If we're meant to use the stars to navigate at night when we dont have a compass, what do we do if its cloudy?
navigating at night
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Sit down and have a brew and hope it clears? 
Interesting question though, if you have an idea of what phase the moon is at you can make out where it is behind the clouds (depends on how thick the cloud is and how bright the moon is) , I guess you can work out the direction by combining time with it.
Eg a full moon is 180 deg from the sun and at midnight it should be due south.
Interesting to see what others suggest.
Interesting question though, if you have an idea of what phase the moon is at you can make out where it is behind the clouds (depends on how thick the cloud is and how bright the moon is) , I guess you can work out the direction by combining time with it.
Eg a full moon is 180 deg from the sun and at midnight it should be due south.
Interesting to see what others suggest.
Even on the darkest of nights you should be able to pick out features in the landscape, hills on the horizon or dry stone walls are usually the easiest to pick out. You really need a map though to be able to identify the features.
The moon is usually visible even if it's behind clouds, knowing that it always rises directly opposite where the sun set is useful to know. The end of the tips of a crescent moon "usually" align north-south too.
It's quite good fun practising in the dark and there are quite a few games you can try to get the skills nailed.
The moon is usually visible even if it's behind clouds, knowing that it always rises directly opposite where the sun set is useful to know. The end of the tips of a crescent moon "usually" align north-south too.
It's quite good fun practising in the dark and there are quite a few games you can try to get the skills nailed.
As well as those good pointers:
The shape of isolated trees can tell you which way is south. The branches grow more vertically on the northern side and there are less of them than on the southern side where they grow more horizontally.
A path running east-west or west-east will have a deeper rut at the southern side of it because there will be more moisture there normally. Wear and tear on this side of the path will create a deeper rut which often has more puddles. A path that runs north-south will usually be more evenly worn.
The shape of isolated trees can tell you which way is south. The branches grow more vertically on the northern side and there are less of them than on the southern side where they grow more horizontally.
A path running east-west or west-east will have a deeper rut at the southern side of it because there will be more moisture there normally. Wear and tear on this side of the path will create a deeper rut which often has more puddles. A path that runs north-south will usually be more evenly worn.
In northern latitudes, that is.
A very skilled navigator taught me to use all the indicators that you can, and not necessarily all at once. You might be able to get a good bearing from something only briefly, but you can compare it with other things which might be useful for longer. So if your good source of a bearing is only temporary but the other things are more permanent you can use the more permanent things for while after the temporary thing has gone. One obvious example is the setting sun, which about this time of year is near enough due west no matter where you are. As it sets you can look for a landmark or something that will be useful in navigating after the sun has gone down, note its bearing, and continue your journey using that. You can even make your own marks. Probably best not to use a trail of breadcrumbs, but a couple of strips of fluorescent/reflective material or a couple of candles in coke cans can give you a good back-bearing once you've placed them properly.
wow thanks I didnt know most of these!
just looked at the one tree we have out front and it works! haha. Got all excited!
why do dry stone walls help shewie?
thanks everyone
Prawnster said:
just looked at the one tree we have out front and it works! haha. Got all excited!
shewie said:
why do dry stone walls help shewie?
thanks everyone
why do dry stone walls help shewie?
Particularly round here we have limestone dry walls which look silvery at night, but even a sandstone wall will stand out against vegetation because of the unnatural straight edge.
why do dry stone walls help shewie?
they are line features i.e. an easily identifiable landscape feature, directional and easy to follow.
If your not sure and if possible stay still.
Yes. Well, you don't necessarily need to use three. Sighting two things which are some distance apart is called a 'transit' bearing. This is one of the most accurate bearings that you can get. If the two marks have a good distance between them it can easily be a lot better than a compass reading. If you align your two candles east-west at sunset, you can then get any other bearing you like, if you have some time, using a bit of maths. The simplest is probably a north-south bearing, which you can make with a right-angled triangle. Any triangle with sides in the ratio 3-4-5 has a right angle opposite the longest side. So if the candles are aligned east-west three metres apart, and you find one of the two points four metres from one candle which is five metres from the other candle, then the four metre long side runs north-south It's better if you can use larger separations if you're going to use the setup for walking any distance using a back-bearing, and this all assumes that you're working on a level area. If you aren't on a level it can still be done but you need to be careful about the measurements. Actually finding ways of measuring the sides is left as an exercise for the ingenious bushcrafter, but I don't think it's giving too much away to say that you don't care if it's three metres or three yards or three miles as long as it's also four and five of the same thing.
A knowledge of the weather forcast will help as well - but needs to be used with a minor caution.
If you know your heading in a certain direction, note the direction that the wind hits you - and keep it there as you walk. The caution is to be able to predict how the landscape will interact with the wind to steer it around obstacles and locally change its direction to you!
You'll also need to know if the wind is likely to veer around to another direction during the time you intend to be out.
Ogri the trog
If you know your heading in a certain direction, note the direction that the wind hits you - and keep it there as you walk. The caution is to be able to predict how the landscape will interact with the wind to steer it around obstacles and locally change its direction to you!
You'll also need to know if the wind is likely to veer around to another direction during the time you intend to be out.
Ogri the trog
A lot of flowers follow the sun throughout the day and will be facing in the direction the sun went down. Only good for a general direction mind.
Thanks Ged, I think I follow you now.
Definately a book for your collection. I have read through it and it is really good. I found this one to be more UK based and could pick up on the majority of it.
Seems he is now coming out with the pocket guide version later this year, which I didn't realise.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-Nav...4941/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301906101&sr=8-1
There is also Gatty's book too, which seems more US/Pacific based but still worth reading.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Finding-You...613X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1301906101&sr=8-4
Definately a book for your collection. I have read through it and it is really good. I found this one to be more UK based and could pick up on the majority of it.
Seems he is now coming out with the pocket guide version later this year, which I didn't realise.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-Nav...4941/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301906101&sr=8-1
There is also Gatty's book too, which seems more US/Pacific based but still worth reading.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Finding-You...613X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1301906101&sr=8-4
