There will be times when you are not sure where you are. The key to good navigation is observation. When you are walking, keep looking around you. Keep a mental note of ALL tick features that you pass, not just the ones you identified from the map at the beginning of the leg.

Once you realise you are not sure where you are there are a few steps to go through.

1) Stop.
Don’t look at the map yet, take a look around you to see if there are features that you will be probably be able to see on the map. A tarn or a ring contour for instance. You may be able to take a bearing on your path or down a valley.

2) Where were you when you last knew where you were?
How long ago was that? What direction have you been walking in since then? How far might you have walked in that time? What have you passed since and when?

3) Put all that together with what you can see on the map.

This is the tricky bit. It is a good idea to start with where you last knew where you were and work forwards following your route recalling what you passed (note: the route you took may be different from the route you were meant to take). All being well you should be able to identify your position with ease using the features you identified in step 1. Be very aware of the tendency to make things fit with what you can see when they don’t in real life. Pay particular attention to scale.

What if that doesn’t work?

If you are getting nowhere you may wish to consider one of the following courses of action

1) Move around a bit to see if you can see more helpful features. Don’t go far but moving a short distance will often reveal new features.

2) Back tracking to a place that you knew where you were.

Learning how to relocate is more about looking around you rather than looking at the map. When lost, inexperienced navigators tend to start studying the map intently looking for clues. It is easy to be 10 meters from a tarn and not be able to see it if you are slightly below it. However, if you can see a tarn on the ground (and it is big enough) then it will be on the map.

Look around first, look at the map second.