Sendero Group WayFun Adventures

Sendero is shifting the WayFun program to a more independent adventure relative to the 5 large group tours we have organized over the past 5 years. Dozens of individuals have participated in these trips. We will add as many emails as we have from those participants to the WayFun email list. Newcomers can subscribe in order to find others interested in touring together.

Even when we were 30 or more people, we always split into mini groups of 4 to 6 people in order to explore more efficiently. We are proposing that like-minded people form small groups and schedule a walking tour something like this.

Walk 6 to 9 miles per day through the English countryside staying in quaint B&B accommodations. The tour organizer will deliver your luggage each day to your accommodations so you only have yourself and your small things to carry.

You will be provided with written directions as well as a GPS track of the tour assuming you follow the same itinerary of a previous group. Here is the Bath and Mendip Explorer itinerary, or download full itinerary:

Fly into London Heath row and take the train to Bath. Walk around Bath day 1 and day 2.
Day 3, Walk Bath to Bradford on Avon and stay overnight
Day 4, Walk Bradford on Avon to Beckington-stay overnight
Day 5, Walk Beckington to Mells-stay overnight and take the bus back to Bath
Day 6, take an early morning 2-hour train back to Heath Row or London. Fly home or continue touring.

On June 16, 4 of us begin a 5-day walking tour out of Bath England. Mike May will have a Spot satellite tracking device so those who wish can watch our progress.

If it is working correctly, Spot sends a tracking every 10 minutes while in view of satellites. This device sends our GPS position to a satellite which in turn sends it to a server with maps of the world. A sighted person can see the map, the nearby POIs and even a terrain view of the area using Google maps. For Sendero GPS users, here is how you can follow along.

Step 1: Go to the Spot URL. The password is sendero. You may have to arrow up, then down, then press Enter for forms mode before entering sendero in lower case. You will then be asked if you want to go to a secure site and just press Enter on Yes.

Note: I have experienced a lock up from time to time when using this URL. You can practice in the next few weeks as we test the Spot tracking device.

2. The track messages for the past 24 hours will be listed if there are any. You will hear how many messages and the Pacific time for the most recent message.

3. In order to hear details, a sighted user single clicks on the message of interest. Screen Reader users will have to use the Jaws Cursor and then press left click once. If you have graphics turned on, you will hear a graphic right before the message. That is what you want to click on.

4. Once you have clicked on the track message, the lat/lon appears. Use Chord Y and enter it into your Sendero GPS software. Note: The lat will always be North. If there is a minus before the Longitude, you enter W for West afterwards. If there is no minus, enter E for East after the Longitude.

5. Set that Lat/lon as your Virtual position. If you have POIs for the area, you will see what the nearest POIs are. If you have UK maps, you will also be able to here what town we are near. You will have to press F5 to Refresh the screen to get subsequent track updates.

Note: For the purpose of this vicarious WayFun task, we will make UK maps available for $59 versus their normal $99 price during the month of June.

You might want to save each of these virtual points so you can then review our route. In fact you could save each one as a POI and then put them all into a route with waypoints.

If we have computer access, we will post photos and text from our journey. If not, we will do that shortly after the trip.

To organize a trip, contact your best traveling mate or mates and figure out dates. Use the WayFun list to establish contact with others. Then contact the tour company by emailing Graham or visit the Bath & West Country Walks website. Hear a sample of a Bath Audio Tour

Follow the Jane Austin walking tour or wander at will through Bath.

The GPS route will be available after June 24.

A document with details about international travel and about taking a dog guide from the U.S. into the UK will be available shortly. If you plan to bring a dog, a Titer shot is necessary with a 6 month waiting period. The last recommended month for these walking tours is October. Plan on next year if this one doesn't work.

The approximate cost is $600 per person assuming double occupancy plus airfare and train to Bath. A blog of the advance trip in mid June will be posted on the Sendero Blog and it is possible we will have real time satellite tracking of this first walking tour.

Sendero has set the stage for GPS adventure travel with our 5 WayFun trips in 4 countries. We hope others will now take the initiative and try this new experience by organizing your own groups. The first group to make the trip will receive free UK maps, normally $99.

Any WayFun participant who wishes to purchase Sendero GPS can receive an unpublished discount up to 3 months after the trip. If an agency purchases GPS from Sendero for you, we will give you a credit toward other Sendero products equaling the discount.

For nicely organized trips to all the geographic zones of Ecuador, visit Sensations Tour Equador, a company that specializes in trips for people with visual impairments.

For nicely organized trips, visit Mind's Eye Travel, a company that specializes in trips for people with visual impairments.

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Phone: 530-757-6800 • Fax: 530-757-6830