UKC

Thought I’d post here given the likelihood that some users have experience of using this watch out in the hills.

I’ve not managed to find the answer after an extensive google search…

The following garmin page https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=gMt4emKnTc5t2mdbI86517&identifier... file limits on ‘courses’ the pre-planned routes you can sync to the device.

I’m not clear whether this relates to waypoints added on garmin connect app or something else. My simpler question is - is there a limit on the number of points a course can contain from an imported gpx file? I have a few longer 2 day routes with tonnes of points and they load but it’d be nice to know before setting out that they won’t decide to crash or give up the ghost mid walk! I’ll be using ‘follow course’ rather than ‘’use map’ (the latter which recalculates as you walk - I just want the ability to see my ‘dot’ on the map). 

For clarity, I’m not interested in ‘turn by turn’ or anything like that - just keeping an eye on the map on my watch rsther than the phone or getting the paper map out.

Ps. This was triggered by uploading my fannichs route, which was showing as 400m less ascent in ‘elevation plot’ vs. The app or outdoor active. I wondered if the watch had done something to the route but it looks fine. Talkytoaster phoned to confirm it’s unlikely to relate to the map - which for £13 is both excellent customer service and a high quality topo map for the watch.

You can get a 60 mile ultra with lots of turns on to Fenix 6X with no problems so I don't think there will be a problem with a few days on a posher watch. Turn by Turn is a disappointment however (I know this was not on your wish list) and will not cope with a long race. At one stage I had the Lakes Traverse, Grand Tour of Skiddaw and the Lakeland Trails on the watch with PacePro information with a few other local routes. I have had more trouble getting all the possible running work-outs loaded and have had to delete some to have what I want. Not sure if these use the same space. The Garmin manual is its usual vague self. You could try the Garmin Users forum on FB or have a look at DC Rainmakers sight which gives a more practical interpretation.

Thanks that’s helpful - fairly certain then that the issue is the turn by turn data which is separate to GPX waypoints (for instance a route I have on here I’ve created has 2 points in garmin connect but shows the whole 40km route).

and having owed a predecessor of this watch a little while back there are no guarantees that newer means better/more reliable features! 
 

thanks for the helpful response.

I can't find the link now but if you search Reddit and places like DCrainmaker perhaps, there is something about Turn-by-turn directions on the watch and why they don't work intuitively like you would expect. It's something to do with the fact that the map is just a picture with a line over the top of it, unlike google maps where the software actually knows that each road, path etc. is a route and that each junction is a turn.

So there is no (from what I recall) automatic way to may turn-by-turn directions work 'properly' on the watch, i.e. you get to a junction of 4 paths up on some lonely moor and the watch tells you to "take the left turn". However, there is a workaround (which I can't find anymore) that there is another third-party route making website (not Walklakes, or mapmyrun, or any of those, it's really technical) that lets you add all manner of different way-points and markers to a GPX file for the Garmin watches. This lets you manually add 'turns' so if you know that a particular point in your route is going to be confusing when you get there you can add turns. You can also add way-points like Streams and check-points and views and stuff like that.

Sorry I can't remember what the route mapping website is but that's definitely a way to get turn-by-turn on the watch. I found all this out in advance of running the Welsh 3000s last year with my Fenix 6X and then couldn't be bothered to make the (arduous process) turn-by-turn enabled GPX file, so just did it with a normal one.

Personally, I don't think you'd have any issue with a very long route on there, I did a 100km bike ride with it the other day, did the 53k welsh 3000s and had no glitches at all. I bet you could do 100s+++ of km routes and it would be fine probably.

EDIT: this forum has some info on it https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-6-s...

It's "turn-by-turn cues" in the FIT file you need...

Garmin’s terminology is very confusing, as is their mishmash of software. 
I think plotaroute.com and https://www.javawa.nl/rtwtool_en.html might do what you’re talking about. 
You can also add your own course points in Garmin Connect which would be a slightly nasty way of adding your own hand-crafted turn-by-turn instructions. 
I don’t think there is a realistic maximum to the number of points in a course but there is for what Garmin calls course points. 
I create my routes in the OS app and I gave up messing about with trying to bend Garmin to do exactly what I wanted with the GPX files. 

Simple answer is to create your route on OSMaps if you have a subsciption https://osmaps.com/en-GB or use this http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php which is very straighforward.

Export as a gpx then plug your watch into a PC and drag the file into 'new files' (fenix > Primary > GARMIN > NewFiles)

On your watch go to activity > navigation > Courses > list of your uploaded routes

I have 200 mile bike routes / courses and they do exactly what you are looking for. On the map screen you can see your route overlaid on top of the map and can easily follow, no 'turn by turn' aka satnav nonsense required.

I've been doing this since the old garmin Etrex which must be 15 years and was just a breadcrumb trail with no map but always been perfectly fine.

This is the exact answer, thanks - unfortunately due to firmware updates my MacBook doesn’t easily connect to the fenix though android file transfer sorts that.  Always fiddly! 

Is there a reason this can't be done with the connect app? It sounds like the same thing I do when planning my rides/hikes.

Yes, this should be doable with the Connect app. Create the route  in OS Maps, send the GPX to Connect, and then send from Connect to the watch. 
There used to be a problem with Garmin adding turn-by-turn instructions which could be worked around using the method described above (connecting the watch to a computer etc) but there’s an option in Connect for disabling turn-by-turn if you want. I think. 

Probably, I’ve just never tried it and only commented on my experience of using OSMaps and transferring to the watch via PC

I do this quite a bit. I create the route in OS Maps then export the GPX.

I then go into the Garmin Connect website and upload the GPX as a new course

This create a shedload of annoying waypoints for everywhere you clicked in OS maps. Doh!

So I delete all the waypoints I don't want, leaving in key junctions and summits or decision/hazard points. Then I send the course to my Garmin

In reply to 

Just seen Chase the summit has a new video about route planning, this might be useful  youtube.com/watch?v=1INsH4ylyak&