Map, Compass & Navigation
GPS fails. Phones die. A map and compass never run out of battery. Learn to take a bearing, follow it in the field, and identify your position using terrain features. This is the skill that separates safe wilderness travel from dangerous guessing.
Official Ordnance Survey tutorial. The definitive UK navigation guide.
Buy an OS Explorer 1:25,000 map of your local area and walk it. Match what you see to what the map shows. Do this 5-10 times and map reading becomes intuitive.
A Silva Expedition 4 is the standard UK baseplate compass. About £25 and will last decades. Don't waste money on cheap compasses — they're inaccurate.
'Set map to north' first. Rotate the map so the grid lines match your compass needle. Everything becomes easier when the map is oriented to the terrain.
Magnetic declination in the UK is currently about 0-1° west — effectively negligible for walking. Don't overcomplicate it.
Lay your map flat. Orient it to north using your compass — rotate until grid lines align with the needle
Identify your current position using terrain features: hills, streams, paths, buildings
TAKING A BEARING: Place compass edge on map from your position to your destination
Rotate the bezel until the orienting lines align with the map's grid lines
Read the bearing number at the index mark. This is your direction of travel
FOLLOWING A BEARING: Hold compass flat, rotate your body until the needle sits inside the orienting arrow ('red in the shed')
Walk in the direction the travel arrow points. Pick a landmark ahead and walk to it
TERRAIN ASSOCIATION: Match what you see to map contour lines — valleys, ridges, spurs, saddles
PACING: Know your pace count for 100m (typically 60-70 double paces). Use it to measure distance walked
Practice in good weather. Test yourself in poor visibility once confident.
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