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Not a So Boring Walk help

NSBW suggests walks around an address, on OpenStreetMap paths. Every path is split into segments (from one junction to the next). When you mark a walk as done, its segments count as walked, so the next suggestions take you somewhere else. You can also say which paths to favour or avoid, and which places to go through.

1. Getting started in 4 steps

Start: type an address and press “Locate”, or press “Pick on the map” and click on the map.
Distance: set the slider in “Route options” (1 to 30 km).
Generate a route (“Routes” tile): up to 6 suggestions, which you can compare with ◀ ▶.
Once you have done the walk, click “✔ Walk done”.

2. The screen

The menu on the left is made of coloured tiles; click a title to open or close it. The app remembers which ones are open.
The map: zoom buttons, compass, ⛶ full screen, ⟳ auto-rotation and “3D” at the top right; sources and credits at the bottom right.
The elevation profile appears below the map when a route is displayed.
The status line, at the bottom of the menu, tells you what is going on (search, calculation, error).

3. Starting address

Locate looks up the address you typed (street, number, postcode, town).
Pick on the map: click where you want to start. The point is named after the nearest address, followed by its GPS coordinates. You can also move the red marker by dragging it.
☆ Favourite saves this start; the text in the address field becomes its name (you can edit it first). The “Favourite starts” list can be reused with one click; ✕ removes a favourite.
The text box under the address is a comment on this start, which its favourite keeps (a favourite with a comment shows the ✎ sign).
If the start is in an area whose paths have not been stored yet, the paths are fetched online from the Overpass service (a little slower). Depending on the server, you may also be offered to download the surrounding area (restricted to administrators on a public server).

4. Route options

Distance	from 1 to 30 km, in 500 m steps.
Loop (back to the start)	ticked: you return to the start. Unticked: a one-way walk of the chosen distance; the finish is the black dot.
Start moved up to … km	the walk may begin at a nearby junction (green dot, linked to the address by a dotted line). The two best routes starting from the address are still suggested.
No turning back	a segment already used is not taken again, unless there is no other way through (a start in a dead end); the remaining out-and-back stretch is then shown.
Prefer the smallest paths	footpaths and dirt tracks first; streets, and roads even more so, cost more. The share of footpaths and tracks is shown under each suggestion.
Elevation gain from … to … m	the total climb you want (one limit is enough). Suggestions outside the limits are discarded; the app tells you if none are left.
Points of interest to favour	paths passing within 100 m of a place in these categories are favoured (see Points of interest).
Required stops	places that every suggestion must go through (added from the map; ✕ removes one).
Preferred scenery	for each type of scenery — woods and forests, meadows, fields, rural (villages, farms), urban — a level: avoid, rather avoid, indifferent, prefer, strongly prefer. Suggestions go through more of the preferred sceneries; their make-up is shown (“scenery: fields 62%, rural 17%…”).
Favourite sceneries	give the scenery setting a name and press “☆ Favourite” to save it; one click applies it again.

Changing an option does not alter the suggestions already displayed: generate again.

5. Routes: generate, draw, import

Generate

“Generate a route” works out up to 6 different suggestions, avoiding segments you have already walked and taking your rules and options into account. Under each suggestion: distance, estimated time (at 4.5 km/h), elevation gain, share of small paths, scenery crossed and, after “to see:”, the named points of interest along the way.

Under the suggestion

Comment: a text box, kept with the favourite and the completed walk.
✔ Walk done: adds one pass to each segment of the route and adds it to the completed walks; the button turns green. “Undo the last walk” reverses this.
☆ Favourite saves the route in “Favourite routes” (one click reopens it, ✕ removes it).
GPX downloads the route for a GPS app (OsmAnd, Komoot, Garmin, Locus…).

Draw by hand

“Draw a route by hand”: each click on the map extends the line, along the shortest path, to the junction nearest the click, starting from the red marker. Then: “Undo last point”, “Close the loop” (back to the start), “Finish here” (one way) or “Discard”. The resulting route can be used just like a suggestion. “Never go through” segments remain excluded.

Import a GPX

“Import a GPX route” opens a track recorded with another app. It is displayed with its profile and matched to the segments, so “Walk done” counts the right paths. A very long track (more than 25 km across) is only displayed. If the track looks like a walk already done or a favourite, the app tells you; an identical walk done on the same day is not counted twice.

6. Elevation profile

Below the map, a side view of the displayed route’s ups and downs, with the total climb and the highest and lowest points. Hover over the profile: an orange dot shows the spot on the map and its altitude.

7. Completed walks

The list of walks you have done, most recent first. Click one to reopen it (its comment can still be edited).
The Search field filters as you type on the date, distance, starting place and comment, ignoring capitals and accents.
✕ removes a walk and subtracts its passes from the segments.
“Show all completed walks” (“Map options” tile) draws them in pink, with an adjustable thickness. Clicking a pink line tells you which walks go through there, with a button to display them.

8. Segments: rules, counters, comments

Tick “Show segments” (“Map options” tile), then click a segment to open its card:

Normal
Favour: preferred by the calculation.
Always go through: every suggestion uses it, if it is within reach of the chosen distance.
Only if unavoidable: used only when there is no other way through.
Never go through: never used.
Already walked: from light mauve (once) to deep purple (6 times or more).

The card also lets you correct the counter of passes and write a comment; a yellow dot marks commented segments on the map.

9. Points of interest and stops

Castles and manor houses, ruins, mills, chapels, wayside shrines and crosses, viewpoints, caves, rocks and cliffs, summits, springs and waterfalls, nature reserves, heritage, picnic spots and shelters, curiosities.

They appear on the map from a medium zoom level (as an icon), with their name when you zoom in closer.
Clicking one opens its card: name, category, Wikipedia or Wikidata link if there is one, and “Go via here”, which makes it a required stop: every suggestion will pass as close as possible (within 300 m). If it is too far for the chosen distance, the stop is ignored and a message says so.
The categories ticked in “Points of interest to favour” make paths that pass near them more attractive.

10. Map options, full screen, 3D

Background: map, or aerial photo of Wallonia (Service public de Wallonie).
Show segments, with the colour key (see Segments).
Show all completed walks, in pink, with adjustable thickness.
Show downloaded areas: in blue, the areas whose paths are stored.
Show scenery: woods, meadows, fields, rural and urban areas in colour (close up), with their key.
Show points of interest (ticked by default).
Full screen (⛶ or “Go full screen”): choose whether to keep the menu, the profile and a caption (starting and finishing addresses, distance, time, elevation gain). Esc to exit.
Orientation: north stays at the top, except in full screen with auto-rotation (⟳, blue when on): the map turns to show the route as large as possible, with the start at the bottom.
3D: tilts the map and raises the terrain; “Exaggerated 3D relief” (×1 to ×5) makes gentle slopes visible. Right-click and drag, or Ctrl + drag, to rotate and tilt.

11. Statistics

Routes generated, walks completed, total distance and elevation, number of different segments walked, period covered by your walks. If the segment counters no longer match the list of completed walks, the tile offers to recount them (rules and comments are kept).

12. Preferences and backup

Theme: Colours, Pastel, Dark or Plain.
Offline: see below.
Export / Import: a backup in a file (rules, counters, favourites, sceneries, completed walks), to import again later or on another device.
Depending on the server, “Base maps” and “Download the displayed area” store maps on the server (restricted to administrators on a public server).
Links to the credits and licences and the privacy pages.

13. Offline

The app can be installed like any other app (the browser’s “Install” menu) and opens without a connection.
“Preferences” → “Offline” → “Keep offline” saves all the maps around the start on the device (5, 10 or 20 km; the size is shown beforehand). You can then generate routes with no network.
The saved areas are listed; ✕ deletes one, ↻ flags an area whose maps have been updated since (delete it, then keep it offline again).
Offline, address search and the aerial photo are not available.

14. Account and syncing

Optional. Without an account, everything stays in your browser. With an account, your data follows you across your devices.

Password-free sign-in: in the “Account” tile, enter your email address, then the 6-digit code you receive (valid for 60 minutes).
The first time you sign in, any data already in the browser can be added to the account.
What is synced: completed walks, favourite starts and routes, sceneries, segment rules, comments and counters, route options and stops, last start. What stays specific to each device: theme, map background, open tiles, full screen, map display settings, offline areas.
Without a connection, everything keeps working: changes are sent when the network comes back. Under your address you will see “Synced at …” or the number of pending changes.
Sign out sends the latest changes, then removes the account copy from the device (useful on a shared device). Sign out all my devices also ends the session on your other devices (lost device): nothing is lost, you just need to sign in again.
Delete my account erases the account and its data from the server; a copy remains on the device and can be used without an account.
An account not signed into for two years is deleted, after a notice email.

15. Frequently asked questions

No suggestion is found.: The conditions may be too strict: elevation limits, required stops too far away, too many “never go through” segments. Widen the elevation range, remove a stop, or tick “Start moved”.
The route goes back over paths I have already walked.: Around the start there is sometimes no other way through. Walked segments cost more but are not forbidden; use “Never go through” to really exclude them.
I recorded a walk by mistake.: “Undo the last walk”, or ✕ in “Completed walks”: its passes are removed from the counters.
How do I switch to another device?: With an account, sign in on the new device. Without one, “Export” on the old device, then “Import” on the new one.
What is the difference between a favourite and a completed walk?: A favourite is a route saved for later; a completed walk is one you have actually done, which counts towards walked segments and statistics.
Where is my data?: In your browser, and on the server if you have an account. Details on the Privacy page.