NAVIGATION
KNOWING HOW TO NAVIGATE THE COUNTRYSIDE IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF
TIP
ANY OUTDOOR EXPEDITIONS. KNOWING THE BASICS OF NAVIGATION WILL
HELP YOU TO SAFELY TRAVERSE THROUGH UNFAMILIAR TERRAIN.
MAGNETIC
VARIATION
MOST OF THE TIME ANTS
COMPASS
IMPORTANT OUTDOOR SKILL; NOT JUST FOR
WALKERS, BUT CYCLISTS AND RUNNERS TOO. IT'S
N
NORTH AND NOT MAGNETIC NORTH
- AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE TWO IS USUALLY SHOWN IN
MAP
LEARNING HOW TO USE A COMPASS IS AN
ALSO KNOWN AS MAGNETIC DECLINATION
MAPS ARE ORIENTED TO GRID
LEAVE THEIR NEST IN A
SOUTHERLY DIRECTION
THE MAP IS ONE OF THE KEY ESSENTIAL
GOOD TO TAKE A COMPASS WITH YOU, BUT EVEN
COMPONENTS THAT YOU WILL NEED
BETTER IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT!
WHEN NAVIGATING. IN THE UK, THE
ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPS ARE THE
MAP SCALE
THE MAP MARGIN. YOU'LL NEED TO
ALLOW FOR THIS DIFFERENCE
WHEN CONVERTING BETWEEN A
MOST COMMON BECAUSE THEY HAVE A
GREAT AMOUNT OF DETAIL WHICH WILL
ASSIST YOU TO NAVIGATE YOUR WAY
THE MOST COMMON OS MAP SCALES ARE 1:25,000 - 1:50,000.
MAP BEARING (BASED ON GRID
NORTH) AND A COMPASS BEARING
THIS EXAMPLE
(BASED ON MAGNETIC NORTH).
SHOWS A
SAFELY ON YOUR EXPEDITION.
1:25,000 MEANS THAT 1CM ON THE MAP REPRESENTS 250
METRES ON THE GROUND.
VARIATION OF 4º
GREAT BRITAIN
2
6
O
STEPS
O
THE MAGNETIC VARIATION
WHEN NAVIGATING, ANOTHER WAY
THROUGHOUT GREAT BRITAIN
OF CALCULATING DISTANCE APART
CURRENTLY RANGES FROM 2º TO 6º
FROM THE NAISMITH’S RULE IS BY
(AS OF 2013).
COUNTING STEPS. THIS IS USEFUL
IN LOW VISIBILITY SITUATIONS
WHERE THERE AREN’T ANY VISIBLE
AIDES.
THE THEORY
TERRAIN
OBJECTS
IF YOUR AVERAGE STRIDE LENGTH IS
0.8 METRES
THEN IT WILL TAKE
125 STEPS
WHEN PLANNING AND TRAVELLING USE NATURAL
FEATURES TO CONFIRM YOUR POSITION. THESE COULD BE
TO DO
RIVERS, LAKES, HILLS. TAKE CARE WHEN USING MAN MADE
100 METRES
FEATURES AS THESE CAN CHANGE, BUT WALLS
(ESPECIALLY STONE WALLS) CAN ALSO AID NAVIGATION.
NAISMITH'S
RULE
ALLOW
60 MINUTES
FOR EVERY
4 KM
FORWARD
NAISMITH'S RULE IS A RULE
OF THUMB THAT HELPS IN
EXPEDITION BY CALCULATING
HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO
TIP
THE SUN RISES
IN THE EAST
ASCENTS. THE RULE WAS
DEVISED BY WILLIAM W.
NAISMITH, A SCOTTISH
MOUNTAINEER, IN 1892.
THE ASCENT IS 1500 METRES THEN:
1500
METRES
FOR EVERY
CONTOUR (10 METRES)
OF ASCENT
4.5 KM = 67.5 MINS
1500 METRES ASCENT = 150 MINS
TOTAL = 217.5 MINS
= 3 HOURS 37.5 MINS
10
METRES
USED THE SUN,
9
80 0
70
MOON, AND STARS
TO NAVIGATE.
AND SO DOES
THE MOON
THE GAP BETWEEN EACH CONTOUR LINE ON
AN OS MAP REPRESENTS A HEIGHT OF 10
60
METRES. AN EASY WAY TO REMEMBER THIS
50
40
30
IS TO IMAGINE THAT EACH GAP IS THE SIZE
OF A HOUSE WHICH IS ROUGHLY 10 METRES.
CONTOURS
SPACED OUT
CONTOURS
TIGHTLY PACKED
CONTOURS
WHEN CONTOUR LINES ARE SPACED
AREAS OF CLOSELY SPACED
WIDELY APART, IT MEANS THE SLOPE
LINES ARE AREAS OF STEEP
OF THE AREA IS GRADUAL
GROUND.
150
80
70
60
4.5 KM
1 KILOMETRE
INVENTED, PEOPLE
THE WEST
EXAMPLE
IF THE ROUTE IS 4.5 KM IN LENGTH AND
TO DO
COMPASS WAS
AND SETS IN
1 MINUTE
WALK THE ROUTE, INCLUDING
1250 STEPS
BEFORE THE
PLUS
THE PLANNING OF A
WALKING OR HIKING
SO IT WILL TAKE
100
50
50
Designed by Iwan Jones, Cwmni Cynnal 2013 ©