HOW TO USE A COMPASS
Once you've got the Ordnance Survey maps, you may wish to plan your own walks and to do this it is best to use a compass. Invest in a good orienteering compass such as a Silva Expedition Compass, costing about £20 from Amazon; don't compromise on price, you're safety may depend upon it, but there's no need to spend £60 - £70. It's all about being able to point the compass north (the red hatching) parallel to north on the map, then lifting it off and keeping the red needle directly over the red hatching on the compass as you walk; and that's it!
Step 1: line up the edge of the compass with the direction of travel on the map. The direction of travel is between two points A and B; a process you have to repeat for each step of the journey, so keep it simple.
Step 2: line up the red lines on the compass (not the needle) parallel with the north lines on the map.
Step 3: remove the compass from the map and do not alter the setting under any circumstances.
Step 4: orientate yourself so that the compass needle (red north) swings into position to cover the compass N-red hatching ie. red on red.
Step 5: walk in the direction of the inscribed arrow on the plastic part of the compass and keep the red needle over the red hatching on the compass, as far as is reasonably practicable.
Never try to find your way without at least a compass or map and preferably both. If you make a note of where your car is parked (north, south, east or west) then with the compass you can be sure that you are not walking away from your car when you get lost; it's simple and obvious, but often neglected and you pay the price.
The compass also has markings in degrees round the perimeter of the rotatable part. North corresponds to zero degrees, and angles increase clockwise, so east is 90 degrees, south is 180 degrees. and west is 270 degrees. These numbers allow the compass to show bearings, which are commonly stated when referring to map directions because they give a precise direction with reference to the map. So you could work out a walk and just give the bearings for each leg – try it and see how you get on.
If you wish to be pedantic then you can adjust your compass bearing to allow for the difference between true north and magnetic north. For example, on Ex 145 (June 2006) magnetic north is 3.4 degrees west of grid north, so you turn the setting 3.4 degrees anti-clockwise. Over short distances this adjustment is not necessary and a waste of time.
When you have good line of sight, it is helpful to aim the compass at a distant point and make that your next destination and, thereby, you won't trip over while looking down at the compass all the time.
Wikipedia have a good page on the history of the compass and on other types of compass, which is well worth the read.
