Entries tagged "clues to direction"
2013-02-26
There were a surprisingly low number of entries for the winter clues competition, but some fun and unusual ideas amongst them. Using seaweed to work out high tide, listening to taps on the wall in prison, being a couple of my favourites.
However the winner has won for three reasons:
1) It is sort of obvious, and yet I had never considered it. This is true of many of the best natural navigation clues. They are under our noses and yet we don't spot them. Frankly, as soon as I read it, I thought: why didn't I…
2013-02-10
I have woken up encircled by scorpions, been to the odd literary party in the West End and even met royalty on occasion, but these are not my typical hunting grounds.
Most of the time I am searching for clues in unlikely, unadventurous and unglamorous places. This is where my paydirt is found; amongst all the other dirt.
Today I bring you a bottle-top and moist grime from London's pavements.
Each of these icons of unglamour offer up a wayfinding story. I will leave you with the challenge of trying to see if you can read…
2012-10-31
Nature's Radar, my academic paper on natural navigation observations during a small boat voyage in the North Atlantic has just been published by the Journal of Navigation.
A full colour PDF copy is available by clicking here
There is also a rough HTML version.
Journal of Navigation, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=8725663
2010-02-26
... or a clue to direction. One of the challenges in natural navigation that never goes away is the need to constantly change our focus. Our eyes have a tendency to drift towards a middle-distance focus. This can mean that clues in the background and the foreground can be easily overlooked. The first photo of a field on the lower slopes of a volcano in La Palma is a good example of this. There is a temptation to look to the trees for help, and they do offer some, but better help can be found much closer as the second…
2010-02-07
After an enjoyable private course on Friday - we finished standing in a field looking at Orion, the Plough, Cassiopeia and, of course, Polaris - it was time for a family outing to West Wittering beach early on Saturday.I adore the Witterings in winter, the barbecue and beach towels may have to stay at home but it is invigorating to get blown along on miles of abandoned sand. In between games of hide and seek amongst the beach huts, games of football on the sticky sand and races to pieces of seaweed, I noticed some interesting patterns in the…
2009-07-10
I took this picture looking south over Halnaker Hill, the windmill can just be seen poking out at the top. On my outdoor courses I sometimes stop early on and ask people to give me as many clues to direction as possible. Quite often this leads to much frenzied studying of lichens and branches and lots of good ideas. More often than not I find myself having to point out a big one. 'What's the biggest clue you can see?' Some might say the shape of the land, but very few spot the coast itself. If visibility is poor I…
