There is a castle just 5km from our house here in Teltow. It’s called Hakeburg. Actually it’s called Neue Hakeburg (New Hakeburg) because it’s just a little over 100 years old. Unfortunately it’s a bit abandoned these days, but I heard it may be turned into condos or something soon.
It’s a scenic location. Perched on top of a hill overlooking the canal surrounded by some nice trails, the castle sits . It’s a great place for hill repeats – but I’ll save such a workout for another day.
Today I’m running there and testing out a navigation feature on my Garmin Instinct GPS watch. The idea is to navigate to a destination using GPS coordinates.
Step 1 is to find the GPS coordinates. This is easily done by simply searching for the location on Google Maps and then right clicking to reveal the GPS coordinates.
Next start a run on your watch. While your watch searches for the GPS signal, press the Up button to enter the Run Options Menu. There you will see Coordinates. Enter this and you will be able to input the GPS coordinates for your destination.
[Side note: GPS coordinates can have various formats. Google Maps uses Decimal Degrees, and the Garmin Instinct uses Degrees and Decimal Minutes. I made a separate video that shows you how to change this format on your watch. I will embed that video at the bottom of this post.]
Finally, head out on your run! Just follow the compass arrow as best you can. But keep in mind, the watch simply points you to your destination. It thinks only in terms of a flight of the bird path. It does not know how the available roads or trails lead you there. Or if there are any barriers along the way, like a river, private property, etc.
My final thoughts on this feature after this run: This is not my preferred way of navigating using my Garmin. The route feature is much more precise and easy to follow. That said, using GPS coordinates is fun if you are looking for more of an adventure on your run. It works best when you aren’t worried about getting lost, having to double back, or try a new route. Ok, that does it for today. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!
Cheers,
Chris
P.S. – As promised, here is the video showing you how to change the GPS Coordinates Format on the Garmin Instinct: