I'm sitting here thinking what a pleasure school would have been if the teachers/prof.s were half as interesting as this gentleman. His students are fortunate.
I love the split-screen with terrain and map. Relating the map to the actual features can be really difficult, depending on location, so this really helps. Thank you for putting "The Commitments" at the top of your list! What a wonderful movie! Indeed, the songs are better than the originals. Shout out to Roddy Doyle, the author.
Was really good bumping into you, when you're out walking there's nothing better than just taking 10 minutes out of your day to chat to someone you don't know but is out doing the same thing as you. Something that seems to be all but lost in normal day to day goings on. Keep up the good work!
TH-cam threw up one of your videos randomly and it's fair to say, I've binged nearly all of your videos now. Absolutely excellent. Great information, expertly and humorously delivered. Thank you very much for the effort you put into these. Please keep them coming. I think I'll also be looking into taking one of your courses at some stage.
Awesome video. I have just one remark: "Always trust your compass" can be very dangerous! Recently I had been practicing using the compass a bit whilst on hikes in Hong Kong, and in a particular location something interesting happened. I knew the exact point where I was located, but no matter what bearings of obvious landmarks I took around me, nothing seemed to make sense. Apparently stone of the particular pagoda I was sitting in, or the rock it was built on, was likely ferromagnetic (steel construction? Iron deposits? who knows, although that particular island is vulcanic of origin, so high iron content rocks isn't a far fetch). Moving just 15-20m away from that spot and the readings were spot on. And this was done with a proper compass, not a cheapo (Silva expedition S). So external factors such as magnetic anomalies can throw off a compass bearing, and if you think things dont really seem to make sense, I would rather suggest to walk 50m onward and try again to see if the readings are consistent. Or perhaps its a good idea to do a sanity check against a known reference, for example the sun?
The same goes for vehicles… late 70s my Troop Leader had ‘geographically embarrassed’ the Troop… I suggested that he might take his Francis Barker M73 about 50metres away from our Chieftain tank and read it from there rather than following it while stood in the turret 🤦🏻♂️
I have been orienteering on an island in Norway that had large amounts of metal underground in old bunkers and the like. We got told by the locals before starting "don't bring a compass, it will be useless in this area"
Great advice. I also "stink test" my bearings to make sure I didn't turn my compass around the wrong way in the wind, rain, my tired condition. That is, does the bearing you measure make sense. Think about placing a 360 degree protractor on the map, get an idea of the approximate bearing, compare to what you measured. I also look at the terrain and imagine what the map topography would be, orient the map, and then look in the direction of the observed terrain and find the feature. The split screen worked great.
Outstanding video. Thank you. If I won the lottery I’d move to a place where I could go on walks and hikes all the time. I live hours from any real place that would require map and compass, which is a shame because it is such a good time and experience.
Great video, love the regular chuckles when explaining points, not sure whats running through your head at that time, but it makes me watch and listen😂 👌👍
Re not being very imaginative about naming places, I’d say it’s simply a matter of pragmatism. Little Brinhowe Gill would be much easier to find as a little stream that runs down a hill where Brin lived rather than another mix of adjectives attached to a noun representing some abstract concept that had or has nothing to do with the terrain or the events that took place in that spot. What’s more - how would we get to hear the tales of the places you walk if not for the history built into those names (along with the extraordinary detail of the ordinance survey maps and marvellous use of the gothic typeface). Heoi anō, fabulous videos, great stories, practical advice, beautiful scenery, engaging teaching style - love your work. 😊
You have one of the most excellent channels. Listening carefully to everything you talked about: We use the same techniques when we're driving from one city to the next, or shopping in a mall. We just don't realize it.
Just watched the "real world navigation / map reading" video, and I realised you say "you're not lost, you've just moved to a point where you didn't want to be" or something similar in several videos. About how catching features are a tool to apply there. But what would you do if you somehow missed your catching feature or actually got lost and had to try and find your location from almost no recollection or whatever? I guess I'd start with backtracking, but if that goes wrong you can just lead yourself astray even more. Loving your videos, honestly. With the calm and methodical explanations and the waffles on different topics. Really great!
In a situation like this I think I would go for the slope aspect to relocate myself. But I do not have much practice on navigation, one could think on a more appropriate technique
Thanks again, Wayne. I was in my teens when I spent time near Sudbury (Ontario, Canada), where the NASA Astronauts brought the Lunar Buggy to practice on, because the terrain apparently resembles the lunar surface. Anyway, because of the sulfur emissions from the mines, we had stacks blowing sulfur smoke in three directions, and leaving a bad taste in our mouth like someone lit matches all day in your face. This destroyed the vegetation, leaving black burnt rocks all around Sudbury. When the wind blew from the east, there were no stacks, but it surely brought rain. The terrain, with pre-Cambrian rock outcrops, had also desert sand-like conditions, clay fields, lots of blueberries, stunted trees, and great views from mountain tops. That is where I learned to navigate using a Silva Ranger military compass, from 1970 onwards. It is surprising how quickly one can learn the map features by studying the map (1:50000 at that time) and resectioning or triangulating locations. But, thirty miles away, in any direction, the natural vegetation occurred: semi- boreal - deciduous mid-Ontario forests, with the same pre-Cambrian landscape, only it was well treed. Navigation became then more strategic, as I had to leap-frog through thick underbrush, or, find alternate ridges and high points to avoid entangling myself in the bush. But it does mean you need to really look at your map, study it, find all catching features, and trust the compass. I admire your extensive navigational skills, they far outclass me, but I do know how to get safely to most places I intend to go. It is a matter of situational awareness at all times.
Great channel and I appreciate all the content you provide. My only suggestion is to be aware that not all your viewers are fortunate enough to be able to use the phenomenal cartography of the British Isles. Your fans in the US are stuck with USGS topo maps at 1:24000 resolution and knowing where you are on a map at all times is a little more challenging. Some hints on how to improve map navigation at that level of resolution would be welcome. I use hiking apps, gps, paper maps and compass in combination as needed but find GPS to be most reliable. Given that I rarely hike longer than 10 miles, hiking app maps and GPS may be the best options but I’d like to use paper maps more than I currently am. Thanks for sharing your skills and knowledge. Cheers!
Great video, brilliant tutorial as always. Your film choices, I've seen all of those and they're all excellent, especially the Commitments and the Ride Sally Ride scene is hilarious! My choices would be Get Carter, A School For Scoundrels and Quadrophenia, no particular order.
Experience is a great teacher, in spite of me navigating from my early days, I was descending from Bleaklow in the Peak District, and walked onto a stream that I decided was flowing due East as I thought the outcrop on the horizon was Bull Stones, East of the River Derwent, they were in fact Horse Stones, North of the Derwent, so I walked North instead of East, and added 6 miles to my walk. Not a problem, but in bad weather and tiredness, not so good.
I often have that thought in the hills along the lines of "I wonder when the last human being stood on this spot?", and wondering what their life might have been like. Might I say how refreshing it is to watch your videos, when so much of this end of TH-cam is obsessed with adding drama and words like 'TACTICAL' or 'SHTF' to the video title to try and get more clicks! All the best.
Just caught up on all of your videos, really informative and entertaining so thank you! My top 3 films are probably 1. Cloud Atlas 2. Barry Lyndon 3. Apocalypse now
I walk a lot. You've helped me avoid getting lost a few times with your great information, thank you! I always use a small self adhesive arrow which I stick on my map as I go as an indicator of my progress, it saves me so much time in keeping track on my map 👍. Works for me!
Love these videos. Just a note RE the Fjallraven trousers - they're only really showerproof at best, unless you wax them. They do their own wax, but I've used other stuff with reasonable success as well.
Another great video - full of meaningful tips and advice. I have to know: Have your Fjallraven trousers been treated with Greenland wax? I own two pair and haven't worn them in really wet conditions yet. I need to make sure they're properly prepared for the challenge.
In order of the questions: Cat: Time for bed? Lottery Win: AC cars Roadster 427 Films: Apocalypse Now / Lawrence of Arabia / Jacobs Ladder Best episode to date, really enjoyable to watch. Thank you.
Nice vid, I know this area well. Without wanting to shatter illusions I'd guess human feet have trodden here fairly recently, likely gathering sheep. Love the sock observation, it really is peak living :-)
How good are they man? What's the grip and ankle stability like? I have 3 pair of Mammut which are awesome, very grippy and, 2 pairs are really decent for the ankle stability. The other pair are lightweight and more like glorified trainer boots but, still really comfortable
@@Soul_of_a_Robot I’ve got three paid of their Army style boots - Military Ops / Kven & Narvik and not had a problem - very comfortable- no break-in time, flexible (can drive in them) and not really had a grip problem although got a bit skaty in Canadian snow if you weren’t watching where you put your feet. Also, sign up for the online membership and get a discount 👍🏻
Another great informative and useful video !!! I'm in New Zealand and the bush here can be very rugged and dense with limited visibility to only a few meters while under a bush canopy. Do you have a video for this type of terrain ? Thanks
There are so many good films, and which ones I think are the best change, depending on my mood. The Death of Stalin is one that is always high on my list, as is the Blues Brothers.
I tend to use tick-off features for things you're expecting to pass on the way and collecting feature for some sort of backstop feature (often handraily) which you'll hit if you've gone too far.
In Continental Europe, you will find that the official topographical maps don't always show the hiking paths very clearly. It's often better to get a purpose-designed hiking map, where the paths (often numbered) are shown clearly. Sometimes these just have the hiking paths printed over the official topographical maps but in other cases the map company has designed their own map. You need a scale of between 1:25000 and 1:50000, with a preference towards the 1:25000 end of the range.
1:20 no focus - more waffling!!! Whilst English is my first language I also speak Norwegian and this sort of stuff, the ancient connections betwixt Scandinavia and the UK is fascinating. Tjern (Tyehrn in English phonetically) in Norwegian means small lake or pond, so it's still the same :) ETA. 4:08 Easdale Beck: also a point for waffling here. "Beck" also comes from Scandinavian I think - a very small river, a stream, a burn in Scotland (from whence I hail) likely a brook in southern English is a "bekk" in Norwegian :) EATA: 17:22 Fjällräven is actually pronounced fyell - rehven, but even a lot of Swedes say rahvan... In any case you must pronounce the j (y) to say fjell, fyell, meaning mountain, and räven, rehven or rahven, meaning fox - Mountain Fox clothing.
If only I used any of these points on the OMM Lite which used that bridleway. Ran straight past the first checkpoint on the bridge, too excited to be up in the hills
I have a Paramo smock which is over 20 years old - the red one I wear in some videos. I have washed it but never treated it in all that time. It’s still rain-proof. It’s not waterproof (it never was) but that's OK as I have North Face / Berghaus / Mountain Hardwear / etc, outer-shells for that. Like most people I like things which you can buy and they just do what they are supposed to do. These trousers are (I think, so may be wrong) meant to be worn outside - well that what the adverts say - I wore them outside and they didn’t work. It wasn’t raining as you can see in the video it was just a normal day in the English hills. Oh well, it’s not a big problem. A] I learnt something and B] I have lots of outdoor gear that does work. I’m sure Fjallraven are good for some things, but not for use in my working environment when it’s not a nice sunny day.
As far as I've been told, Fjällräven achieves water-tightness the old fashioned way, with wax. And wax simply does not stand up very well to physical contact and rubs off eventually (even if you don't wash it, where it doesn't stand up very well to the heat and detergents). Other brands achieve water-tightness through other chemicals. I don't know which chemicals exactly, but they apparently hold up much better against even washing, usually lasting a decade or more. Although they are also not 100% permanent, as evident from the fact that you can buy those chemicals for re-sealing waterproof clothing that has gotten permeable.
Oh, just read in another comment thread that the pants are only 2 weeks old. Yeah, that's not what I would call clothing suitable for the outdoor environment.
The songs in the commitments do sound way better than the originals. Roid Sally roid. I have my own thoughts on the 3greatest films, but cannot deny yours
Excuse me, english is not my mother tongue but as you stand on the bridge right after the easy stroll, you said: on the right hand side, but you went ro l left. Did i miss something in your explanation? Anyway, i love your channel and all the very interesting excurses about history, geology, linguistic. That is for my humble opinion exactly to know where you are. Cheers from Berlin
@@nickdeagle3271 at around 11.05 when he stand on the wooden foot bridge... i could not hear that he mantioned a wall or a fence. But all in that even if it's right instead of left, it does not make the video bad. I maybe am what german call: ein Korintherkacker. Sorry i do not have a propper english translation for that...
I've just watched it back and he said that he was going to go up the right hand side of the hill that he was pointing to on his left hand side, or in other words, the hill was on his left hand side and he was going to go up the right hand side of that hill. I hope that makes sense.
@ Was it the right hand side of the brook? I notice a few areas in the video that might fit, but in any case, I’m sure it works. It was an enjoyable video and certainly worth it for all the knowledge provided and beautiful vistas. I liked the use of tarn. I’m from Nova Scotia and I know of a local reference that is no longer used, called Kilties Tarn. It referred to a small pond where Kiltie Sutherland lived. He was so named because he was one of the last to wear the kilt. A little waffle right back at yah. 😀
Also, always trust the compass. The compass never lies. Have been in some real pea soupers in mountain marathons relying on the compass all day long nearly. It never lies. Even at times when you feel its not right, it always is. Know where you are, where you are going to, and what will you see along the way.
A: Actual cats which do "talk" (using buttons) seem to all pretty early go through a phase of trying to beg for extra food (until they realize that they only rarely get some). B: I have no idea what to buy if I won the lottery. Which probably adds to all the other reasons why I don't play the lottery. C: My top movies: 1= Tim Burton's Corpse Bride; 2= The Matrix. For the top 3rd movie I can't decide from memory between Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Leon The Professional, Starship Troopers, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. I'd need to watch these candidates again; and probably all those famous Studio Ghibli anime movies. Tangent: I'm surprised how mediocre most movies on top 100 lists are. Apparently there's a lot less *really deep* and *influential* and *popular* movies out there than I thought. It's apparently an exception if one of them is something along the lines of Memento, Bambi, Pulp Fiction, The Green Mile, The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride. And then "Enemy Mine" wasn't even on those lists.
I keep wondering: What map case are you using? I can never quite make out what it is. And for good socks, you should check out Darn Tough socks. They come with a lifetime warranty, and are the best socks I've ever wore.
I use a Silva M30 map case - no I'm not on commission, that's just my personal preference. IMO all "mountaineering socks" are a waste of money. I get mine from a local supermarket - £5 for 5 pairs (or cheaper if I can find reasonably rugged, reasonable thick). If your boots fit correctly it doesn't matter which type of socs your wear. If your boots don’t fit correctly you’ll have problems. I spend a lot of money on boots and getting them fitted. I spend as little as possible on socks. Although I imagine specialist sock manufactures will disagree 😊
Imagine if there was a little device that could tell you your map grid reference to within 15 feet, even in poor visibility or where the terrain is featureless. Where there was no need to try and find something to take a bearing from, and no need to work out whether to add or subtract magnetic variation. That's why I use a GPS device (not a smartphone) to locate my position on a map. I carry a compass out of habit but haven't needed to use it in almost 20 years. Technology makes life simpler.
Lakeland local here. Please take navigation seriously - it's scary how often I encounter people in the fells who have no idea where they are. Last time I passed by Great Castle How I'd been on the plateau near High Raise when I was suddenly hit by ferocious 70mph wind with blinding sleet from the SE. This was in midsummer, with a moderate forecast! It was physically impossible to follow my planned route back down to Stickle Tarn - I'd have had to crawl the whole way. In appalling conditions I had to improvise a more sheltered route down to Easedale Tarn and then work back over the pass by Blea Rigg. You need to be able to plan and follow a route, even under stress when the wind is blowing you off your feet and you can barely see your feet. In the British hills you can never trust the weather. Navigation needs to be practiced till it's automatic and you can be confident in your skills in any conditions.
How do you simply walk off the path and up over the land? There's bog and rough and swamp and all sorts of nasty stuff to find while going off track....
If you look at the map, the whole area is shaded pale yellow, which means that it's access land and you can wander wherever you like. When you've walked over rough ground a few times, you get an eye for what ground is good to walk over and what to avoid. Yes, you can be wrong and end up knee deep in a bog, but that's just a learning experience...
I slightly disagree with the 'always know where you are' over-emphasis. Firstly it doesn't acknowledge the expected accuracy of that 'knowing'. Modern GPS is about 3m which is way finer than shown on a 50k map (less than a hairs breadth!), so having an appreciation for local feature size is at least as important. But secondly, it doesn't give a space for being between 'unsafely lost' (no way home) and 'absolutely found' (standing on a trig point in force 9 gale ;-). What's needed is that in-between level of knowing, that even if one makes a mediocre mistake, you can still plot a safe route out of the predicament without walking over cliff etc. I still profoundly agree that continuing to pay attention to the surroundings, and the map, is of great importance, so that when a fog bank rolls over you from 'behind' you still have a solid feel for position in the landscape. Solid paths that have diverted from their original map course catch many out!
@@TheMapReadingCompany definitely. It was the potential for confusion about necessary level of accuracy I was pointing out. Nordic skiing on the Moine mhor (glen feshie, Carn ban mhor, tom dubh) in a grey out fair concentrates the mind as to features, aspect of slope and the like.
@TheMapReadingCompany I know the shop well. These trousers are not impregnated with wax when you first buy them, as not everyone wants the feeling of waxed cotton. It is, however, an option Fjallraven promote should you wish to waterproof them.
A cat might say. "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" If I won the lottery, I would immediately give half to my Alma mater because they have done wonderful things to make an outstanding education to hard-working students who couldn’t otherwise afford it. (University of Washington, Seattle) I’m not much of a moviegoer, but my two favorites might be Shawshank Redemption and 2001 Space Odyssey. Platoon impressed me and was quite emotional if you lived in those times.
Yes. If you look on the OS maps of Little Castle How (just to west of Grasmere) you can see that it is a wooded area with grass, but for some reason the tree icons are only shown in the southern end of the wood. Why? - who knows. There are lots of OS maps free on-line here’s an example maps.walkingclub.org.uk/hills/2468/tarn-crag-easedale
I dont think Fjellraven have water proof pants.They are probobly watet repellent. You can try to use greenland wax it will help,but they can never be waterproof.
Fresh socks don't get enough credit. Walk briskly for 8 or 12 hours. Then get comfortable, brew a nice drink, and put on a fresh, squishy pair of socks. It's as if your feet say, "Ahhhhhh" 3 Great Films 1.) _Empire Strikes Back_ 2.) _Braveheart_ 3.) _The Mission_
Your cat would say. "Let me out of this house so I can go and kill every mammal, bird and reptile for no reason at all other than fun and if I can find one of those Scottish wild cats... you know the really rare ones? Yep I'm going to cross breed with it, so that it become extinct". Then it would say - "Oh first I need to go and have dump in next doors garden - bit of luck they'll walk it in it and take through into their house". That aside, brilliant video, just about to go to the Highlands for 3 days in the middle of no-where fog and everything no doubt.
I'm sitting here thinking what a pleasure school would have been if the teachers/prof.s were half as interesting as this gentleman. His students are fortunate.
I love the split-screen with terrain and map. Relating the map to the actual features can be really difficult, depending on location, so this really helps. Thank you for putting "The Commitments" at the top of your list! What a wonderful movie! Indeed, the songs are better than the originals. Shout out to Roddy Doyle, the author.
Highlight of the film - the horse in the lift 😊
Was really good bumping into you, when you're out walking there's nothing better than just taking 10 minutes out of your day to chat to someone you don't know but is out doing the same thing as you. Something that seems to be all but lost in normal day to day goings on. Keep up the good work!
Hi Mark, really nice meeting you.
Yet again another exceptionally good video. Full of great advice, information, and decent informative waffle. Thanks
Thanks Gary
Thanks for making the most thorough and concise navigation tutorials on the internet.
TH-cam threw up one of your videos randomly and it's fair to say, I've binged nearly all of your videos now. Absolutely excellent. Great information, expertly and humorously delivered. Thank you very much for the effort you put into these. Please keep them coming. I think I'll also be looking into taking one of your courses at some stage.
I love your waffling ! I learn something new with every new video, like the origin of the word tarn !
Awesome video. I have just one remark: "Always trust your compass" can be very dangerous!
Recently I had been practicing using the compass a bit whilst on hikes in Hong Kong, and in a particular location something interesting happened. I knew the exact point where I was located, but no matter what bearings of obvious landmarks I took around me, nothing seemed to make sense.
Apparently stone of the particular pagoda I was sitting in, or the rock it was built on, was likely ferromagnetic (steel construction? Iron deposits? who knows, although that particular island is vulcanic of origin, so high iron content rocks isn't a far fetch). Moving just 15-20m away from that spot and the readings were spot on. And this was done with a proper compass, not a cheapo (Silva expedition S).
So external factors such as magnetic anomalies can throw off a compass bearing, and if you think things dont really seem to make sense, I would rather suggest to walk 50m onward and try again to see if the readings are consistent. Or perhaps its a good idea to do a sanity check against a known reference, for example the sun?
I agree. I was on the Cuillin Ridge and in some places the rocks just mess up the compass.
The same goes for vehicles… late 70s my Troop Leader had ‘geographically embarrassed’ the Troop… I suggested that he might take his Francis Barker M73 about 50metres away from our Chieftain tank and read it from there rather than following it while stood in the turret 🤦🏻♂️
I have been orienteering on an island in Norway that had large amounts of metal underground in old bunkers and the like. We got told by the locals before starting "don't bring a compass, it will be useless in this area"
Great advice. I also "stink test" my bearings to make sure I didn't turn my compass around the wrong way in the wind, rain, my tired condition. That is, does the bearing you measure make sense. Think about placing a 360 degree protractor on the map, get an idea of the approximate bearing, compare to what you measured. I also look at the terrain and imagine what the map topography would be, orient the map, and then look in the direction of the observed terrain and find the feature. The split screen worked great.
In Swedish it is called Tjärn. It means small forest lake. If the lake has more stagnant swampy water more like marshland, the lake is called Göl.
Nice. In Norway we say Tjern as well. Never heard Göl before.
Outstanding video. Thank you. If I won the lottery I’d move to a place where I could go on walks and hikes all the time. I live hours from any real place that would require map and compass, which is a shame because it is such a good time and experience.
Absolutely “The Commitments”, both the movie and the album…! Thanks for all your work!
Great video, love the regular chuckles when explaining points, not sure whats running through your head at that time, but it makes me watch and listen😂 👌👍
Wizard of Oz, Godfather, Lonesome Dove. Great lesson today Professor. Thanks.
Re not being very imaginative about naming places, I’d say it’s simply a matter of pragmatism. Little Brinhowe Gill would be much easier to find as a little stream that runs down a hill where Brin lived rather than another mix of adjectives attached to a noun representing some abstract concept that had or has nothing to do with the terrain or the events that took place in that spot. What’s more - how would we get to hear the tales of the places you walk if not for the history built into those names (along with the extraordinary detail of the ordinance survey maps and marvellous use of the gothic typeface).
Heoi anō, fabulous videos, great stories, practical advice, beautiful scenery, engaging teaching style - love your work. 😊
Another great video. Thank you.
Excellent video , thank you, and happy new year from NZ! Also big agree on the sock thing.
You have one of the most excellent channels. Listening carefully to everything you talked about: We use the same techniques when we're driving from one city to the next, or shopping in a mall. We just don't realize it.
Just watched the "real world navigation / map reading" video, and I realised you say "you're not lost, you've just moved to a point where you didn't want to be" or something similar in several videos. About how catching features are a tool to apply there. But what would you do if you somehow missed your catching feature or actually got lost and had to try and find your location from almost no recollection or whatever? I guess I'd start with backtracking, but if that goes wrong you can just lead yourself astray even more.
Loving your videos, honestly. With the calm and methodical explanations and the waffles on different topics. Really great!
In a situation like this I think I would go for the slope aspect to relocate myself. But I do not have much practice on navigation, one could think on a more appropriate technique
Love morning waffles! Good video. Thanks
I ❤ your waffling. I love all your content actually.
Your style of demonstration is very helpful. I learn every time I watch.
Glad to see the sun come out just in time for your sandwich.
IMO your vidoes are professional quality and I thoroughly enjoy and learn from them. Thankyou.
Glad you like them!
My favourite film is Kes. That game of football was priceless.
OMG - I had forgotten about Kes. Yes that would make the top 10. The sports teacher was brilliant.
Thanks again, Wayne. I was in my teens when I spent time near Sudbury (Ontario, Canada), where the NASA Astronauts brought the Lunar Buggy to practice on, because the terrain apparently resembles the lunar surface. Anyway, because of the sulfur emissions from the mines, we had stacks blowing sulfur smoke in three directions, and leaving a bad taste in our mouth like someone lit matches all day in your face. This destroyed the vegetation, leaving black burnt rocks all around Sudbury. When the wind blew from the east, there were no stacks, but it surely brought rain. The terrain, with pre-Cambrian rock outcrops, had also desert sand-like conditions, clay fields, lots of blueberries, stunted trees, and great views from mountain tops. That is where I learned to navigate using a Silva Ranger military compass, from 1970 onwards. It is surprising how quickly one can learn the map features by studying the map (1:50000 at that time) and resectioning or triangulating locations. But, thirty miles away, in any direction, the natural vegetation occurred: semi- boreal - deciduous mid-Ontario forests, with the same pre-Cambrian landscape, only it was well treed. Navigation became then more strategic, as I had to leap-frog through thick underbrush, or, find alternate ridges and high points to avoid entangling myself in the bush. But it does mean you need to really look at your map, study it, find all catching features, and trust the compass.
I admire your extensive navigational skills, they far outclass me, but I do know how to get safely to most places I intend to go. It is a matter of situational awareness at all times.
I'm from the Canary Islands and this video is very helpful 👌
I have been to The Canary Islands many times.
Let me know if you ever come to Gran Canaria. I'm a mountain guide here and would be happy to meet you.
Great channel and I appreciate all the content you provide. My only suggestion is to be aware that not all your viewers are fortunate enough to be able to use the phenomenal cartography of the British Isles. Your fans in the US are stuck with USGS topo maps at 1:24000 resolution and knowing where you are on a map at all times is a little more challenging. Some hints on how to improve map navigation at that level of resolution would be welcome. I use hiking apps, gps, paper maps and compass in combination as needed but find GPS to be most reliable. Given that I rarely hike longer than 10 miles, hiking app maps and GPS may be the best options but I’d like to use paper maps more than I currently am. Thanks for sharing your skills and knowledge. Cheers!
Great video, brilliant tutorial as always.
Your film choices, I've seen all of those and they're all excellent, especially the Commitments and the Ride Sally Ride scene is hilarious!
My choices would be Get Carter, A School For Scoundrels and Quadrophenia, no particular order.
Some good tips and reminders on your navigation. 😊
Very informative videos. Thanks for sharing.
Experience is a great teacher, in spite of me navigating from my early days, I was descending from Bleaklow in the Peak District, and walked onto a stream that I decided was flowing due East as I thought the outcrop on the horizon was Bull Stones, East of the River Derwent, they were in fact Horse Stones, North of the Derwent, so I walked North instead of East, and added 6 miles to my walk. Not a problem, but in bad weather and tiredness, not so good.
Amazing intelligent, well communicated video. Thank you again PS really keep up the waffle in your most intelligent as you always do. Thank you
I often have that thought in the hills along the lines of "I wonder when the last human being stood on this spot?", and wondering what their life might have been like.
Might I say how refreshing it is to watch your videos, when so much of this end of TH-cam is obsessed with adding drama and words like 'TACTICAL' or 'SHTF' to the video title to try and get more clicks!
All the best.
Just caught up on all of your videos, really informative and entertaining so thank you! My top 3 films are probably 1. Cloud Atlas 2. Barry Lyndon 3. Apocalypse now
I walk a lot. You've helped me avoid getting lost a few times with your great information, thank you! I always use a small self adhesive arrow which I stick on my map as I go as an indicator of my progress, it saves me so much time in keeping track on my map 👍. Works for me!
Thanks!
Thank you so much Dan, I really do appreciate it.
Love these videos. Just a note RE the Fjallraven trousers - they're only really showerproof at best, unless you wax them. They do their own wax, but I've used other stuff with reasonable success as well.
Another great video - full of meaningful tips and advice. I have to know: Have your Fjallraven trousers been treated with Greenland wax? I own two pair and haven't worn them in really wet conditions yet. I need to make sure they're properly prepared for the challenge.
In order of the questions:
Cat: Time for bed?
Lottery Win: AC cars Roadster 427
Films: Apocalypse Now / Lawrence of Arabia / Jacobs Ladder
Best episode to date, really enjoyable to watch. Thank you.
Great video and advice cheers
Nice vid, I know this area well. Without wanting to shatter illusions I'd guess human feet have trodden here fairly recently, likely gathering sheep. Love the sock observation, it really is peak living :-)
What a great video! My three best films: Rebecca, North by North-West and Giant
North by North-West - good call.
I’m with you on the Altberg boots - best ones I’ve had 👍🏻
How good are they man? What's the grip and ankle stability like?
I have 3 pair of Mammut which are awesome, very grippy and, 2 pairs are really decent for the ankle stability. The other pair are lightweight and more like glorified trainer boots but, still really comfortable
@@Soul_of_a_Robot I’ve got three paid of their Army style boots - Military Ops / Kven & Narvik and not had a problem - very comfortable- no break-in time, flexible (can drive in them) and not really had a grip problem although got a bit skaty in Canadian snow if you weren’t watching where you put your feet. Also, sign up for the online membership and get a discount 👍🏻
Great vids,learned a lot . Thx
Great and enjoyable video. Thanks
Another great informative and useful video !!! I'm in New Zealand and the bush here can be very rugged and dense with limited visibility to only a few meters while under a bush canopy. Do you have a video for this type of terrain ? Thanks
Came for the navigation, subscribed for the “woffle” 😂
great film picks - your favourites. So glad you didn't pick the godfather. Great video as always
There are so many good films, and which ones I think are the best change, depending on my mood. The Death of Stalin is one that is always high on my list, as is the Blues Brothers.
I tend to use tick-off features for things you're expecting to pass on the way and collecting feature for some sort of backstop feature (often handraily) which you'll hit if you've gone too far.
I made a video about this.
th-cam.com/video/hJumt1y6JLs/w-d-xo.html
Favorite films, no claim to “best” or “greatest”; Casablanca and The Princess Bride.
I’m enjoying your clear videos , can I ask what scale map I should buy to use on a walk as I’m not experienced in buying maps ?
In the UK I would go for a 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey.
In the US 1:24,000 USGS Topo
Other maps are available - those are just my opinion
In Continental Europe, you will find that the official topographical maps don't always show the hiking paths very clearly. It's often better to get a purpose-designed hiking map, where the paths (often numbered) are shown clearly. Sometimes these just have the hiking paths printed over the official topographical maps but in other cases the map company has designed their own map. You need a scale of between 1:25000 and 1:50000, with a preference towards the 1:25000 end of the range.
1:20 no focus - more waffling!!!
Whilst English is my first language I also speak Norwegian and this sort of stuff, the ancient connections betwixt Scandinavia and the UK is fascinating. Tjern (Tyehrn in English phonetically) in Norwegian means small lake or pond, so it's still the same :)
ETA. 4:08 Easdale Beck: also a point for waffling here. "Beck" also comes from Scandinavian I think - a very small river, a stream, a burn in Scotland (from whence I hail) likely a brook in southern English is a "bekk" in Norwegian :)
EATA: 17:22 Fjällräven is actually pronounced fyell - rehven, but even a lot of Swedes say rahvan... In any case you must pronounce the j (y) to say fjell, fyell, meaning mountain, and räven, rehven or rahven, meaning fox - Mountain Fox clothing.
Awesome video 😎
Thanks 😁
If only I used any of these points on the OMM Lite which used that bridleway. Ran straight past the first checkpoint on the bridge, too excited to be up in the hills
In Norwegian "tjern" is a small pond. 👍
It's not changed much since the Viking days
I got used to calling catching features - backstops.
Edit : Great video btw.
Did you wax your trousers?
I always assume, they come unwaxed from purchase.
A thin layer, repeated 3 times, helps enormously. 💪
I have a Paramo smock which is over 20 years old - the red one I wear in some videos. I have washed it but never treated it in all that time. It’s still rain-proof. It’s not waterproof (it never was) but that's OK as I have North Face / Berghaus / Mountain Hardwear / etc, outer-shells for that.
Like most people I like things which you can buy and they just do what they are supposed to do. These trousers are (I think, so may be wrong) meant to be worn outside - well that what the adverts say - I wore them outside and they didn’t work. It wasn’t raining as you can see in the video it was just a normal day in the English hills.
Oh well, it’s not a big problem. A] I learnt something and B] I have lots of outdoor gear that does work.
I’m sure Fjallraven are good for some things, but not for use in my working environment when it’s not a nice sunny day.
As far as I've been told, Fjällräven achieves water-tightness the old fashioned way, with wax. And wax simply does not stand up very well to physical contact and rubs off eventually (even if you don't wash it, where it doesn't stand up very well to the heat and detergents).
Other brands achieve water-tightness through other chemicals. I don't know which chemicals exactly, but they apparently hold up much better against even washing, usually lasting a decade or more. Although they are also not 100% permanent, as evident from the fact that you can buy those chemicals for re-sealing waterproof clothing that has gotten permeable.
Oh, just read in another comment thread that the pants are only 2 weeks old. Yeah, that's not what I would call clothing suitable for the outdoor environment.
I was waiting for the socks-sponsor 😂
One of the best films: Dances with Wolves.
The songs in the commitments do sound way better than the originals. Roid Sally roid. I have my own thoughts on the 3greatest films, but cannot deny yours
Excuse me, english is not my mother tongue but as you stand on the bridge right after the easy stroll, you said: on the right hand side, but you went ro l left. Did i miss something in your explanation? Anyway, i love your channel and all the very interesting excurses about history, geology, linguistic. That is for my humble opinion exactly to know where you are. Cheers from Berlin
I believe he said he will be moving left but a fence or wall is along his right. If you mean around 10:35min video.
@@nickdeagle3271 at around 11.05 when he stand on the wooden foot bridge... i could not hear that he mantioned a wall or a fence. But all in that even if it's right instead of left, it does not make the video bad. I maybe am what german call: ein Korintherkacker. Sorry i do not have a propper english translation for that...
Ein korintherkacker translates as a pedant in English. I don't think your question was pedantjc
I've just watched it back and he said that he was going to go up the right hand side of the hill that he was pointing to on his left hand side, or in other words, the hill was on his left hand side and he was going to go up the right hand side of that hill. I hope that makes sense.
@ Was it the right hand side of the brook? I notice a few areas in the video that might fit, but in any case, I’m sure it works. It was an enjoyable video and certainly worth it for all the knowledge provided and beautiful vistas. I liked the use of tarn. I’m from Nova Scotia and I know of a local reference that is no longer used, called Kilties Tarn. It referred to a small pond where Kiltie Sutherland lived. He was so named because he was one of the last to wear the kilt. A little waffle right back at yah. 😀
Also, always trust the compass.
The compass never lies.
Have been in some real pea soupers in mountain marathons relying on the compass
all day long nearly. It never lies. Even at times when you feel its not right, it always is.
Know where you are, where you are going to, and what will you see along the way.
A: Actual cats which do "talk" (using buttons) seem to all pretty early go through a phase of trying to beg for extra food (until they realize that they only rarely get some).
B: I have no idea what to buy if I won the lottery. Which probably adds to all the other reasons why I don't play the lottery.
C: My top movies: 1= Tim Burton's Corpse Bride; 2= The Matrix. For the top 3rd movie I can't decide from memory between Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Leon The Professional, Starship Troopers, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. I'd need to watch these candidates again; and probably all those famous Studio Ghibli anime movies.
Tangent: I'm surprised how mediocre most movies on top 100 lists are. Apparently there's a lot less *really deep* and *influential* and *popular* movies out there than I thought. It's apparently an exception if one of them is something along the lines of Memento, Bambi, Pulp Fiction, The Green Mile, The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride. And then "Enemy Mine" wasn't even on those lists.
I keep wondering: What map case are you using? I can never quite make out what it is.
And for good socks, you should check out Darn Tough socks. They come with a lifetime warranty, and are the best socks I've ever wore.
I use a Silva M30 map case - no I'm not on commission, that's just my personal preference.
IMO all "mountaineering socks" are a waste of money. I get mine from a local supermarket - £5 for 5 pairs (or cheaper if I can find reasonably rugged, reasonable thick). If your boots fit correctly it doesn't matter which type of socs your wear. If your boots don’t fit correctly you’ll have problems. I spend a lot of money on boots and getting them fitted. I spend as little as possible on socks.
Although I imagine specialist sock manufactures will disagree 😊
@@TheMapReadingCompany Cheers, thanks! I also get well fitting boots, but I just like having nice socks as well.
My three greatest movies of all time
1-saving Private Ryan
2-Heat
3-How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, a Stanley Kubrick classic
Jaws, the good the bad and the ugly, shawshank redemption.
Great video, I definitely need to practice the art again and stop relying on GPS. What about "The Deer Hunter" that's gotta be in anyone's top three.
The Deer Hunter may have been in the list if it wasn't so long
Rollerball 1975
Alien 1979
Calvary 2014 - quite possibly the darkest comedy ever made. I highly recommend it
Rollerball was fantastic! Very frightening if you get the point of it....
Absolutely man. And you can kind of see where it rings true now when you see the power corporations have over governments. Its a great film
@elpd46
@@elpd46I’ll add “d
Death Race 2000”.
Those are not the film choices I would have thought you’d say, but I don’t know you! I’ll check out the commitments if I can find it.
Imagine if there was a little device that could tell you your map grid reference to within 15 feet, even in poor visibility or where the terrain is featureless. Where there was no need to try and find something to take a bearing from, and no need to work out whether to add or subtract magnetic variation. That's why I use a GPS device (not a smartphone) to locate my position on a map. I carry a compass out of habit but haven't needed to use it in almost 20 years. Technology makes life simpler.
The other thing about being able to use a compass is unlike GPS, which has its uses, your compass will never suffer from dead batteries.
Shawshank Redemption
Excellent choice!
Eisenstein 'Battleship Potemkin' ::
Weir and Williamson 'A Year of Living Dangerously' (1982)
plus
Shawshank Redemption. OR
Polanski's 'Repulsion' .
Lakeland local here. Please take navigation seriously - it's scary how often I encounter people in the fells who have no idea where they are.
Last time I passed by Great Castle How I'd been on the plateau near High Raise when I was suddenly hit by ferocious 70mph wind with blinding sleet from the SE. This was in midsummer, with a moderate forecast! It was physically impossible to follow my planned route back down to Stickle Tarn - I'd have had to crawl the whole way. In appalling conditions I had to improvise a more sheltered route down to Easedale Tarn and then work back over the pass by Blea Rigg.
You need to be able to plan and follow a route, even under stress when the wind is blowing you off your feet and you can barely see your feet.
In the British hills you can never trust the weather. Navigation needs to be practiced till it's automatic and you can be confident in your skills in any conditions.
Probably I never come back from this mountain 😐 with my navigation skills
What was the scale of this map?
15:10 I call these waypoints.
1. Zulu.
2. The Great Escape.
3. Jaws.
Zulu. Yes that would be in my top 10.
How do you simply walk off the path and up over the land?
There's bog and rough and swamp and all sorts of nasty stuff to find while going off track....
If someone wants leave the marked tracks and trails that’s their personal choice.
If you look at the map, the whole area is shaded pale yellow, which means that it's access land and you can wander wherever you like. When you've walked over rough ground a few times, you get an eye for what ground is good to walk over and what to avoid. Yes, you can be wrong and end up knee deep in a bog, but that's just a learning experience...
Bryn in welsh means hill
👍
I slightly disagree with the 'always know where you are' over-emphasis.
Firstly it doesn't acknowledge the expected accuracy of that 'knowing'. Modern GPS is about 3m which is way finer than shown on a 50k map (less than a hairs breadth!), so having an appreciation for local feature size is at least as important.
But secondly, it doesn't give a space for being between 'unsafely lost' (no way home) and 'absolutely found' (standing on a trig point in force 9 gale ;-).
What's needed is that in-between level of knowing, that even if one makes a mediocre mistake, you can still plot a safe route out of the predicament without walking over cliff etc.
I still profoundly agree that continuing to pay attention to the surroundings, and the map, is of great importance, so that when a fog bank rolls over you from 'behind' you still have a solid feel for position in the landscape.
Solid paths that have diverted from their original map course catch many out!
Always knowing where you are can be as simple as knowing that you are between certain Collecting Features.
@@TheMapReadingCompany definitely. It was the potential for confusion about necessary level of accuracy I was pointing out.
Nordic skiing on the Moine mhor (glen feshie, Carn ban mhor, tom dubh) in a grey out fair concentrates the mind as to features, aspect of slope and the like.
Movie #3 Sling blade, #2 The Outlaw Josey Wales, #1 Jeremiah Johnson!
Did you wax your Fjallraven trousers?
I only bought them 2 weeks ago. They shouldn't need waxing when they are new. I bought them it the big, well known, outdoor shop in Hathersage.
@TheMapReadingCompany I know the shop well.
These trousers are not impregnated with wax when you first buy them, as not everyone wants the feeling of waxed cotton.
It is, however, an option Fjallraven promote should you wish to waterproof them.
A cat might say. "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"
If I won the lottery, I would immediately give half to my Alma mater because they have done wonderful things to make an outstanding education to hard-working students who couldn’t otherwise afford it. (University of Washington, Seattle)
I’m not much of a moviegoer, but my two favorites might be Shawshank Redemption and 2001 Space Odyssey. Platoon impressed me and was quite emotional if you lived in those times.
I thought that green indicated woodland!
It does
@@TheMapReadingCompany ah, so that area was wooded to an extent with rough grass as well?
Yes. If you look on the OS maps of Little Castle How (just to west of Grasmere) you can see that it is a wooded area with grass, but for some reason the tree icons are only shown in the southern end of the wood. Why? - who knows.
There are lots of OS maps free on-line here’s an example
maps.walkingclub.org.uk/hills/2468/tarn-crag-easedale
The three greatest films question is very easy for me. Definitely Lord of the Rings 1-3 (extended editions)
Hmmmmmm. Not sure about that. Is that 1 film or three.
Top three films:
1. The Godfather I
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Goodbye Pork Pie (the original)
Good 👍
I dont think Fjellraven have water proof pants.They are probobly watet repellent.
You can try to use greenland wax it will help,but they can never be waterproof.
Casablanca, The Razor’s Edge, Apocalypse Now.
The best movies of all time are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, beyond doubt.
How many times does he say you know 😂 nearly every other word good lord
@AmandaGreen-v1v yeah, sorry about that. I actually didn't realise I was doing that 🤭. If you watch later videos, you'll see I don't do it anymore.
Fresh socks don't get enough credit. Walk briskly for 8 or 12 hours. Then get comfortable, brew a nice drink, and put on a fresh, squishy pair of socks. It's as if your feet say, "Ahhhhhh"
3 Great Films
1.) _Empire Strikes Back_
2.) _Braveheart_
3.) _The Mission_
@@RodCornholio I was on Ben Nevis when they were filming Braveheart. So I could look down on the film set
@@TheMapReadingCompany Super cool!
"Comment box" lmao
🥱
Your cat would say. "Let me out of this house so I can go and kill every mammal, bird and reptile for no reason at all other than fun and if I can find one of those Scottish wild cats... you know the really rare ones? Yep I'm going to cross breed with it, so that it become extinct". Then it would say - "Oh first I need to go and have dump in next doors garden - bit of luck they'll walk it in it and take through into their house". That aside, brilliant video, just about to go to the Highlands for 3 days in the middle of no-where fog and everything no doubt.
I'd by 5000 hectares of forest if I won the lottery. More if the money is enough
Same
M9nty Python & The Quest for the Holy Grail times 3.