Topics
Guide topics
Finding your way comes down to four skills: understanding a map, knowing where north is, using your phone sensibly and keeping safety in mind. Below, the guide's pages are sorted into these four groups so you can go straight to what you need right now instead of reading everything in order.
A map answers the question "where", a compass answers "which way". Confidence comes when you ask yourself both, one after the other.
We only cover questions that ordinary people face on a walk, a weekend hike or in an unfamiliar city. We deliberately leave out advanced expedition techniques, river crossings, unprepared overnight stays and other risky activities.
The map
How a map works, what the scale numbers and symbols mean, and how to match the sheet to the ground around you.
- Glossary: scale and contour lines
Short definitions of the map terms that turn up in any article about orienteering.
- Questions about maps and scale
How to turn centimetres on the sheet into metres on the ground and judge how steep a slope is from the lines.
- Your first walk with a map
A collection for anyone picking up a map for the first time and wanting to follow a simple route.
Compass and directions
Where north is according to the needle and where it really is, what a bearing is, and how to estimate direction without a compass.
- A route by map and compass
A step-by-step article: from choosing your destination to checking you have arrived where you meant to.
- Direction terms
Bearing, magnetic declination, true north and magnetic north in plain language.
- Questions about compasses
Why the needle can mislead you near metal, and how far you can trust the sun.
Phone navigation
How to prepare your phone for a walk so it helps you rather than letting you down at the worst moment.
- Questions about phones
Offline maps, saving battery, how accurate the dot on the screen is and sharing your location.
- A city without a sat nav
A collection on finding your way by house numbers, stations and signposts.
- Satellite systems
How GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou differ, and why your phone listens to several at once.
Safety
What to do before you set off, and how to act if you no longer know where you are.
- Five steps before a walk
Route shared, phone charged, landmarks at the start, a turnaround time and a plan for losing your way.
- Questions about safety
When to call 112 or your local emergency number, what to tell rescuers and why you shouldn't guess your way.
- Orienteering with children
How to agree rules with a child and turn a walk into a game with a map.
Where to go next
What this page is based on
- Topographic maps and their symbols
- 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.