Key:checkpoint

This tag indicates a place where a hiker or cyclist can validate the reach of a checkpoint.

Course

A course is a permanent tour that is organised by an organisation. It can consist of one or several trails, routes, walks or only of checkpoints. An organisation can start many of these, e.g. the Hungarian Rambler's Association have more than a hundred listed on their website. You can start to complete a course by buying its brochure or registerig at their website and completing it by validating all the checkpoints by electronic means, stamping or by writing down a code. At the end you usually receive a badge or similar reward.

There are two types of courses:

1. Most courses have a designated route
   • For an example, see the Wikipedia page on El Camino de Santiago. On the right, you can see the stamps.
   • Another example is 'The validation of the completion' section on the Wikipedia page of the Countrywide Blue Tour in Hungary.
   • The individual trails on trail-blaze.com can be considered as a Hiking Course.
2. There are also courses that require visiting all checkpoints in any order from any direction, like all the castles and springs of a mountain range. So there is no required route, hence the use of course to avoid confusion.
   • An example on the page of the Hungarian Rambler's Association (Hungarian) is a list of hiking courses. The courses with the dotted icons are the courses with only checkpoints.

See also Walking Routes.

Tagging

Checkpoints can be set up as separate objects like a box (containing a stamp, puncher or any other validation device) fixed to a pole, a building or any other object but they also can be incorporated in another publicly accessible place like a museum, a tourist information, a pub or the like.

If the checkpoint is a separate object set a node at the correct position and add the tags

• tourism=checkpoint and
• checkpoint=hiking or
• checkpoint=cycling

If the checkpoint is incorporated in another object (as described above) you can just add the same tags to the existing object. Note: If the surrounding object does already have a tourism=*, like tourism=information for instance, do not add tourism=checkpoint again as this would cause a conflict.

If in such a surrounding object (like a tourist information etc.) the checkpoint is represented by a separate item like a box or desk, exclusively serving as this very checkpoint, you can also set a separate node into the surrounding object and tag it as described above.

Checkpoint type

Tag	Description
checkpoint:type=stamp	A stamping point.
checkpoint:type=code	A code, displayed on a sign, that needs to be written down.
checkpoint:type=electronic	An electronic device used with a timing tag.
checkpoint:type=notebook	A paper based medium to sign/note, such as a notebook or guestbook.
checkpoint:type=puncher	A punching device ("hole punch") for paper/plastic/board to punch holes of different patterns, similar to stamping.

Course

• course=* is the name of the hiking or cycling course.

Other tags

• name=* is the name of the checkpoint only - do not use is for the name of the course. If the checkpoint does not have a name, just skip this tag.
• ref=* is used for the number of the checkpoint (in case the checkpoints of a course are numbered)
• name:xx=* although name=* is used for the name of the checkpoint itself, name:xx=* is inconsequently used for the name of the course in a foreign language e.g name:en=name of the course in english.
• description=* is used for any additional description to this checkpoint, not for the name of the checkpoint or the course.
• url=* is a url to the course and the organisation.
• ele=* can be used for the elevation (height above sea level) of the checkpoint, if known.

Examples

name=Írott-kő
tourism=checkpoint
checkpoint=hiking
checkpoint:type=stamp
course=Országos Kéktúra
operator=Magyar Természetbarát Szövetség
url=http://termeszetbarat.hu/turamozgalmak/orszagos_kektura
name:en=Countrywide Blue Tour

Or on a pub on El Camino:

building=yes
name=John Bull Pub
tourism=checkpoint
checkpoint=hiking
checkpoint:type=stamp
course=El Camino de Santiago
operator=Junta de Galicia
url=http://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.com/
name:en=Way of St. James
description=nice bar

Example on trail-blaze.com:

name=Princes Risborough 
tourism=checkpoint
checkpoint=hiking
checkpoint:type=electronic
course=The Ridgeway
operator=trail-blaze.com
url=http://www.trail-blaze.com/race.asp?race=14

Applies to

• Nodes
• Areas (buildings)
• Relation (multipolygon buildings)

Rendering

No rendering on street maps.

On special interest maps for hikers, a stamp.

Possible tagging confusion

There are similar tags with `checkpoint` where it bears a meaning of a real barrier, an actual checkpoint. Do not confuse those!

• amenity=checkpoint
• police=checkpoint
• military=checkpoint

External links

• topic at OSM forum