The weather was crap the other day, so instead of being productive, I spent way too much time on a fun challenge #mapping the route of a YouTube #motorcycle travel video.
So here is a thread analysing the video and explaining how I mapped the route from clues in the video.
The YouTube algorithm threw an unknown channel video at me, with a great looking thumbnail, so I clicked. The ride indeed was awesome, so I wanted to know where they were riding for future reference.
The video in question is "Riding the best motorcycle trail in the world" from the #JammyGits channel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao3Tt3YP_Mc
I have mapped the route in #Kurviger, a really nice #motorcycle trip planning app:
Mastodon won't let me add the #GPX file directly.
Let me tell you about the mapping by waypoint and timestamp :-)
Waypoint 0 (Start)
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=85
They are leaving a camping named San Pelayo as seen on the sign. That one was easily found on Google Maps. They turn right onto the road.
Waypoint 1 and 2
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=245
Satellite view on Google maps and zooming around a bit quickly leads to the valley with a track through it. Dropping a StreetView pin or two quickly confirms this is the track.
After waypoint 2 you see them ride through a tunnel.
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=496
The StreetView images are from 2012 and the tunnel was not there yet, but on the newer satellite images you can see it covering the road:
Waypoint 3
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=557
They are passing a bridge, the sign says it's the Rio Cares and Camareña is left. That was easily found on Google Maps.
You can't see them make the turn, but they go through a tunnel under some houses, cross back over the river and then the river is on their left and they pass a dam. They're going north for a bit.
Waypoint 4
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=623
This part was hard to locate. They are riding a dirt track on the mountain side. You can see at least 3 or 4 separate power lines running in the valley. And up left in the frame is a barn with 3 red roofs.
Openstreetmap actually shows power lines, so after locating where they run, I had to use Bing Maps, for higher resolution satellite images to locate the red three roofed barn.
Waypoint 5
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=668
There is a big jump in location and I let Kurviger plot the route between the waypoints. It may not be completely accurate.
From the video I knew I had to look for a hairpin on a small road with a larger road running parallel to it down in the valley.
Streetview of the hairpin shows the rocks on the right and if you pan around to the street below, you can see it's the same of them riding down again.
Waypoint 6
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=700
Waypoint 6, riding into Canga de Onis, which they call by name. With the British pronunciation of the Spanish I had to listen at leat 5 times or so to make sense of it.
Waypoint 7
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=818
Waypoint 7, they ride around town for a bit, but when they finally leave, they pass Cafe Bar Lanza, which was easily located. Riding south out of town.
Waypoint 8 and 9
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=828
Next you see them riding on a single track on the side of the mountain. I spent a bit too much time looking at the tracks on the mountain on the eastern side of the road, but after locating waypoint 10, it was easy to plot the track on the map.
I discovered a few fun tidbits while searching on Google Maps.
When you drag the streetview figure, you can see the mountain track has been mapped by a motorcycle rider with a 360 cam on his helmet. If you check one of his contributions, you can see a sticker on his helmet with a URL that goes to his website: https://www.notanoverlander.com
And if you pick the last of the 360 pictures and you pan down and view the cockpit of his motorcycle, you can see he is riding a Royal Enfield Himalyan 411.
Also a nice find, exactly in the spot where they leave the off road track, there is a big old truck parked on the side of the very narrow road. On Streetview this exact same truck is parked on the side of the road.
Waypoint 10
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=1113
I actually managed to find this before waypoints 8 and 9 and the single track by looking for a small village with a small, unpaved road leaving the main through road at 90 degrees.
Waypoint 13 (11 and 12 are only shaping points to keep the route from preferring larger roads)
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=1175
They're taking a little breather at a picnic area. Once I figured out that these are called and mapped on #Openstreetmap as "Area recreativa", the correct one was easily located.
Waypoint 15 and 16 (14 is a shaping point)
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=1216
This was pretty hard to locate again. You see them riding up a rocky path, past a barn, with a barren hill in front of them where power lines run. Two power line poles are very close together with a third one further down the hill. The track curves back to the left around the barn. Whew! That was quite a puzzle. Lots of viewing Bing Maps for bare hills and trying to correlate.
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=1264
The part of the video between waypoint 16 and 19, the muddy trail and the rocky track where Martha drops the bike, is the only part I have not been able to locate. The muddy track is quite wet and they are riding into the sun, so it's facing south-southwest. We also know they already booked accomodation that from waypoint 16 is to the southwest. And we pick them up at waypoint 19. That doesn't leave a whole lot of terrain, but really nothing fits the video.
Waypoint 19
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=1405
There is some old farm equipment parked by the side of the road. It's a minor road, but it has a center line. According to the sun this stretch is almost due south. A couple of Streetview pindrops gives us the right location where we can see the same stuff parked along the road.
Final waypoint, the destination
Video: https://youtu.be/Ao3Tt3YP_Mc?t=1456
The say they have made it to their AirBnB, they parked the bikes on a small lot. In the last couple of seconds of the video there is a shop in the background on the other side of the street with the name "Almacenas Rafer" which looked like it might be local and sure enough, if you search it on Google Maps, there is only one. So once you know the town they're in, a bit of searching gives you where they parked.
From the window lettering of the sports bar where they are eating, you can see it's Cafetaria Ramses: https://maps.app.goo.gl/B5t2s88NPSK2UiaeA
And if you search AirBnB for accomodation you can see it's this apartment they stayed at: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1208863361800667632
So this was a fun little exercise and I learned a few new tricks for planning my own trips.
The main one is: sometimes it is hard to find small and/or dirt tracks, because they can be hard to see on map views.
If you use Streetview of an area, use the little 'map' area on the lower left, expand it, and you will suddenly have a very clear map view showing even the smallest roads very clearly. Not everything can be Streetviewed, but at least you have a lot more info that way.
@fschaap cool exercise and track!
Q: I assume you're familiar with the https://transeurotrail.org/?
Frank
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