How to take a compass bearing with Steve Backshall and Ordnance Survey

#GetOutside champion Steve Backshall teaches you how to use a compass to take a bearing and find out which direction you need to go to get from one point on a map to another.
Being able to accurately take and follow a compass bearing is a vital outdoor skill and makes it much easier to accurately follow your planned route.
Part of a set of videos with Steve Backshall with an introduction to map reading and navigation skills: • Learn how to map read ...
www.os.uk

[@adrianfitton5637]

Can I also take a compass bearing if I am NOT with Steve Backshall?

[@successfulliving4610]

This was a great tutorial. Very clear and well explained. Thank you

[@CillMhantainSean]

Disregarding the bearing heading to follow wasn't mentioned.....that is all well and good when the terrain is relatively flat in the direction your aiming for....if on the other hand your faced with a Hill or mountain small or large to get over en-route, you need to be aware of a couple of things....firstly...make sure your mobile phone is nowhere near the compass, in a shirt or trouser pocket etc.. even better, turn the phone off and stick it in your rucksack this will prolong it's battery life in any event...my own experiments with my iPhone 12 Pro have revealed it's radio magnetic influence caused substantial errors to the compass needle when checking bearings, even worse if there's no mobile signal where you are, because the phone will then go in to seek mode trying to find a signal and consequently will transmit it's carrier on full strength till it finds a site to lock to. Number two point....if your faced with a hill or hills or a mountain to climb en-route, remember that minerals within the hill / mountain can affect the magnetic sensitivity of your handheld compass if your following a bearing, and sometimes quite dramatically, old abandoned / disused copper mines and lead mines spring to mind here....

[@ihcfn]

Thank you just tried this with my phone and it made a significant difference when held close to my compass.

[@jamndunk]

Gosh! 😮

[@LamisNajem-u4b]

we love it we definitely DID NOT get los in the woods thank you sm bestie !!!!!

[@popuplights]

Good video. It would be perfect if the red line showing direction of travel went from A to B ! Paul.

[@johnt.2566]

Steve actually added 4 degrees for magnetic variation. Each dash on you compass is in fact 2 degrees, so count carefully. The further you travel form your starting point the worse this error will get.

[@paganphil100]

Some compasses have 2 degree markings, some have 5, some have 1 etc.

[@johnbryant6572]

2 degrees out walking across a field are you joking.what you intending to do navigate a plane across the Atlantic.this is so simple a 5 year old could do it.

[@thequestforyourself]

@@johnbryant6572 You're missing the point. If someone uses this video to understand navigation, but gets it wrong due to have not knowing this point, then they could be totally lost.

[@c3pno]

​@@thequestforyourselfthey deserve to get lost being lazy and making assumptions 👍😜

[@doughobbs7706]

Simply presented, easy to understand - Steve you are just ace!

[@AndyWardle]

Make sure your compass 🧭 is good. no bubbles. And pointing magnetic north. Otherwise you’re lost. Invest in a good quality compass 🧭 for total accuracy 👍

[@patrickculleton9939]

What happens when you reach the tree? The correct bearing to the destination has now changed. Ok, you re-address a new bearing using the map and straight edge again. But what if the tree isn't on the map? It surely won't be. This procedure is based on precisely knowing where you are on the map ie. the carpark shown on the map. Would it be better not to choose a tree but navigate to a larger feature along the line of travel at maximum visual distance that is shown on the map?

[@joeydr1497]

This video probably saved lives

[@melosaurrn]

Straight and to the point and easy to understand! Thank you!

[@tooyoungtobeold8756]

Thank you. How do you know what the magnetic variation is for where you are?

[@ordnancesurvey]

If you have a paper map, the magnetic variation at the time of its publication is shown in the legend, at the bottom of the ‘General Information’ section. If you don’t have one or want the latest figures, try the British Geological Survey’s website: www.geomag.bgs.ac.uk/data_service/models_compass/gma_calc.html. Hope this helps!

[@tpv59]

Serious question. Is there any point in having a compass, say in the bush somewhere, and NOT having a map?? (from someone who does NOT know!) Thank you.

[@ordnancesurvey]

Terry. While we would not recommend a compass by itself, if you were in a situation with no option it still could be of use. If you were in an area where you were lost but you knew there was a feature (say coastline or river) east of your location, the compass could help to locate this. Additionally, it would also reduce the ‘going in circles’ problem a lot of lost people can experience. Hope this helps!

[@tpv59]

@@ordnancesurvey YES, this does help me a lot. It makes sense what you say. Simple and logical. THANK YOU SO VERY much. Appreciated.

[@clivedeacon2262]

great but why when adding his variation 2 degrees did he had 4. Each mark on the compass is 2 degrees

[@findlayhannam849]

I can't believe I found this so difficult when I was 15. They should've just shown us this video instead!

[@slide4180]

What is the shortest distance one can go and NOT worry about adjusting the declination?

[@ordnancesurvey]

It’s a complex answer since it depends on the direction being travelled and what accuracy is being aimed for. We suggest a look at our blog on magnetic north - www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2019/03/magnetic-north-continues-its-march-to-the-east/. Currently across the country the declination is quite small. On a line roughly from Glasgow to Bath the declination is currently almost zero. Lines of equal declination have a north-south trend and even way over in the East (Norwich) the declination is only about 2 degrees at the moment. Given that most standard hiking compasses are likely to only have a precision of 2 degrees and in reality it would be quite difficult to take and follow a bearing to the same degree of accuracy, then the current declination is insignificant for a lot of users. To attempt maximum change of declination on a line the journey would have to be in an east-west direction. Also, given the precision of a standard compass and the likely accuracy that it could be used to, we can assume a change of declination of 2 degrees is the smallest one that can be significant. Using estimates from the table in the blog I think you would need to go approximately 300km before the declination changed by about 2 degrees. E.g. Plymouth to London. Hope this helps!

[@ForeverLight-o8m]

How does he know what side to rotate for adding magnetic variation?

[@aimeered8191]

How do you know the degrees for magnetic variation 😮😮😮

[@nemzino]

Thank you, I know I’ll need this one day

[@shaynaxzn]

Best maps in the world right here ➡ 🔥

[@stephencampbell9384]

Very concise......but if you're aiming at a campsite a km or two away, I would humbly submit that you don't need to get too worried about declination. I do a quick mental "how far off course would I be if I was off by 5 degrees, if that's too far to reliably see a destination, then I get precise)

[@SmithTrek]

What about orienting the map ? This video seems like it was missing a crucial part .. and definitely confused me ?!

[@83rama1]

Great video thanks.

[@britishbuldoggg]

if its 2 deg why did you move it twice , each move is 2 deg . you moved it 4 deg .

[@ordnancesurvey]

Mostly to make it clearer for the film! You do have to pay attention to the spacing of the marks on the compass. Many use 2 degrees per mark, some use one degree per mark, and some small ones use 5 degrees per mark.

[@davidharoldorr6712]

Hi I love it and want to see more if this soon

[@lxtwin]

So, if you get lost how do you locate where you are so that you can continue ?

[@PIPERJIM2024]

+paul ready Good Question...! I would like to know the answer to that as well.

[@ordnancesurvey]

Hi Paul. Basically, you find two or more distinctive features that you can see, such as a hill, church spire or similar then find them on the map. Use the compass to work out the direction they are from you, and then draw those lines on your map - you are where the lines meet! Of course, this can be tricky when there are few features visible, which is why most people check position regularly, as it makes it easier.

[@bixbybixby6752]

Ordnance---its called Triangulation so Paul can google it. But I've heard this question before. The fact is if you're lost in the wilderness for example, and have no idea where you are, a map and compass will not tell you. It's not magic. You need a KNOWN point A in order to go to another point. That's what the basic use of map and compass is. You have to know where you basically are all the time as you travel!

[@ordnancesurvey]

Hi Bixbybixby. Even if you are totally lost, there are a few techniques that can help you locate your position (assuming you have a map). Have a look here: www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/guides/navigation-pinpointing-your-location/ for some more advice

[@bixbybixby6752]

Your link of course talks about Triangulation. There's 2 point and 1 point triangulation. I just called it by name since you didn't in your first comment. Your link also simply talks about being on a KNOWN feature on the map, in this case a track, and using visual features in the field in a line to bisect where you are on this track. It's basically 1 point VISUAL triangulation on a known linear line. You are not 'totally lost' if you are on a known linear line on the map (a track for ex.). That's an oxymoron. Totally lost would mean you have NO KNOWN points, features, or landmarks, linear or otherwise, identifiable around you on the map or in the field.

[@loadapish]

On my map it says magnetic north is estimated at 1°13 and 1°12 west of grid north. What the hell does that mean? On this video u add 2°

[@joeysd8489]

It means 1 degree 13 minutes, or 1 and 13/60ths of a degree. Basically add a degree on.

[@DavidSmith-wv5rs]

Grid to mag - add! Mag to grid - get rid!

[@Youshouldkystherians]

aye whos here bc of their geog teacher

[@leonphilipsen4166]

Yeah

[@londonambulanceservice398]

Sadly

[@lucymain7885]

Aye hahaha

[@londonambulanceservice398]

Gang gang

[@imortal__rampage6784]

Yep

[@nigelpollitt5124]

Blimey, far too quick. Followed the first bit just about, but after the bit about lining up with the grid lines on the map, I couldn't follow it. Needs to be broken down into far smaller chunks, and terms and features on the compass need to be explained for complete numpties like me!

[@JeremyRiley]

I had the same problem but then I remembered - it's KZbin! So I rewound and watched it 3 or 4 times. 🙂

[@shawnkane1980]

Perfect

[@chrisgreenie9785]

I don't understand grid lines though

[@Trombonauta]

All these tutorials are great but I find they usually expect you to remember what drawing alignt to what line, instead of building a basic knowledge about how angles work, in order to not remember an algorithm by heart but rebuilding it when necessary :(

[@johndemots3025]

Make sure the map is not on the hood of the jeep.

[@adamlaycock3702]

nope... none the wiser

[@SnakePlisskin.]

Not gonna lie pretty confusing really...

[@europeisthebestloveisblind5524]

It does not make sense how compass will help you find the place maps yes they will help find a u direction but nothing more

[@jaydenbird1144]

CAPTAIN CEEMO

[@lenniehendrix]

Take off the background music.

[@FIshfood500]

Too complicated

[@SelenDere]

dofe

[@johnbryant6572]

Why you not use the position of the sun to the time of day and work out north and south from the shadows the sun makes. with a watch.or the pole star at night time don't need a compass.like i learnt in the scouts 55 years ago.moss always grows on the north side of trees and flower heads always point towards the sun.etc been doing this all my life I always know what direction I'm going in.

[@valterbolognini9268]

Traduci

[@neilrmcd]

To much 'lingo'. If you've never used a compass or map before this is of no help.

[@jasonprice1599]

Surely this wouldn't be the first video you would watch then

[@rebelfriend1818]

you can easily google the "lingo"

[@nickb4753]

It’s ‘orient’ not “orientate”