Query re route choice with Garmin GPS

usignuolo

Recently bought a Garmin GPS 1490 satnav - planned road trip from west London to West Country on Thursday evening but just before leaving found out that the M4 was chocca with road works and accidents so wanted to use M3 instead. We are equidistant from both and there was not much in it at the other end at our destination (Somerset).

Garmin would only select M4 route. Also coming back tried to select non motorway and that is not an option either. What if I wanted to select avoid toll roads and toll bridges?

Seems like you get one route only selected for you. And that is it. I know you can select stop points on the way but I did not want to do that. Going I wanted to tell it to go via M3 and coming back to avoid motorways.

Seems like a scenic route option is not available. Is this also true on the Tomtom. Garmin was the Which Best Buy.

Contessa

I have an older Garmin (can't remember which model). I think it's great. Its default settings seem to be the shortest route+avoid toll charges.
It's a long time since I read (or rather, skimmed through) the manual but if I want to follow a particular route to start with, then I would head for that and pick up directions later in the unfamiliar part. Of course, Garmin won't like it and will keep giving you directions to it's preferred route, but it will eventually admit defeat and direct you from where you are!
I'm sure others will be along with a more knowledgeable reply.

d-seven

I've got the Nuvi 1390 T. Not sure about the 1490 (It must be similar in operation!) but go to Tools on the front scree, then Settings -> Navigation -> Avoidances. There are several tick boxes here where you can select what you want to avoid.
The options on my 1390 are U-turns, Motorways, Toll Roads, Traffic, Ferries, car share lanes and Unpaved roads.

Hope this helps

gilbert_and_sullivan

I've got the 1490 which i seldom use now as i go to regular places mostly.

Poster above correct re tools and preferences.

As for routes Garmin does only give you one route, so you have to put a via somewhere in to force it to take you down the road you wish to go.

Still find the Garmin excellent despite it shortcomings, i had a built in unit in my Toyota pick up, that would give you the choice of several routes however you'd lost the will to live by the time you'd waded through the menu to get there.

That big old road atlas is still the best tool for routing unless you have no road sense whatsoever, satnavs only really of any use in strange towns and as a street finder.

wealdroam

OP, set your sat nav with your destination as you would normally.
If you want to go down the M3, then just drive down to the M3.
I am assuming you know how to get to the M3 without the sat nav?

After while, your sat nav will get fed up trying to direct you to the M4 and will accept that the M3 is the way to go.
You will be able to finish your journey without looking out of the window from then on.

usignuolo

Well that is what we did but it took a long time to readjust to being on the "wrong" motorway.

boyse7en

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

I've got the 1490 which i seldom use now as i go to regular places mostly.

That big old road atlas is still the best tool for routing unless you have no road sense whatsoever, satnavs only really of any use in strange towns and as a street finder.

Or if you've got a motorbike. I find my Garmin much easier to use on the bike than trying to read an atlas as i go along the motorway.