The RouteFinder

Table of contents

• Video tutorials
• The Filter pop-up
  • Active filters
  • The filter options
• The search results
  • The list
    • Sort results
    • Concise route view
  • The map 
    • The search results on the map
    • Map features
• Desktop versus smartphone
• More information

Video tutorials

• 📹 January 2023: RouteFinder update ( 3:32 )
• 📹 October 2021: Redesigned RouteFinder ( 7:30 )

The Filter pop-up

If you go to the Routefinder, a pop-up with all the filter options appears immediately.

Please note that if you access the Routefinder via a link to which filters are already linked, you will immediately be presented with the search results and not the filter pop-up. This is the case, for example, if you use the links from the shortcut menu or navigate to 'my routes'. 

Active filters

As soon as you activate a filter, the results in the background (list + map) are adjusted. You do not have to click on a 'confirm' button first. The active filters appear in a clear list at the top of the pop-up. You can also easily delete specific or all filters there.

If you have closed the pop-up by clicking next to it or clicking the 'Show routes' button, you can activate it again via the Filter button at the top. The red dot on top of the button indicates that filters are active. The number in the red dot indicates how many filters are active.

The filter options

By selecting the desired filters, the system will help you find the right route. 

• Select route type
  The first choice you can make is how you want to travel the route: on foot, by bicycle, motorized, on horseback, by boat or one of the other options. If you click on an icon, a drop-down list will appear that allows you to further refine your selection within a particular category: for example, in cycling, you can choose from recreational bike routes, road bike routes, mountain bike routes and more. For more detailed information on route types, click here.
   

• Where: set the correct search area via the map
  The map in the RouteFinder also acts as a filter! This is very important to know. For example, if you search for a route by name or by a search term, but the location of that route is not within the map selection, than the route you are searching for cannot appear as a search result. 
  
  In the section 'Where' you have several possibilities to visualize the correct search area on the map:
  • You can enter a location via the search bar. If you click on this field, you are presented with the option to search for routes in your immediate vicinity via 'my position'. Or you can enter a search term and we will try to match it with the correct location through a list of suggestions. If you select a particular location, the map will zoom in on this location.
    
    >> Hint! That said, to zoom to your current position, you need to grant RouteYou access to your location data. If you use RouteYou via your smartphone, then retrieving your GPS location is sometimes blocked by your phone's settings. As a result, you’ll see the ‘An error has occurred while trying to detect your location’ error message. You will find some tips on how to fix this here.
     
  • Another option is to use the small map to determine the correct search area. The bright rectangle with green border represents the active search area. Using the buttons on the right, you can zoom in and out or use a selection frame to visualize the desired search area. You can also simply move the background map within the reduced map view so that another area lies within the active search area.
     
• Length
  You can use the length slider to select routes of well-defined distances or within a range of distances. The length filter is based on a minimum and maximum distance. You adjust these by moving the front or rear dot to the desired discance. 
  If you want a distance greater than the maximum distance visible on the length slider, simply move the second dot to the extreme. With the first dot you then indicate the minimum length you want for the selection of routes. 
   
• Name of the route
  Here you will find a search field in which you can type. You can enter one or more search terms. The system then searches the title and description of routes for matches. 
   
• Author
  By default, 'everyone' which means 'all authors' are taken into account. You have the option here to filter for a specific author: yourself or someone else. Using the search field you can quickly go to 'my routes' or when you start typing the system will automatically generate a list that matches your search term.
   
• Score
  Here you can enter a minimum score. Note: A lower score does not necessarily mean that the route is bad. Read more about the route score and how it is determined.
   
• Characteristics and themes
  Characteristics allow you to customise and filter your route’s properties, e.g. car-free, unpaved, child-friendly, and so on. With themes, you can select a route that corresponds with a certain theme, e.g. architecture, heritage, beer, water, and so on. The top five popular items will display for both options; however, you can expand those lists with the ‘Show more’ button. The options are almost endless. Read more about characteristics and themes here.
  
  >> Tip! If you select multiple characteristics and themes, the system will apply an ‘and’ logic. So the results will meet both conditions. 
   
• Group
  Groups are collections of routes, places of interest and/or users. Click here for more information about groups.
  As soon as you start typing in the related search field, the system automatically generates a list to match your search term. 
   
• Language
  This filter lets you display routes available only in a specific language. 
   
• Difficulty
  Every route is assigned a level of difficulty based on three variables: total slope, max. slope, and length. Click here for more information.
   
• My favourites
  This filter is only available if you are logged in. That makes sense since you need an account to save your favourites. Read more about favourites and how to save them here.
   
• Route activity
  You can decide only to show routes with registered activity. Find out what activities are all about.
   
• Visibility
  This filter is only available if you are logged in. Naturally, you only have access to private (invisible) routes where you are the author. Click here for more information. In plain terms, this filter allows you to limit your route search to private or public only. 
   
• Clusters
  Activating clusters will cause a set of grey squares to appear on the map. A cluster is a visual expression of how routes sharing certain search criteria are grouped. Only a cluster’s best routes are displayed. Why? That preserves a clear overview and ensures that the map functions at its best. Clusters also always list how many routes they contain. If you click a cluster and then zoom in, new clusters will appear. The more you zoom in, the more details you get. 
   

Once you have set all your filters, you can view the results using the "Show Routes" button at the bottom.

The search results

At the bottom of the Filter pop-up is a button showing how many routes meet your filter conditions. You can visualize these by clicking on the button. Or if you click next to the pop-up, you can immediately view the results.

The list

On the left you get a list view of the search results. At the top it is always stated how many routes have been found in the selected map area

Sort results

Here you have the option to sort the found routes according to different criteria:

• Relevance: this is a combination of settings such as recency, score, and views that we combine from RouteYou. 
• Name: routes are sorted by name, alphabetically. 
• Most viewed total: routes are sorted by the number of views since their creation. 
• Most viewed this month: routes are sorted by the number of views in the past month. 
• Most liked: routes are sorted according to the number of likes ('hearts'). The routes with the most likes come at the top of the list. 
• Most recently created or modified: routes are sorted based on their creation or modification date. 
• Score: routes are sorted by score. 
• Length: routes are sorted from long to short. 

Concise route view

The list view provides a visual summary of each route: type, title, image, author, score, length, total ascent meter, difficulty, ... 

You can consult the route description by clicking the info icon   on the route picture. 

The map 

The search results on the map

• As a rule, the map with search results only displays a selection of clickable routes. Displaying all routes would produce too much visual clutter and significantly reduce the map’s performance. The best routes are always prioritised. Other routes will appear as soon as you zoom in on a specific area. 
   
• The trajectory of the routes that appear lie entirely or partially within the map. So it is also possible that only part of the route is within the active search area. 
   
• 'Search as I move the map'

  This option can be turned off or on at the top left corner of the map:

  • ON: Whenever you move the map, a new selection of routes will appear based on the map view displayed. 
  • OFF: the selection of routes displayed when you deactivate the option will remain intact, even if you move the area selection. This can come in handy, for instance, when viewing routes passing through the map view but that originate a significant distance from it. You can always turn the ‘Search this area’ option back on. 
     
• The route icons on the map immediately indicate the type of route, the route score and the degree of difficulty. The latter is indicated by a color code incorporated into the tip:
  • blue is 'Easy'
  • yellow is 'Medium' 
  • reddish brown is 'Hard'
  • black is ‘Extremely Hard’ 
     
• You can click the route icons on the map. You then get, as in the list, a visual summary of the route: type, title, image, author, score, length, total ascent meter, difficulty, ... . You can consult the route description by clicking the info icon   on the route picture.

Map features

For more information on the map icons and their functionality, click here.

Desktop versus smartphone

In Desktop mode, the map and list are next to each other. On smaller screens like a tablet or smartphone, there's not enough space for that. For that reason, small screens display a ‘Show map’ button  next to the filter button. Use it to activate the map. On the map, the ‘Show list’ button  is displayed on the top left. This returns you to the route list.

The map displays an additional icon  above the map feature icons. It can be used to activate the filter pop-up directly from the map without having to go back to the list first. Aside from these differences, all other features are similar. 

More information

Click here for more information about searching for a route.

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