Here is a link to a very useful website. You can plan a route almost anywhere in the world, you can check distances, calories used, bookmark routes, save them as public or private and see other people's walks. You can zoomm in or out and use map or satellite or hybrid. The really good thing is that you can plot route anywhere not just by road like some other sites.
I used it for a walk on Sunday and zoomed onto the terrain so I could select the best side of the river Thames to walk on ie with less houses and more trees!
I did notice that someone can walk on water, they went right down the middle of the river!
You enter the location into bar space on RH side of screen where it says find your start address. Remember to put England as this is worldwide map.
On actual map you will have a prompt on top RH side to create a route. You click on that and instructions appear but basically you then click once on start of route and then click as you move on and that is that.
Your route will be plotted and you can save it alter it, share it, see just how far it is, zoom in or out etc.
When I plotted my walk I noticed some unusual castellations in the shadows on the Thames down from Hammersmith bridge. When I went on Sunday, it was not a beautiful castle but the gables of a row of terraced houses. Very nice houses, I have to add!
I used to use Gmap but the problem with G map is that it only goes by road and not across country, which is why it takes you round corners - it is following roads. I could not get down the Thames pathway or even walk down middle of river!! It also takes me right round the roads when I want to go across my local common. Does not seem to want to follow footpaths or just open land.
You can plot a route with Walk jog run that goes anywhere and on any terrain.
On the Gmap, you can go in straight lines if you click on the maually (straight lines) box. It takes you across fields etc and you can switch to the road one whenever you like!