Improving navigation skills?

[Man of Tanith]

It has been a while now since i have really done much map and compass work and i suspect i am a little rusty
Whilst this isn't a problem when going up the permission or mooching around locally as i've lived here most my life and know the area well, however it is a skill i am lacking in strength wise.
how've folks taught themselves/learnt navigation skills?

 

[nigeltm]

All you can do is just get out there and do it. Find an interesting area that has features (or a lack of!) that are suitable to the type of nav you want to practice. It could be a hilly area with no walls or tracks if you want to focus on reading contours, woodland for compass bearings, etc. As long as you are sensible and don't put yourself in a risky situation (night nav exercises in an area with lots of cliffs is NOT a good idea!), leave your route and ETA with a friend and take a GPS as backup you should be fine.

 

[MrHare]

What he said.

Some other suggestions of things you can do to keep in practice:

* read maps sat at home and practice visualising the ground

* look at features around you when you're out for a walk, or just day to day (if you're somewhere where the land isn't too flat) and imagine what it'd look like on the map

* plan out routes on the map - trying to imagine what the route would be like as a day walk - terrain, views, features etc. Named features on the map will often have images online so you can compare without going to look (nowhere near as valuable as being there, but as an extra on the night shifts when you're sat around).

* go out at night and when the weather is crap - limited visibility challenges your skills like nothing else.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Orienteering and micro navigation. Find features using map only etc.

 

[udamiano]

pretty much what has been said already, its all about practice, practice, practice. Some helpful ideas though.

Measure the number of paces you take to cover a measured 100.mtrs, on different terrain types.
Always orientate you map to correspond to the direction you see.
Choose a distant point on the bearing you want, and walk towards that, its much easier than constantly stopping and checking your bearing. once you get to that point then recalculate and take another. if the weather does however come in check your bearing often.
Find a field measure 100 mtrs. put a stake in to mark the spot, then walk towards it with your eyes closed (no peeking), this will give you your offset. some people go off to the left, some to the right, and also by how much, its also fun.
Remember that your likely to naturally follow the contours of the ground, which will also offset your line of travel, especially in bad weather. look at the contours of the map to give you an idea of way this is likely to be.
Don't get an overly complicated compass, get one that you can actually use, and work your way up to the more advance ones.

and of course remember that with stuff like GPS, or anything with a battery, it's likely to let you down when you most need it

Most of all Have fun doing it.

Da

 

[MrHare]

Orienteering clubs often have permanent courses that you can use without having to get involved in the competitive (i.e. running) orienteering.

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/page/pocs

 

[lannyman8]

as above Sam, but take head of the dangers when the "clag" draws in (fog), it totally changes everything, and a walk on the hills can turn bad quickly....

having said that its good to experience this, and makes you work hard to navigate and hones the skills very quickly....

be safe and enjoy dude.....

regards.

chris.

 

[Buckshot]

There's some decent beginners videos on map reading OS did with one of the wild life presenters
good as a starter
Haven't got a link on this pc I'm afraid
I think they might have been on YT

 

[Retired Member southey]

There's some decent beginners videos on map reading OS did with one of the wild life presenters
good as a starter
Haven't got a link on this pc I'm afraid
I think they might have been on YT

Here you go matey,

OS site instructional videos

 

[jackcbr]

Maybe a bit of geocaching?

 

[Bucephalas]

Just downloaded this today on the Kindle.

 

[Buckshot]

Here you go matey,

OS site instructional videos

Thanks Southey

 

[Wook]

I too am very rusty when it comes to map and compass work. I'll often use a map, and occasionally a compass by themselves - but it's probably been years since I used them together. The problem is I make a point of always knowing pretty much exactly where I am!

Still, that's no reason not to regularly check my ability with my map and compass. If I already know where I am, then I'll know if I get it wrong with the map and compass

 

[salad]

I have a good little book that I used to help get me started(its called navigation for walkers by Julian Tippett) . Its light weight and useful to take out with you if you want to practice, the book is geared up for british OS maps.
Its your for free if you want it, just drop me a pm with your address details and I will post it

 

[Ogri the trog]

It doesn't help with the actual moving navigation, but I've developed an exercise for our Cadets....

Prepare a handful of cocktail sticks/barbecue skewers of varying lengths - paint the ends different colours so a "start" and "finish" can be determined as a straight line journey.
Have available a few maps of different scales and a dice.

The cadets "draw straws" and drop the stick onto the map

They then try to get as far through the following list as possible;
Grid references of each end of the stick.
Height gained or lost along the journey.
The dice determines their "speed" in Kmh and then they calculate timings using Naismiths including heights.
Find the point at which the "start" goes out of view or the end comes into view.
If you add a dot randomly along the stick - they have to note when they will know that they have reached that location.
Note the terrain features to each side of the track.

It's all aimed at getting them to visualise the ground and if the lesson is coupled with some of the whizzy bits of Google Earth, you can traverse the route virtually as a check afterwards.

It might sound a little severe for teenagers, but they get on well with it and is a lot gentler than the old "Nav" instructor we had who was a Lancaster navigator during the Berlin Air Lift!

ATB

Ogri the trog

Edited to add - second on the list of aims should be "bearings" some magnetic, and some grid.
If you want to get fierce with it, make a variety of start times and calculate where the sun/shadows are likely to fall for various parts of the journey.

 

[jackcbr]

Ogri, that sounds a great way to learn. Think I'll have to give it a go, still not happy with my level of nav skills. I seem to be able to work out I'm lost and manage to get back to where I intended to be, but it's more by hunch and gut feeling than sound map reasoning

 

[Snowfire]

I have a good little book that I used to help get me started(its called navigation for walkers by Julian Tippett) . Its light weight and useful to take out with you if you want to practice, the book is geared up for british OS maps.
Its your for free if you want it, just drop me a pm with your address details and I will post it

Highly recommend that book. Very clear and easy to understand.

Also take the map out on local walks, even though you don't need it. That way you can get used to how different features look on the map.

 

[Prawnster]

I too am very rusty when it comes to map and compass work. I'll often use a map, and occasionally a compass by themselves - but it's probably been years since I used them together. The problem is I make a point of always knowing pretty much exactly where I am!

Still, that's no reason not to regularly check my ability with my map and compass. If I already know where I am, then I'll know if I get it wrong with the map and compass

I'm the same as you mate. I think I have a bit of OCD in this regard. I HAVE to know exactly where I am at all times, which means of course that should I find myself lost for some reason beyond my control, I probably lack the skills to locate myself!


Sent from my phone.

 

[Elines]

Thinking in terms of time rather than distance can be a big help - see this article from Paul Kirtley:

http://frontierbushcraft.com/2012/05/04/speed-timing-chart-navigation/#comment-1791

Also another vote for the Juian Tippet book AND for always orientating the map. I have some friends who think they can work out where to go no matter how they are holding the map and I always have to ask them to orientate it so I can check we are going in the right direction.

A lightweight pair of binoculars or a monoscope can be helpful in distinguisjhing yellowish fence posts from footpath signs and generally checking you are on the intended track

 

[Grooveski]

I was in an outdoor club as a kid run by the mountain rescue and at just the same time we were doing orienteering at school. The headmaster was one of the local MR volunteers who taught at the club and we were told that letting the kids from the scouts or cadets win the annual school orienteering race would not be tolerated.
Training ran for maybe three months beforehand, the course valley was well scoped by all and sundry...
...you get the idea. Was taken very seriously and a lot of kids ended up well versed in basic navigation.

After that keeping track of magnetic deviation has been one thing stopping me from feeling confident in my navigation. I've a blind spot for remembering it - know it's at something like -3½ at the moment but it's not that long since I checked it.
...also know that it doesn't swing around wildly, I just plain forget it like the pin number for a card you never use.

Been a while since it's mattered but the odd night trip in the canoe has had me wanting to refresh things. Have thought that I'm probably not nearly as on-the-ball as I was at 14 and maybe should be.