Free POI's from Garminfree.com
Selection of FREE POI for Garmin Satnav's
Just take a look at the boxes and the various items in them. Select the ones you want and click the BLUE TITLE to DOWNLOAD that POI set. Some modern web browsers (firefox, IE9 etc) have changed the way DOWNLOADS work to try and combat virus's. If you can't seem to save these DOWNLOADs please see our FAQ section
UK LONDON UNDERGROUND
This POI file has all of the London Underground Stations shown ready for you to use. We created this from data from Transport For London and so it is up to date. An essential download for your trips to the capital. Why not use it handheld ?
Well you do get a certain class of people at ASDA, say what you like ! But they are cheap, good value and have recently introduced some great new products. So fire up the satnav and find them. This is also in the SUPERMARKET Collection (on the disk).
Wetherspoons - love it or hate it ? No smoking, no musak, "traditional" feel fake oak beams. But the team love the curry lunches and reasonable priced food. The beer is also cheap and well kept. Our editor has a vendetta against Wetherspoons as he was poorly treated, enough said ...
This single POI file is also included in our DIY collection (on the disk). I often have to rush out to B&Q to buy some extra sand, cable, plugs and various other bits. Sunday's wouldn't be complete without it ! I am sure this will be very popular....
All the team here like Golf, and play as much as possible. This is a collection of most of the Golf courses in the UK - especially the affiliated ones. If your golf course isn't here then contact us with an address and we can add it. This is also part of the clubs Collection (on the disk).
Or favourite petrol stations - all because of the Wild Bean Cafe's, that advert is just nuts ! Esso "on the run" doesn't come close - have you tried the coffee ? Anyway this is also part of our Petrol Stations collections (on the Disk_ an essential I would think.
This file also features as part of our UK Heritage Locations collection (on the disk. Someone once explained it thus; National Trust - Historic Houses, English Heritage - Historic Outside toilets. I think they were perhaps being a little unfair !
We love KWIK FIT - so do most users. We had specific request for this POI set. Our fleet use KWIK FIT for all repair jobs, tyres etc. They do vary in quality from one garage to the other, but the guarantees are good and they do what they say on the tin "KWIK FIT".
Other websites have a file purporting to be IKEA stores. Well that file has lots of stores missing. Hence the importance of using GARMINFREE.COM ? This has ALL UK IKEA stores on it including the latest one in London that caused the fuss when it opened.
Well we are a Christian society still - whatever BA view on dress codes may be ! We do also provide other faiths POI's, Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic, Sikh, Hindi etc. We even have a special Methodist church POI set on the disk. Whatever faith you are we probably have something.
We love to boogie the night away at Gatecrasher or the Salvation Army Club For Boys. We have included a large number of popular clubs here as well as some pub-clubs. The team here are more "flouride generation " than the "Ibiza generation". We were the first to be bought up with fluoride as an additive in the toothpaste. Sorted ...
Well here is the jewel the crown of English Heritage (get it). We make sure that we join every year and do love our days out to sites of interest. This ones been updated, including the re-positioning of Lanhydrock so you don't try and turn off a dual carriageway. Its also in our Heritage collection (on the disk).
Here is a list of well known Pubs where the beer is kept in good condition, service is friendly and the facilities are good. You can see our other pub related POI's - gastro's, general etc on the disk. But for now here is a list of pubs that are well worth a visit.
This has the main UK beauty salons and hairdressers, with phone numbers. So if like us you are driving along and suddenly feel the urge for a quick pedicure or facial, you can locate a shop and stop for a treatment ! Indeed - we love nothing better on our way to work..
Well we don't like Focus quite as much as B&Q because there are not so many in our area. We used to use them all the time and they are certainly cheaper than B&Q. They seem to be regional DIY store though and as such feature on our DIY Collections (in the disk) so to get them all just get the collection.
How can I use the POIs that you have here ?
The proper answer is you need to follow our SIMPLE GUIDE which explains in detail how to use the Garmin POILOADER add additional contents like POI to your Garmin satnav.
Quick guide to loading POI onto your Garmin
OK - this is for those who have a technical side and want to just be told what to do simply:
- Save the DOWNLOAD
- Unzip the DOWNLOAD
- Get Garmin POILOADER
- Install the Garmin POILOADER
- Use the Garmin POILOADER
- Load up Unzipped files
- Complete - test on Garmin
Save the Download
first off SAVE the DOWNLOAD from the left hand side of this page by clicking on the BLUE HEADLINE NAME for that POI you need.
Make sure you save the file to a place you can find on your PC, DESKTOP or DOCUMENTS is best. Its a ZIP file and so you may need to tell you VIRUS/FIREWALL software to allow it.
Unzip the Download
Now you go to the DOWNLOAD you saved earlier and its a ZIp file. So you OPEN that up using the standard windows open command or WinZip.
Inside you will find a .BMP image (that's the little icon you will see on the garmin and are shown to the right of the boxes containing the POIs to the left.
You will also find a .CSV file - this is the actual data file and has the latitude, Longitude, Name and Phone number (if relevant) for that location inside it.
Get Garmin POILoader
To load the extracted files you require a tool from Garmins website,. Its called POI Loader and can load up POI's onto the Garmin device. You can find it HERE - its rather hard to locate on Garmins site and the compatibility list of Satnav's is rather out of date as well. Best download a copy and try it out.
Install Garmin POILoader
SAVE the POILoader to your computer, locate it and run it. The installer will run - you only nee Install it the once and you can then use it many times.
You can check its installed by trying to open and start it - which you do by clicking on START - ALL PROGRAMS - GARMIN - GARMIN POILOADER if its there and you can start it up - its all good !
Start and Use Garmin POILoader
With the loader started you need to connect your Garmin so the loader will find it. Once its found then you can step through the options.
Its pretty simple to load up some POI files. There are two modes - one loads up every file in a directory./ The other gives a bit more control and loads up files individually from the Directory. Make sure you collect your POI files into one directory, its doesn't like trying to load every potential file from a whole hardisk !
Load the Unzipped Files
Make sure your POI contents are all in one folder. Then BROWSE FOR CONTENT and select the folder. It will then pickup the contents - choose EXPRESS MODE. This will load all the POI files into the Garmin - job done !
After loading you should see this message;
"You have successfully loaded xxx Points Of Interest into your Garmin"
Unplug the Garmin and turn it on to check the POI have been loaded. They appear in different places on each Garmin model.
We suggest looking in CUSTOM - POI or EXTRAS -CUSTOM or FAVOURITES - CUSTOM POI. If the message confirmed they had been loaded and you cannot find them - refer to the Garmin manual.
Advanced POI Options
There are a number of more advanced uses for the loader. Depending on the contents and the services you are after. You can set speed and distance warnings for any locations (use often for Speed Cameras, Low Bridges etc).
You can also select certain files and avoid others. If you are interested in these advanced options we suggest you read the Help guide with the POILoader.
Our sister site does a full system for Low Bridges, Narrow Roads, Widths, Weights and so on for Caravans, Motorhomes, Trucks, Tatlers and HGV's at WWW.HGVSOLUTIONS.COM
