... Wondered if anyone knows much about navigation and relating it to maps etc.
Also im new to the forum and nobodys said "Hi and welcome to the froum" :'(
Hi and welcome to the froum! There, somebody finally said it.
There are probably thousands of navigation primers and tutorials on the Web, but to do any serious study I like to get buried in a book. The one that's already been recommended is here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1852844906
Also take a look at this one:
http://www.starpath.com/catalog/books/1830.htm
The title tells you that it's really only for sailors, and a lot of the content is about celestial navigation, but much of it is applicable anywhere on Earth and in all sorts of situations. I can't praise it highly enough. One of the things I like most about it is the simple, down-to-earth application of techniques that many other books tend to treat with such mathematical thoroughness that they lose the, er, plot. This book talks about approximations, and one of the keys to successful navigation, especially if you're under any pressure, is knowing how good your approximations need to be. Here are some little gems:
* Unlike the sun, Mintaka (one of the three stars of Orion's belt, the one on the right if he isn't standing on his head
) always rises due east and sets due west.
* Find your latitude with a bit of string, or a stick, and a ruler.
* Estimate one degree with your finger.
* Make a pretty accurate protractor.
* If you can't see the horizon to take a sight, use a bucket of water.
* Birds tend to go home at night.
All right, that last one really is for sailors. But buy the book. If you don't like it, I'm sure we can come to some arrangement. I could do with another copy, mine is falling to bits. I've no connection at all with the author or the publishers, I just love the book.