Starting out?

Hello All

I am a keen mountain biker and I enjoy my walking.  When I am out walking with my gfriend we always pack a compass.  Now, my gfriend is the only one out of us that can correctly use it.  I know sort of but not fully.

Now, we have only ever used it once due to the bad weather just to check where we were (dont ask me how she did it) but anyways, we were on the right track.

I am going to get my gfriend to teach me how to use it correct (the compass that is oo errr ) so that in an emergancy situation nothing goes horribley wrong.

I was thinking last night however and I am sorry for my ignorance, but I can read an OS map pretty well and follow footpaths no problem using landmarks (wall, outbuildings paths etc) so, when does a compass come into use really when walking in the UK?  Is it only really needed when going of "piste" ?

This should be interesting...

I could do with some pointers as well

Tim - there should be a pointer on your compass. If there isn't, take it back & get a replacement.

GT - I would advise learning how to use one properly. A good starting point - this book.

I think the "off piste" remark is a fair one for the most part, but there are times when paths don't quite do on the ground what they're "meant" to be doing on the map, and in that situation some sort of orientation device can be useful.  For example, if the Forestry Commision has been at work since the map was printed then reading the map isn't necessarily much use on its own, because it isn't a proper representation of what you need to navigate through.

They're not hard to use.  Peter Cliff's excellent Mountain Navigation has long been a good "how to" guide, and may well be a useful addition to a bit of personal instruction.

Pete.

a compass will tell you if you are on the correct path - well a path that goes in the same direction as the one you want to be on.

it will tell you what path to take when you have a choice and they're not all on the map.

it can tell you where you are by taking sightings on landmarks/bearing on a natural feature such as a slope and cross referencing the bearings back onto the map.

whilst not absolutely necessary, i find a compass extremely helpful in the south east as there seems to be multitude of "path" options where you don't want them so i can get the correct way to go (or the occasional "exploring alternative destinations") - national trust land is always fun as there are lots of paths that aren't on the map.

play and practice with the compass. the basics are really easy to pick up. also get used to using the sun for a general idea of where south is.

Thanks for the replys.

When I am out in the Yorks Dales or Peaks biking I will study the map pre ride for a few hours making sure its drilled into my head, but like you say its not always the case when youre out there!

Bill, my gfriend has done her mountain leadership course, she is going to teach me, but the book would be a nice addition and reference, thanks.

GT,

you'll get more from a bit of practical experience with you ML gf (well found there mate!) than you'll learn from us here...

but to answer your first question about when it is necessary to use a compass; that's pretty easy...

If you wait until you are already lost, then you've missed out on one of the key benefits of using a compass! The idea is to use it regularly while the map reading is fairly easy and then, when suddenly you lose visibility of landmarks, you'll be able to use it to continue on your planned course without being able to see them. You can also use it to send someone ahead to the limit of visibility (and shouting distance) and then position them on the desired bearing. Repeat until you get there or can see again! I have to admit that this technique is slow & frustrating, but potentially life saving.

It's obviously more useful when you aren't following a clearly marked footpath, but if you go out on the (often plateau-shaped) tops of Scottish mountains, there's rarely a path to the top. I know that I'd have never found the summit of Ben Alder with my Dad if I hadn't been able to navigate (not particularly well, but enough) in near zero visibility.

On open moorland a copmass is often needed especially upland moorland in the clag you get. Once the cloud comes down on a rounded type of hill with limited features it is very easy to go in the wrong direction. If you ever do the Fairfield Horseshoe you will most probably head off from Fairfield in the wrong direction if the cloud is in (as it is most often). It is well known for people going down the wrong valley with the subsequent £80 taxi fair (have known it happen to someone a few years ago).

Of course it is often better to use it before you get lost. Even in good visibility it is possible to go off route where a bearing on a compass would keep you straight and true. BTW a ML GF sounds a good shout there. Learn all you can such as slope aspects, bearing off, hand rails, etc. ML is a good qual to have to get the nav basics right. Might get it one day.

Of course getting lost can also be fun.

There's some useful information and guidance here.

The Ordnance Survey are the guys that make the maps so their advice is worth considering; here is an OS video podcast guide to easy map-reading, and here is an OS booklet called Map Reading made Easy, and here's another one called Map Reading made Easy Peasy!

Silva make good compasses - here is their guide.

Most of these guides concentrate on how to take bearings and follow them, but what you often also need, especially when you haven't followed their advice, is the ability to figure out where you are - what orienteers call 'relocating'. ie. "WTF am I?". Two ways a compass can help you do this are 1. take the bearing of a feature where you are - in your case, as a biker, this will often be a path, and find a bit of the same path on the map with the same bearing. 2. point the compass down hill and take the bearing - this is called the 'angle of slope'. Move your compass around the map in the likely area and find a bit of slope with the same bearing. Both these techniques can give you useful information even in bad visibility.