Author Topic: Overweight hiker navigation thread  (Read 6079 times)

Rob Goes Walking

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Overweight hiker navigation thread
« on: 21:36:08, 26/04/19 »
I made this thread as every thread I make turns into a nav thread. It even took over the Awning for a bit. Anyway now if people want to ignore it they won't be deceived by interesting looking title threads.

I practiced nav today a little bit, only the real basics, thumbing the map, keeping the map orientated, pacing, handrailing. I had wanted to practice some of the bearings techniques too but in the area I walked in it was full of animal waste and it really put me off for some reason.

So hopefully I'll practice bearings soon, tomorrow even. But I'm really having trouble identifying a location where walking on a bearing makes sense and is possible (no fences or walls in the way), be that a direct bearing or a map bearing. Is there anywhere else, preferably a nice low lying easy area where you think it would be a good idea to practice walking on a bearing? Around the Howgills, North Pennines or in the Lakes (or in the Yorkshire Dales, Northern and Central Areas? I'm thinking if I can see what I took the bearing from it's no good as I will walk by sight of the what I took the bearing from not on the bearing or am I wrong?



ninthace

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #1 on: 21:40:57, 26/04/19 »
Gaythorne Plain NY 64339 11400


And your first challenge is to find the Thunder Stone at NY 64106 10243.  Parking available at NY 65127 11774 or NY 64338 12355 or NY 63188 10718
« Last Edit: 21:55:59, 26/04/19 by ninthace »
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Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #2 on: 22:05:21, 26/04/19 »
Thanks ninthace, I perhaps should have wandered further along the area I visited today but it really was teaming with excitement.

What are all the (rocky?) features atop Gaythorne Plain? I've never seen that before and can't find them on my OS map key.

Perhaps I should go and have a look. I'm guessing they're outcrop but don't look much like the map key.
« Last Edit: 22:18:30, 26/04/19 by Rob Goes Walking »

ninthace

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #3 on: 22:23:22, 26/04/19 »
Thanks ninthace, I perhaps should have wandered further along the area I visited today but it really was teaming with excitement.

What are all the (rocky?) features atop Gaythorne Plain? I've never seen that before and can't find them on my OS map key.
It's only sheep poo - you won't get far if you can't handle it!
The rocky area is an SSSI of Limestone Pavement.  The Thunder Stone is a glacial erratic that has been incorporated into a wall.  You will have to be on top of it to find it.


The whole area from Sunbiggin Tarn across the plain to Crosby Garret Fell and the M6 is open ground,


Your next challenge is to tell me what the monument at NY 60129 10363 commemorates.  The monument is in dead ground near Black Dub.  It is about 3 - 4 feet high and is not on the 25000 map (well it is not on the one one the website),  Parking at NY 59922 09163 or NY 63175 10717
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Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #4 on: 22:35:23, 26/04/19 »
It's only sheep poo - you won't get far if you can't handle it!

Was it? It wasn't little black spheres like sheep normally make they were like mini cow pats. I couldn't work out what animal they came from.

Challenges eh? Could be fun...

ninthace

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #5 on: 22:50:05, 26/04/19 »
Returning to the first challenge - here is a possible navex.


Park NY 63197 10694.  Take track going E across the plain to NY 63197 10694 where bridleway (bw) crosses, You could practice pacing from track bend at NY 63917 10681 to find the bw.  Go S on bw to fork at NY 63928 10263,  head on bearing to Thunder Stone, Handrail SW to bw crossing wall at NY 64001 10051.  Walk to Monument at NY 63510 09948.  Work out best route from Monument back to car.  Hint: NY 63401 09891 on aerial view


There are others such as crossing the plain to find a road intersection on the far side.  See also https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/1911340/160602-Gaythorne-Plain
« Last Edit: 22:58:49, 26/04/19 by ninthace »
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ninthace

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #6 on: 22:52:19, 26/04/19 »
Was it? It wasn't little black spheres like sheep normally make they were like mini cow pats. I couldn't work out what animal they came from.

Challenges eh? Could be fun...
Unusual to find cows in Stenkrith Park - too many dog walkers.
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archaeoroutes

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #7 on: 23:33:16, 26/04/19 »
Don't be in too much of a rush to using bearings. Get a really good feel for relating the map to the ground first. Start with linear features (which could be handrails or collecting features), then get good at visualising contours.
It's worth practising using the compass needle to orientate the map for those occasions you can't quite get it to make sense from what you can see.
And compasses have very useful rulers along the edges for distances (and thus times).
But the advice I give everyone is leave bearings and pacings until you've got really good at the fundamental thing - being at one with a map. I've seen so many people who have focussed on their compass who miss obvious things they'd have known if they actually looked at the map.

Of course, everyone's different. And bearing and pacing work is fun. So if that's what you are enjoying, feel free to keep going at it, as that's how we all learn best!
I'm really not being patronising. Getting out in the hills and learning to navigate is what it's all about. As someone who doesn't remember learning to do this (I was taught by my dad when I was little), I find your journey is gratifying to follow.
Walking routes visiting ancient sites in Britain's uplands: http://www.archaeoroutes.co.uk

alan de enfield

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #8 on: 08:37:56, 27/04/19 »
………. but in the area I walked in it was full of animal waste and it really put me off for some reason.

............But I'm really having trouble identifying a location where walking on a bearing makes sense and is possible (no fences or walls in the way),



That is 'reality' and something that will always be 'in the way' when hiking - you need to follow footpaths, climb over stiles, cross rivers at bridges etc etc.


Navigation is not about getting from A-B in a straight line, but about getting there 'in one piece' without damaging hedges / walls / fences.
Sometimes you may need to make a detour of 'miles' to gain a few hundred yards.


Practice by all means but practice what you will come across when out hiking, not practice out of a textbook.


Practice standing in the middle of a 'field' with you local map - try and identify all of the features shown on the map.
Take a bearing from you to several of those features. you can now plot your exact location on the map.


Move a few miles and repeat - just get used to visualising the map in the actual terrain.


Worry about walking on a bearing sometime in the future.

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #9 on: 09:33:30, 27/04/19 »


Practice by all means but practice what you will come across when out hiking, not practice out of a textbook.


Practice standing in the middle of a 'field' with you local map - try and identify all of the features shown on the map.
Take a bearing from you to several of those features. you can now plot your exact location on the map.


Move a few miles and repeat - just get used to visualising the map in the actual terrain.

Worry about walking on a bearing sometime in the future.

I think this is good advice, there is a field out of my window with buildings and the corners of the field I can use to do this. I'd dismissed it before on account of the features all being too close and the field being too small but I'll give it a go later today.

Thanks Alan.
« Last Edit: 09:37:20, 27/04/19 by Rob Goes Walking »

Mel

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #10 on: 10:05:36, 27/04/19 »
Totally agree with A de E and that field you mention sounds perfect  O0   It will also be perfect for when you get to the stage you are measuring distance and pacing.


You found your "learning" field  :)









Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #11 on: 10:29:41, 27/04/19 »
Totally agree with A de E and that field you mention sounds perfect  O0   It will also be perfect for when you get to the stage you are measuring distance and pacing.


You found your "learning" field  :)

Thanks Mel, I've practiced pacing a little bit with a sat nav and a tally counter to see how accurate it was (pretty good) but I've not transferred it to measuring the distance on the map yet. I doubt I'll use it as much as you as I suspect it ruins the walk for me and there will hopefully normally be features to take bearings from but I understand sometimes it's essential and is used for boxing too which I would have used on Holme Fell instead of following the obvious path if I'd known it.

Thanks for confirming A de E's advice and taking an interest, as well as confirming my choice of field.

Edit: Grammar, terrible grammar. Also additional thanks for Mel.
« Last Edit: 10:46:37, 27/04/19 by Rob Goes Walking »

alan de enfield

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #12 on: 10:46:12, 27/04/19 »
Grammar, terrible grammar...



Yes, mine was terrible as well, but. not as bad as my Granpaa.

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #13 on: 10:52:51, 27/04/19 »

Rob, this is another link to navigation information that might help,you.


http://www.smw-ab.btck.co.uk/

ninthace

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Re: Overweight hiker navigation thread
« Reply #14 on: 11:05:49, 27/04/19 »
I suspect once you will get some benefit from your field but not a lot.  Once you have got the map the right way up and identified features, both near and far, and taken bearings on them, that will be it I would have thought, especially given the size of the fields in Appleby.
Do not get too hung up on pacing and bearings. Boxing on Holme Fell would probably get you into more trouble in that kind of terrain (bog, slope, rocks and bracken). Walking on a bearing, pacing etc are more techniques for bad visibility, crossing relatively featureless terrain and going off piste.  As such you need to know them but first you need to be able to read a map to follow a route and work out where you are along it.  This is a piece of cake with gps but you still need to be able to do it without one, if only to appreciate what your gps display is telling you.
If you want to start simple, there are some physically easy walks in the area where you can map read your way along to gain confidence in your abilities. After all, you have already said you can map read to some extent. Perhaps the text book has overcomplicated things for you.  Take a walk down Smardale for example. It is a railway walk so you can’t get lost and you can concentrate on fixing your position and thumb your way along it. It has good features like bridges, buildings, water features and field boundaries. The landscape also changes considerably as you go along it so you can also start contour reading.
The Gaythorne Plain takes it to the next level. The fixing features are there but more subtle, apart from the line of the paths and their intersections but the area is bounded by roads so you cannot stray too far.
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