Improving navigation skills?

[MrHare]

Another vote of thanks to Ogri - that sounds like an interesting exercise, I'll be doing that myself in the winter evenings. Also a vote for orienting the map - I've seen people very confidently trying to give off an impression of 'oh, I'm so competent I can read a map from any angle'. It's hardly ever true and nearly always ends up making you look a fool.

Some handy tips here:

http://www.theomm.com/latest-news/139-mountain-navigation

 

[udamiano]

There used to be a number of sites on the inter web that listed Geo-cache sites, why not go hunting for them locally but instead of using a GPS use you map and compass, definitely a bit more challenging that the other way , and fun as well

 

[Man of Tanith]

i've done a little Geo caching in the past not a bad idea and might get shan of tanith interested too

 

[johnboy]

It might be worth mentioning that Map Reading and Navigation are to a degree different things...

I've met folk who were really good at map reading reeling off conventional signs, grid references, relief info etc at will.
Putting that into practice on the ground and they were struggling..

It's possible to become proficient in Map reading and use of the compass say at home. To relate both those things to the actual ground and navigate you need to get out on the ground and the ease of relation of map to ground comes with practice. The more frequently you use the skills the more proficient and slick you become.

Fortunately OS mapping is some of the best in the world so you have that as an advantage in the UK...

I'd be inclined to pick a map scale say 1:50k and use that exclusively and get to know it really well. Rather than jumping from scale to scale.

HTH

 

[Filterhoose]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-Navigation-Peter-Cliff/dp/1871890551

This is a great wee book written by an aptly named chappie.


The best advice I ever got was to practice in good weather in familiar surrounds. Don't wait until you are in unfamiliar territory and havnae a scooby where you are.

ps the Ordnance Survey website has a nice simple tutorial on map reading.

Hope this helps

Windy

 

[Lordyosch]

I'm a fair navigator having done a fairly intensive course involving 8 figure grid references on bleak Lancashire moorland in winter!

Add an experiment I decided to navigate by assumption in the lake district. I was kitted out with backpacking gear, map compass, GPS etc and the weather was decent (ie, it wasn't reckless) I briefly looked at the map at home. Drove two hours to borrowdale and set off.

'Yeah, this is the path' I thought. Several hours later I wasn't where I expected to be. By working only on assumption and never using the map etc I'd ended up going up the wrong valley!

For me, a great learning experience. I know not to do that in future!

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