![]() Walk on to where your buddy stopped and repeat the whole process until it’s either clear enough to make out features to follow or you make it back to safety. If it’s windy and you can’t hear, use your arms to signal positioning, but make sure you discuss it beforehand so you’re both on the same page. With the bearing you’ve taken, send your most courageous companion on ahead, making sure they know to walk slowly and listen for your explicitly detailed directions of “left a bit… stop there… right a bit.” to ensure they’ve walked in line with the bearing. Leapfrogging is the solution to navigating across featureless ground, where walking on a bearing is pretty much impossible. In a situation where you can’t make out any features at all, this technique would be pretty darn difficult. Done by sight alone, it’s easier than you might think to line up the wrong feature and start heading in the wrong direction. Trev told us that many folk fall into the trap of trying to set the map by using features and landmarks. A simple task, but one that Trev and Dave often see done wrong. That way, all the features (whether you can see them or not) will all line up and you can take a bearing for the direction you should be heading. ![]() Lie the compass on the map and rotate until North on the map lines up with magnetic North on the compass. Tip #2 - How to navigate with a compass in the dark Check the weather, and even if all looks well, a spare jacket for the cold and a head torch for unanticipated darkness will stop you getting caught off-guard. Pack the right kit - Yes, we know this isn’t directly about navigation (although a map and compass should be #1 and #2 on your list), but packing the right kit can make the difference between keeping calm in a whiteout and all-out panic stations. Be mindful of where the nearest buildings, roads or rivers are that will lead safely back to civilisation. Planning where the nearest path back to safety is, from any point on your route, ensures you know the best way to escape should the weather turn. ![]() You never know when a heavy cloud might descend and limit visibility. Plan escape routes - The weather can be unpredictable, even during a British summer. That way, if you do end up losing your bearings, you’ll have a much smaller space in which to re-locate yourself. Trev recommends setting checkpoints, having them written down or marked on the map so you can tick them off as you go. ![]() Pick out features, landmarks or anything that could be used to locate yourself should the weather turn. Know where you’re leaving from, where you’re going and what the route and surroundings look like. Know your route – Before you head out for a hike, run or whatever the adventure might be, you should always plot the route. When we were chatting to Trev and Dave, one thing became very clear: be prepared! “ Navigation starts at home,” they told us, and we’d be inclined to agree. Tip #1 – Fail to prepare, prepare to get lost! How to navigate with a compass in the dark.We spoke to experts - Trev and Dave from Edale Mountain Rescue Team - about how to navigate in low visibility. So are the cloudier days, and the low sun.
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