Collections
Collections
A collection puts the guide's pages in a handy order for a particular situation. Choose the one closest to your plans and read it in order: the basics first, then the more advanced pages. Every collection links only to pages that are already published.
Navigation skills grow from the miles you walk, not the pages you read. A collection tells you what to read, but you still have to walk the route yourself.
Our collections include only published pages of the guide, and we mark the level: what suits beginners and what is better left until you have the basics.
Your first walk with a map
For anyone who wants to follow a simple route with a paper map in a park they know.
- Five steps before you set offGetting started
Route shared, map downloaded, landmarks at the start and a time when you will turn back.
- Scale and map symbolsGetting started
How to read the scale and the map legend, and what contour lines are.
- A route by map and compassNext step
Eight steps from finding yourself on the map to checking you have arrived where you meant to.
Orienteering with children
For parents who want to teach their child not to get lost and turn a walk into a game with a map.
- Safety rulesGetting started
What to agree before you go: stay put if lost, and know the emergency number — 112 or your local one.
- Directions and the compassGetting started
How to find north with the needle together, and why the sun gives only a rough answer.
- A little map routeNext step
A step-by-step article you can follow together, letting your child choose the landmarks.
A city without a sat nav
For anyone who ends up in an unfamiliar neighbourhood with their phone off or no internet.
- Preparing your phoneGetting started
An offline map, saving battery and sending your location to family or friends.
- Guide topicsGetting started
An overview of the topics covering wayfinding by streets, stations and signposts.
- Satellite navigationNext step
How a phone works out where it is, and why the dot sometimes jumps between buildings.
Where to go next
What this page is based on
- Guides to land navigation and orienteering
- EMERCOM of Russia — outdoor safety leaflets
Maps go out of date, trails get overgrown and rules for visiting natural areas change. Before you set out, check up-to-date information and follow any instructions on site. This guide covers general techniques and is no substitute for training and preparation for demanding routes.