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. Options Loops Out & back Failed routes

Longer route lengths & more allowed turns increase search time.

Desired length (m)
5000
The desired route length in meters
Loop routes

Loop routes are circular routes that loop back to the start point without revisiting the same path. Hover over route to view it on map.

No loop routes were found. Try moving the route start point to a better-connected location.

Alternatively, try using the Advanced Controls option to contol additional parameters of the route search.

      {{route.length | numberWithCommas}}m ({{route.length | routePercentageOffTarget}}), {{route.turns}} turns, {{route.intersectionCrossingsCount}} intersections, niceness: {{(route.niceness / lowestScore).toFixed(1)}} (park {{route.scores.parkyness.toFixed(0)}}, coast: {{route.scores.coastyness.toFixed(0)}} waterway: {{route.scores.waterwayness.toFixed(0)}}) GPX KML
{{routeSearchTime}}s elapsed, map level {{deepestOsmLevelReached}} reached
Out & back routes

Out & back routes are routes that where the out and back legs of the route are the same

      {{route.length | numberWithCommas}}m, {{route.turns}} turns, {{route.intersectionCrossingsCount}} intersections GPX KML

routespinner

Routespinner helps you to find running routes of a specific length.

How to use it

Routespinner finds routes that start and end at a point you chose. It won't ever be as good as a human guide but it's good for exploring the options for the distance you require.

  1. Frame the desired search area in the the map window (searches are contrained to the visible map).
  2. Ensure that the visible map area is large enough to actually support a route of the desired length by zooming out. As you adjust the distance slider circles are plotted on the map to show you the potential size of the map required.
  3. Press Search

Once the search has finished hover over the route summaries on the bottom half of the page to see them on the map. The GPX download link lets you export a route that will work with many map applications. The KML download option lets you save a route for import into Google Maps so that you can check routes while out running with your phone. Pick Your places from the Google maps menu, then Maps, Create Map followed by Import.

Toggling advanced controls allows you to set the number of routes sought, the particular OSM way types to serch through and the number of allowed turns.

This video shows a sample search taking place.

FAQ

It's finding no routes for me, what can I do?

One possibility is that there aren't any matching routes in the map area. Make sure that the view of the map is big enough to support the desired route length. Another thing to try is to manually move the starting marker (the blue marker on the map) closer to a big interection.

The suggested routes go through a bad / dangerous / not nice area!

Routespinner knows nothing about how good or bad an area is, just route lengths and how nearby parks, coastlines and waterways are. If you don't want to include an area in a seach, position the map such that the starting point is near the edge of the window.

How accurate are the route lengths?

They're good. The calculations rely on the underlying OpenStreetMap data but real life testing with a GPS watch suggests that they're accurate.

What browsers does it work on?

This app should on the latest generation of all of the major browsers. I've tried it on Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge.

Does it work on mobile devices?

This app should work on Android (Chrome, Firefox, Samsung Browser) and iOS (Safari, Chrome) devices, though clearly it will be slower than on a desktop. Mobile Safari shuts down long-running JavaScript processes ("A problem ocurred with this web page so it was reloaded") so longer searches may cause a problem.

Colophon

This app is powered by data from the fabulous OpenStreetMap project and the Overpass Turbo API in particular. If you're looking for an easy way to contribute to the OSM I recommend trying the StreetComplete app. It lets you patch known gaps in the OSM data for your area—items such as road surface type, building heights and so on.

Libraries used:

Problems & feedback

Ideas welcome—please send queries and criticism to ronan@cremin.com or @xbs.

Find it useful? Send me a

Made in Dublin.