Practicalities of compass and map navigation

[April]

'in 45 years of using a map and compass'   No way April......you're just a slip of a girl!

Sadly, I am no longer a slip of a girl. I am an old codger now 

[fernman]

in 45 years of using a map and compass.

Sadly, I am no longer a slip of a girl. I am an old codger now 

Just think, she might not have started using a map and compass till she was 30!!!

{Ducking for cover)

[April]

Just think, she might not have started using a map and compass till she was 30!!!

{Ducking for cover)

 


I could tell you the age I started learning to map read but that would give my age away. I was very young mind 

[metanome]

Also a side question - how can I contact the site admins, I couldn't find any contact details anywhere? I have an issue with my account I need to discuss.

How to reach the admin? Do they post on the forum themselves?

[sussamb]

http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5107.0

[metanome]

Thank you kindly.  


I'm off on a solo walk in the Peak District on Tuesday with a view to getting more used to using map and compass. Again wish I could post a screenshot, but on the OS Maps mobile app it's basically the 'Crowden' route of 14.7km found at, wait for it, Crowden.


One my main goals of the trip is to try and get used to identifying real world features from the map along my way. Got some good ideas already from Navigation for Walkers, but any other pointers in pursuit of that (or indeed anything else worth hearing) gratefully received!


Also not sure why I keep managing to insert ' ' tags into my posts...

[richardh1905]

The [size] tags appear to be an irritating glitch on this forum.


As a side issue, I'm not sure that it is a good idea to use your email address as your user name. Welcome to the forum in any case., 

[metanome]

Hence why I'm trying to reach the site admins 

[richardh1905]

Hence why I'm trying to reach the site admins 

Fair comment. I would just abandon your current account and start again with a new user name, perhaps just drop the @gmail.

[Ridge]

The [size] annoyances often happen when you edit. Once you've posted you can modify your post and edit them out if they are being a real pain.
Another way to contact admin is to report your own post.

[WhitstableDave]

Fair comment. I would just abandon your current account and start again with a new user name, perhaps just drop the @gmail.

I think the problem is that the email address will remain visible to crawlers (bots) and end up on email lists used by spammers. Best if admin changes the account's username.

[metanome]

Yes indeed, have PM'd admin to that effect. Less fussed about it being visible to humans, it's the bots I'm wary of.

[metanome]

Did my Peak District hike yesterday. A small timeline of key events:


- Set off from the car park using my map and within the first 2 mins, met two walkers heading past me who confirmed I was walking squarely in the wrong direction...
- Within the next 20 mins, got completely thrown by a ROW, marked prominently on the map as a 'recreational route', which as far as I could tell from the map ran directly up the side of a quarry. Couldn't for the life of my find any sign of a path, and spent a good hour mulling over this and trying to identify it (unsuccessfully)
- While mulling that over, got a great view of a vulture circling (the car park was buzzing with photographers trooping off to a different point to catch a glimpse)
- Using my map, took an alternative route up to/in to the quarry, with the intention of rejoining this recreational route. Was certain I had matched a key map feature with a real-world feature (a tiny square on the map was, I believe, some sort of ruined stone service building at the quarry) - the ROW was marked as being straight on from there, but again I came up against quarry/cliff sides.
- Sought out a ridge on the edge of the quarry for my lunch break and believe I inadvertently found a route to rejoin the ROW. But it was fairly steep and very rough, and after my earlier difficulties, have to say I lost my nerve. I retraced my route out of the quarry and skirted round it using an alternative track. Was intending to follow path marked on map (which I was able to match up to my surroundings) to try and rejoin the ROW further along my planned route, but decided to do my legs a favour and call it a day.


I also did some basic compass work and as elementary as I'm sure this is, was pleased to be able to use changing contour lines to estimate what point I'd got to along a rising path (though I would have been completely flummoxed if I didn't have GPS to fall back on).


Should also say that, despite warnings from multiple sources not to overestimate my fitness, I did it anyway. Wasn't able to complete my planned route (not even close). I also really struggled when descending a narrow, muddy path (which in parts looked and felt more like a stream), so will consider whether walking poles might be a worthwhile investment.


Today I'm tired, sunburned and mostly very gruntled.

[forgotmyoldpassword]

Many, many people make the car-park mistake - particularly if you don't orient your map as you think it won't matter for the first few minutes.  It's especially difficult when you've parked at a busy car park with many paths leading off to different places, often in parallel to each other before they branch out.  Don't worry about it, take it as a lesson and a good habit to get in to is taking a rough compass bearing down the path direction you're taking and see if this lines up with your expectations.  If you take a southerly bearing and you know you should be going west, perhaps you've taken the wrong path.


Regarding ruined buildings and map features, it is worth distinguishing between linear features and spot features.  For example a linear feature like a fence may or may not be there (yet may still be marked), same with a small building or sheep fold.  That said, the contour lines are surveyed using satellite and therefore are accurate representations of the ground, so if you are searching for a spot feature (like a ruined building) you may want to use a contour feature alongside this.  For example a stream often produces a re-entrant feature through erosion and being able to remember to stop your search for a spot feature and turn back for the spot feature you're looking for can save huge amounts of time (this is called using a catchment/catching feature).


Best advice I can give is keep on paying attention to contours and geographic features (pick big features if possible) and the difference between micro and macro nav.  A lot of the navigation books seem to think everyone needs to spend their time pacing out 300-400m on a bearing to a specific point, which is very micro nav, but in real life you're doing most of your nav on the macro basis.


Worth taking a navigation course if you're serious about really kicking up your skills - loads of good providers who offer this.

[windyrigg]

Dont beat yourself up over getting the wrong exit from a car park, we've all done it.
Frequently there are a number of possible routes, none seeming to match the map, which isn't really designed to show the level of detail / /feature to micro-navigate in eg the edge of a town.
In the absence of a signpost such as 'fells this way' , looking beyond the man-made, can we see the hill, where is the sun? Can I orientate my map? Have the kids got a better idea from their phones (dont laugh!)   
Sometimes its just a case of getting clear of the buildings so we can then see where we are.
Stick with it, you're building experience and it gets better every time