Does anyone have any suggetions as to how i can make the above more interesting?
all ideas gratefully recieved
Ta in advance
all ideas gratefully recieved
Ta in advance
map and compass work
- Thread starter Man of Tanith
- Start date
Make yourself a little orienteering exercise up, where you have to find (for instance) a particular wall junction, mile post, stream or whatever. Join about ten features up, then work your way from one to the other.
The main problem I find with map reading is that I don't practise it enough as I tend to stick to areas that I know fairly well. With an orienteering exercise, you can still stick to your local area, just look for more specific features than just thinking "I'll go up the usual path to the moor top, then to the stone cicle and then drop back via the dam like I always do!"
The main problem I find with map reading is that I don't practise it enough as I tend to stick to areas that I know fairly well. With an orienteering exercise, you can still stick to your local area, just look for more specific features than just thinking "I'll go up the usual path to the moor top, then to the stone cicle and then drop back via the dam like I always do!"
Hi Sam, I use a kind of treasure map using a simple map of our local campsite ( the hand drawn one off their website) I added a grid which I numbered. I then hide plastic tubs with a listed ingredient for their supper (breadroll in one, sausage in another etc.)around the campsite near to landmarks and issue the Cubs with 6 figure grid refs where they can find their suppers. They love the challenge.
get into an orienting race, you'll hone your skills (if you do it on your own, not like those that follow the only guy that knows how to navigate) and give you a better endurance.
a few months back I run a 80 km race in a mountain range near my city, the experience was amazing, I only regret my poor shoes selection, I lose both toe nails :-|
Cheers
Esteban
a few months back I run a 80 km race in a mountain range near my city, the experience was amazing, I only regret my poor shoes selection, I lose both toe nails :-|
Cheers
Esteban
We did a cracking exercise to show appreciation of dead ground, judging distances, translating from what you see to a map, one was being sat on a high point during a walk and having to lay out what you see in front of you within set arcs( say 30 degrees and out to a prominent feature) without a map, then compare to map once done, the other was to walk a route then draw it to scale to practise pacing, taking bearings to mark position, route planning, both models can be 3D. The winner gets a steak dinner at the Savoy and a night of dancing at the RAC club!
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I made up an exercise for our cadets - who were bored with endless lectures on nav - yet kept on getting lost when out walking.
A number of cocktail sticks or barbecue skewers of different lengths - they get to "draw straws!"
Open a map on the table and get them to drop their "straw" on it, then answer a number of questions about the line that it prescribes...
Grid references of each end
The distance between the points
The Grid and Mag bearing both ways
The height gained or lost along the route
Use Naismiths rule for each direction
Notable features if you were to walk the line
Times per section of route
features to the left and right
Whether one end can be seen from the start or where along the route you would be able to see the end or loose sight of the start and how long it would take to walk to those points
It doesn't have to be all the questions all the time, but they soon get a grasp of how closely they need to study the map to gain an appreciation of the ground, and it gets them into a frame of mind that if we walk in one direction for X minutes, there'll be a turn or a feature that comes into view to tell us we're on the right track before we get to the next checkpoint.
Sound very involved reading it back but it can be quite easy.
ATB
Ogri the trog
A number of cocktail sticks or barbecue skewers of different lengths - they get to "draw straws!"
Open a map on the table and get them to drop their "straw" on it, then answer a number of questions about the line that it prescribes...
Grid references of each end
The distance between the points
The Grid and Mag bearing both ways
The height gained or lost along the route
Use Naismiths rule for each direction
Notable features if you were to walk the line
Times per section of route
features to the left and right
Whether one end can be seen from the start or where along the route you would be able to see the end or loose sight of the start and how long it would take to walk to those points
It doesn't have to be all the questions all the time, but they soon get a grasp of how closely they need to study the map to gain an appreciation of the ground, and it gets them into a frame of mind that if we walk in one direction for X minutes, there'll be a turn or a feature that comes into view to tell us we're on the right track before we get to the next checkpoint.
Sound very involved reading it back but it can be quite easy.
ATB
Ogri the trog
+1 for geocaching.
We had a go at Geocaching and it really got the Scouts' interest. We will definitely do more when we get chance - and we will hide our own cache, hopefully that will encourage some of them to pay attention to a map.
A while back we made up some wipe clean boards for "Battleship" but using 4 figure grid refs for the co-ordinates. It was useful for complete beginners at map reading.
