By Sarah Morton
Published: Sep 03, 2012More by
Getting caught without your compass in the Highlands of Scotland could find you in a bit of a sticky situation.
But with some foresight, gaining a little knowledge on natural navigation for walking in Scotland could have you back in safe hands. Perhaps slightly tricky to get to grips with initially. Training yourself to be aware of your surroundings might take more than one go. But you could end up bitten by the bug – ditching your compass and GPS in favour of using natures signs to guide you through the wilderness.
Even if you’re not all that keen on natural navigation for walking in Scotland, some of these pointers could come in handy in the future – I’ve been caught out myself, alone on the plateau of Britain’s third highest mountain in the Cairngorms during bad weather that closed in within minutes and had my digital compass in a real spin and left me navigating boulder fields and a cliff with a sheer drop to my side – even in poor visibility, I found that some natural navigation was the best option for getting myself back to safety.
- Read on for route notes and maps of our Top 5 Hikes in the Cairngorms.
Natural Navigation Techniques
Natural navigation is an art that requires some practice. Below are some natural navigation techniques to help you find your bearings in the wilderness. No GPS, no phone, no compass, not even another soul to talk to. This is what to do in such a situation:
Sun
The sun shining brightly above Ben Nevis. West Highlands.
- The sun is in it’s highest point in the sky at midday, and from here it is due south. The most important thing to remember is the different points the sun rises from relative to the seasons. In midsummer, it rises from the north east and in midwinter it rises from the south east. This is also the point of the day when the sun is at its warmest and therefore most effective for natural navigation, even when there is heavy cloud cover.
- If you’ve got an analogue watch, you’ll find they come in handy here as an alternative to a compass. Point the hour hand directly into the sun and the the direction that lies directly between the hour hand and the number 12 is south.
Rocks
- Even on a cloudy, overcast day when the sun isn’t directly visible heat still filters through the clouds. This makes rocks an excellent navigation tool in Scotland – where we often see quite a bit of cloud! The heat from the sun warms up the rock with the southern side generally being the warmest. So just touching a large rock can help work out what direction to to take.
Puddles
- In the middle of the day, when the sun us highest in the sky, is when the most dramatic changes in surface water can be observed. Anything on the northern side will cast a shadow and stay wet for longer. Puddles are a great navigation tool especially on or near a path or trail. The puddles on the northern side will be much wetter than those on the southern. Even if there are no actual puddles if the ground is softer and wetter on one side, that is most likely the northern side with the southern side being dustier, harder and drier.
