COMPASS SKILLS AND NAVIGATION TIPS
You’ll need some support to learn to use your compass to its full capability but here’s one really useful compass skill we could all do with. Here I explain how to face east – but you can use the same method to face any cardinal direction. To avoid too much confusion, I recommend building a few map-reading skills first then practising with your compass at home, and again at your start location.
USING A COMPASS TO FACE EAST
1. Hold your compass level so the larger part of the baseplate is facing away from you.
2. As you turn the bezel, you’ll see numbers and letters passing over a thin vertical line. Keep turning until the letter E (east) is directly above this line.
3. Turn your whole body (not the compass or the bezel) around until north on the floating magnetic needle is lined up with the solid north arrow beneath it (see inset image). You are now facing east. HINT: If the liquid in your compass has a bubble, it may not be accurate. Keep compasses away from electronic devices, and try not to drop them.
MY TOP THREE NAVIGATION TIPS 1. Plan routes everywhere
Repetition is by far the best way to build your navigation skills, so start planning short map-reading routes wherever you are.
Maps are great for urban spaces as well as the countryside, and can help you find footpaths and green spaces you didn’t previously know about.
2. Walk alone or with an understanding friend
Learning to read a map requires plenty of concentration and a fair amount of backtracking. This is all fine but sometimes easier to deal with if you are walking on your own. If you feel happier with company, explain to your companion that you’re going to be slower and less chatty than usual.
3. Be patient with yourself
Even competent navigators make mistakes, so don’t get cross with yourself when things go wrong. Return to your last known point and start that navigation leg again. Remember, working out what you did wrong is one of the best ways to build your skills. Fi Darby is an outdoors writer, blogger and children’s author. She is an Ordnance Survey Get Outside Champion and one half of outdoor blogging duo Two Blondes Walking.