works OK.

• Boo Ids   Monday 05 May 2025 20:09:05

  @Mark.  I just add labels.  As far as I know I don't add directions, certainly not knowingly (I don't want directions).  I can't add a screenshot here cos there's no way to upload one from my PC.   What I do is edit the route, click on "Annotate Map" and get a box that says "`ADD SYMBOLS AND LABELS TO THE MAP" which wants a name, symbol and colour with a then add a coloured symbol with a name to the map on top of the route line.