Help & Documentation

Adding & Editing

Manual POI Addition

Add custom points of interest by clicking the map.

The Add Point of Interest dialog, with fields for name, type, category, notes and coordinates.
Adding your own stop. The type sets the marker style, and the coordinates can be typed, pasted, or picked off the map.

Each manual POI is classified in one of two ways - a marker Type or a place Category. The two are mutually exclusive: a point is either a styled marker or a real place.

POI Type (marker style)

The Type sets how the marker looks on the map. Pick one:

  • INFO (blue) - General information, points of interest
  • Alert (orange) - Warnings, cautions
  • Danger (red) - Hazards, dangerous sections
  • Event Sticker (purple) - Event markers for printing on bike frames

Category (optional)

Instead of a plain marker, you can tell PitStopper what kind of place the point is - using the Category dropdown. Choosing a category:

  • Gives the POI a proper map icon, matching the icons used for searched POIs (water, café, pharmacy, summit, shelter…)
  • Exports it as the right GPX symbol (e.g. "Drinking Water") and the correct FIT course-point type (water, food, summit, first aid…), so a Garmin shows the right kind of point rather than a generic pin - see GPX Waypoints vs FIT Course Points
  • Includes event-friendly types such as Aid Station, Energy Gel and Sports Drink for organisers
Type and Category are mutually exclusive. Picking a category greys out the Type buttons (they stay clickable - click one to switch back, which resets the category to "None"). A point is either a marker type or a place category, never both.

Adding Manual POIs

  1. Right-click the map where you want the point and choose Add POI Here (long-press on a touchscreen). With a route loaded, a plain left-click on the map opens the same dialog.
  2. The click sets the location - or switch to one of the coordinate input tabs and type it in
  3. Choose a Type (marker) or pick a Category (place)
  4. Enter a name, and a note if you want one (up to 160 characters)
  5. Tick Mark as Starred or Flag POI to put it straight onto those lists
  6. Google Street View - Use the "View Street View" button to preview the location before adding.
  7. A left-click within 50 m of the route snaps the point to the nearest route point, and the dialog then shows its distance from the start and the end (plus an estimated arrival time when Clock Time is set). Click further out and your exact position is kept.
  8. On a route that passes the same spot more than once, the extra passes are worked out for you - there is nothing to pick

Coordinate Input Methods

The Add Manual POI modal offers multiple ways to specify the location:

  • Map Click - Default mode. Click anywhere on the map to set POI location. The dialog looks up the address there and offers a button to copy it.
  • Decimal - Enter decimal coordinates (e.g., 51.5074, -0.1278)
  • DMS - Enter Degrees/Minutes/Seconds format (e.g., 51°30'26.5"N 0°07'39.5"W)
  • Plus Code - Enter Google Plus Codes for precise locations:
    • Global codes: 8FVC9G8F+6X
    • Short codes with locality: 7M3X+RH Tadworth, UK

Distance Markers

Visual markers showing distance along your route at regular intervals.

The Distance Markers dialog, offering preset intervals and a custom distance, with options for labels and estimated arrival times.
Distance markers drop a pin every so many kilometres or miles along the route, optionally with an estimated time.

Adding Distance Markers

Access via Route → Distance Markers.

  • Interval - Choose spacing between markers (e.g., every 5km, 10mi)
  • Units - Select kilometres or miles
  • Show ETA - Display estimated time of arrival at each marker
  • Preview - The dialog tells you how many markers that interval will add before you commit

ETA on Distance Markers

When you have Clock Time settings configured, you can enable ETA display on distance markers:

  • Check "Show estimated time of arrival (ETA)" in the dialog
  • Markers will display as "10km [10:45]" showing distance and arrival time
  • ETAs are calculated based on your average speed setting
  • Useful for meeting targets along your route or coordinating with others
  • If Clock Time is not set, the ETA option is disabled with a link to configure it

Renaming a Marker

  • Click a marker on the map to edit its label - handy for turning "40km" into "Feed station"
  • The reset button in that little editor puts the original distance label back
  • Right-click a marker to reopen the Distance Markers dialog

Exporting Distance Markers

Distance markers are included in GPX exports:

  • Exported as waypoints with the full label (including ETA if enabled)
  • Example: waypoint name "10km [10:45]" appears on your GPS device
  • FIT exports offer them as a tick-box in the export dialog, when the source file does not already carry its own
  • Useful for tracking progress during your ride

Visibility Controls

  • Once markers are placed, a signpost button appears with the map controls to show and hide them - they stay in your data for export either way
  • Marker labels shrink as you zoom out, so a long route's markers stay readable rather than covering the line
  • Remove all markers via the Distance Markers dialog

Clock Time Settings

Configure actual clock times for your trip to see when you'll arrive at each POI. Perfect for coordinating meeting times, planning meal stops, or ensuring you reach destinations before closing time.

The Clock Time Settings dialog, with fields for start date and time, average speed, and options for how arrival times are shown.
Clock Time Settings. Give it a start time and a pace and every stop gets an estimated arrival.

More on the blog: Getting the Most from Clock Time Features.

Setting Up Clock Time

Access via Info → Timings in the app menu.

Configuration Options

  • Estimate Trip Duration - Pick an activity (walking, cycling, car, motorbike) and a speed, and PitStopper works out how long the route takes, adjusting for the gradients rather than dividing distance by speed. There is an optional 10% rest-stop buffer. Press Apply to use that duration.
  • Start Time - Set departure time for your journey
  • End Time - Set arrival time at destination (calculates backward)
  • Date (Optional) - Add date for multi-day trips and daylight tracking
  • Live Preview - See the calculated start, end and duration as you adjust settings

Multiple Tracks (Per-Route Timing)

When more than one track is loaded, Clock Time Settings shows a tab per route - each with its own colour and name, and a clock icon once its timing is set. Pick a tab to set that route's own start time, date and average speed. Every timing feature - POI arrival times, the clock-time axis on the elevation chart, and the Wind & Weather read-out - then uses each track's own timing, so a multi-day route's second day no longer inherits the first day's start.

💡 Continue from previous route: on a later leg, the Continue from <route> button sets its start to the finish time of the leg before. For a multi-day tour, bump the date to the next morning, then Save. Per-route timings are saved with your project.

Quick Setup During GPX Import

When importing a GPX file containing timing data, the Import Summary modal includes optional clock time fields:

  • Start date auto-fills with today's date
  • Start time field for quick configuration
  • Skip these fields to use PitStopper Web without clock time
  • Can always configure later via Clock Time Settings

Clock Time Display Throughout App

The Timings statistic

  • Shows how long the trip takes (e.g., "4h 35m") - from the file's own timestamps, or from the duration you estimate in Clock Time Settings
  • Click to open Clock Time Settings modal
  • Reads "--" until the route has timing data or you estimate a duration
  • The overnight and after-dark warnings live inside Clock Time Settings, not on the statistic

POI Popup Display

  • Shows an "Est. Time" row for each POI - the riding time from the start
  • Once a start time is set, the clock time at that POI appears next to it in brackets
  • Calculated from the route's own timestamps, or from the timestamps the duration estimate creates
  • Updates dynamically when clock time settings change

Manual POI Tool

  • Displays estimated arrival time when adding custom POIs
  • Helps schedule alerts or waypoints at specific times

Daylight Tracking & Sunrise/Sunset

When you set a date in Clock Time Settings, PitStopper Web uses the SunCalc library to calculate sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times locally in your browser - no external API calls needed.

Daylight Information Display

  • Sunrise - When the sun rises
  • Solar Noon - When the sun is at its highest
  • Sunset - When the sun sets
  • Dusk - Civil twilight end, when it gets properly dark (30-40 min after sunset)
  • Day Length - Total hours of daylight available
  • Moon - The moon's phase and how much of it is lit, which is what decides how much you can see once it is dark

Above the times is a daylight curve: the sun's height across the whole trip, with the clock along the top and distance along the bottom, so a multi-day route shows each night as its own dip. The copy button puts the trip times and daylight figures on your clipboard.

Darkness Warnings

If your route runs past dusk or starts before sunrise, PitStopper Web says so:

  • In Clock Time Settings - A notice under the daylight times that part of the trip happens in darkness
  • On import - The same warning in the import summary while you are typing a start time
  • Overnight Trip - A separate warning when the route crosses midnight
  • Print Reports - Darkness warning section in printable reports

Add Daylight POIs

The Add Daylight POIs button in the daylight section drops markers on the route at the point you would have reached when each sun event happens - Dawn, Sunrise, Sunset and Dusk - so you can see where the light goes rather than just when. On a multi-day trip each day gets its own set, labelled with the day number.

Sunrise/sunset times are calculated for the midpoint of your route. For very long routes spanning multiple time zones, times may not be accurate for the entire route.

Multi-Day Trip Support

  • Automatic overnight trip detection
  • Day markers show when crossing midnight
  • Time calculations account for day changes
  • Useful for bikepacking, long-distance hiking, or ultra-endurance events

When your routes are marked as days of one trip (the calendar button in the Routes panel), timing one day settles the days after it: each starts at the same time on the next date, so a 9am departure stays 9am every morning rather than day 2 beginning the instant day 1 finished. Days before the one you edited are left alone, so you can settle an early day and re-time a later one without losing your work. Any day can still be given its own time and date individually.

Project Integration

  • Clock time settings saved with your project
  • Automatically restored when loading saved projects
  • Settings persist across browser sessions
Use clock time for planning meal stops by seeing which restaurants you'll reach during lunch or dinner hours. The daylight tracking helps ensure you have proper lighting equipment if your route extends past sunset.

Location Explorer

The Location Explorer lets you dive deep into any location along your route, providing nearby photographs and Wikipedia articles to help you understand what you'll encounter on your journey.

How to Access

  • Right-click anywhere on the map (long-press on a touchscreen)
  • Select "View Photos & Wikipedia" from the context menu
  • The Location Explorer sidebar will open with both photo and article tabs

Street Photos Tab

Discover photographs taken around your selected location, from Wikimedia Commons' geotagged images.

More on the blog: Location Explorer - Photos & Wikipedia.

Features

  • Direction Matching - When you pick a point on the route, photos facing roughly the way you are travelling are preferred, so you get the view you will actually have
  • Global Coverage - Wikimedia Commons is worldwide, though how much there is varies enormously from place to place
  • Map Markers - Green camera markers show photo locations on the map
  • Quick Preview - Thumbnail images let you preview locations before arriving

Wikipedia Articles Tab

Learn about nearby landmarks, history, and points of interest through Wikipedia's geosearch.

Features

  • Local Knowledge - Discover historical information, landmark details, and cultural significance
  • Compact Display - Articles shown in a clean, scannable format with brief descriptions
  • Map Markers - Blue Wikipedia markers indicate article locations
  • Direct Links - Links to full Wikipedia articles for deeper exploration
  • Search Entire Route - With a route loaded, the articles tab offers a whole-route search that samples along the line instead of looking at one point

Controls & Options

Choose New Location

  • Click the crosshair button in the sidebar header
  • Click any new location on the map to explore that area
  • The button turns into a red Cancel while it is armed - click it again to back out

Searches start at 200 metres. If few results are found, both tabs offer a wider search that extends the radius to 500 metres.

Simultaneous Display

Both the photo markers and the Wikipedia markers can be displayed on the map simultaneously, making it easy to plan stops and detours.

Collapsible Sidebar

Click the X in the sidebar header to collapse it to a small tab, and the tab to open it again. On a desktop the markers and the search circle are hidden while it is collapsed, to keep your map clean; on a phone they stay on the map, and the eye button in the header hides them instead.

Best Use Cases

  • Route Planning - Preview what locations look like before committing to a route
  • Cultural Research - Learn about historical landmarks and attractions you'll pass
  • Destination Preview - See street-level views of destinations and towns
  • Educational Travel - Understand the significance of places you'll visit
  • Photography Planning - Find scenic or interesting photo opportunities along your route
Pro Tip: Use the Location Explorer at key points along your route - major towns, scenic areas, and potential rest stops - to build a mental picture of your journey before you start.
Note: Street photos and Wikipedia articles are sourced from global databases and availability varies by location. Remote or less-traveled areas may have fewer results.

Find and jump to any place on the map - by address, by decimal or DMS coordinates, or by Plus Code - with two geocoding services behind it so a search still works when one of them is down.

The Search Location dialog, with a search box for an address or place name and a radius control.
Search Location finds places around an address or a place name instead of along a route.
  • Click POI → Search Location in the menu bar, or the search button in the map controls
  • Modal opens with four input methods via tabbed interface
  • Press ESC to close the modal at any time

Search Methods

Address Search (Default Tab)

  • Enter any city, address, landmark, or place name
  • Examples: "Paris, France", "123 Main St, London", "Eiffel Tower", "Central Park"
  • Dual geocoding system with automatic fallback:
    • Primary: Nominatim (OpenStreetMap data)
    • Secondary: Photon (OpenStreetMap Photon service)
  • 10-second timeout per service with automatic failover
  • Loading indicator shows search progress
  • Search button disabled during active searches
  • Press Enter in search box for quick search
  • Suggestions as you type - from three characters on, a dropdown offers up to six matching places; pick one and it becomes your result without a full search

Decimal Coordinates

  • Enter latitude and longitude in decimal format
  • Format: 51.5074, -0.1278 (latitude, longitude)
  • Useful for precise coordinate-based navigation
  • Accepts negative values for South/West coordinates

DMS Coordinates

  • Enter coordinates in Degrees Minutes Seconds format
  • Format: 51°30'26.5"N 0°07'39.5"W
  • Supports both N/S/E/W notation and symbols
  • Automatically converted to decimal coordinates

Plus Code

  • Enter a Google Plus Code for a precise spot with no address
  • Global codes: 8FVC9G8F+6X
  • Short codes with a locality: 7M3X+RH Tadworth, UK

Search Results

Result Display

Each search result shows:

  • Location name - Full address or place name
  • Metadata - City, region, country (when available)
  • Coordinates - Latitude and longitude to six decimal places
  • Type badge - Location type with an emoji icon:
    • 🏙️ City • 🏘️ Town • 🏡 Village • 🏛️ Administrative
    • 🌍 Country • 🗺️ State • 🏢 Amenity • 🗿 Tourism
    • 🌳 Natural • 📍 Place (anything else)
  • Action buttons - Create and Show, on every result

What You Can Do With a Result

Each result carries its own buttons - there is no separate step in between:

Create (Green)

  • Opens the Add Manual POI modal at that location
  • Give it a name and a type (Info, Alert, Danger, Event Sticker) or a category
  • Add a note if you want one
  • POI saved with exact coordinates (no route snapping)

Show (Orange)

  • Jumps the map to the location at zoom level 15
  • Clicking the body of the result does the same thing
  • Perfect for quick location reference

Add via (Blue)

  • Only appears while the route planner is open
  • Drops the place into the plan as a waypoint and closes the modal so you can see it land

Preview Markers

  • All search results displayed on map with blue circle markers
  • Different appearance from POI markers (easy to distinguish)
  • Hover a marker for the name of that result
  • Markers removed when a new search is performed

In-Modal Search Radius Control

Adjust POI search radius without leaving the Search Location modal:

  • Click "Search Radius" button to expand controls
  • Slider adjusts from 20m to 5000m
  • Current value displayed dynamically (e.g., "500 m", "2.5 km")
  • Automatically converts to miles/feet if using imperial units
  • The new radius is the one the next POI search uses, and the circle on the map follows it in location mode
  • Chevron icon indicates expanded/collapsed state

Usage Workflows

Quick Location Reference

  1. Open Search Location modal
  2. Type city or landmark name
  3. Pick a suggestion from the dropdown, or press Enter to search
  4. Click "Show" on the result you want
  5. The map jumps to it, with a blue marker for every result

Adding POI at Known Location

  1. Search for the location (address or coordinates)
  2. Click "Create" on the result
  3. The Add Manual POI modal opens at that spot
  4. Choose POI type and add notes
  5. Save POI with exact coordinates

Exploring Cities Along Route

  1. Load your GPX route
  2. Search for a city along your path
  3. Adjust the radius in the modal
  4. Show the city on the map, and search for POIs around it
Searches are one at a time, so to compare towns along a route - "Paris", then "Lyon", then "Marseille" - search each in turn, and use Show to jump the map to each one before deciding where to stop.
Geocoding services may have rate limits. If searches fail repeatedly, wait a few moments before trying again. The dual-API system maximizes reliability, but both services may occasionally be unavailable.

Undo & Recent Changes

Changed your mind? PitStopper keeps a history of your last 50 destructive changes and can walk them back.

What Can Be Undone

  • Deleting POIs - single, selected, or a whole category
  • Adding a manual POI
  • Starring / flagging a POI
  • Reversing a route
  • Editing the track, and editing a planned route
  • Applying a POI preset (restores your previous category selection)
  • Changing a category's custom search distance, count limit, or colour - and the “reset all custom settings” action

Simple view changes (ticking a category, moving the radius slider) are not recorded - they're one click to redo by hand and would crowd the history.

Three Ways to Undo

  • Keyboard - Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z to undo, Ctrl+Y (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Z (Mac) to redo
  • Edit menu - next to File in the menu bar; the Undo and Redo entries describe exactly what the next step would do
  • Right-click menu - Undo/Redo in the map's right-click menu, just below "Add POI Here", each showing what the next step would do

Recent Changes List

Edit → Recent Changes opens the full history: every recorded change with a description and how long ago it happened. Click any entry to undo it and everything above it (changes are undone in order, newest first - like a text editor). Entries you've undone appear dimmed below a divider and can be redone until you make a new change.

The Recent Changes dialog, listing recent edits in order with the most recent at the top.
Recent Changes lists what you have done. Clicking an entry undoes it and everything above it.
History lasts for your current session: loading a new route or project starts a fresh history. Deleted POIs also have their own dedicated list - see the Deleted POIs modal - where individual POIs can be restored in any order, even after the undo history has moved on.