Snow Tells Tales About Trails
There are many different kinds of snow, as the Inuit know only too well. You are probably familiar with how easy it is to track…
Category: Extreme
A Small, Challenging Natural Navigation Exercise in Fog
Yesterday the conditions were perfect for a short tricky natural navigation exercise in fog. Here are some of the photos from that challenge. These were taken…
“Gorse is out of bloom, when kissing’s out of fashion”
There was heavy snow in the early hours of Sunday morning. We didn’t need any more encouragement. The Gooley family set off for an explore…
Reading Ice Patterns and Compasses
Here is a selection of images from a recent dawn exploration of my local hills. I’ve explained how to read these patterns and signs in…
Finding Direction through Bird Nests in Termite Mounds
A guest blog post from Brazil, by Pedro and Gersony C.Jovchelevich. Termites are insects belonging to the order Isoptera, also known here in Brazil as…
A Merry Tough Christmas Navigation Riddle
This time of year poses some logistical challenges for Santa and his team. Can you help him? Few people realise that in order to be…
What is Frost Drip?
Frost drip happens when frost forms on tree branches and leaves and then thaws as the temperature rises. The ice turns to water and falls…
5 Sea Colours That Are Easy to See
Every time we look out at the sea there are lots of colours. Our brain tends to mash them all up because it is busy…
Some Observations from Search and Rescue
My thanks to a helicopter pilot for this fascinating email and for permission to share it. And for adding the ‘ptarmigan altimeter’ to my collection!…
Courses Update
My thanks to everyone who has joined the online course. The cornerstone of the course is the 12 ‘Chapters’ – twelve instructional videos: The Senses,…
What is a ‘Drying Height’ on a Chart?
The definition of a drying height: “The drying height is the vertical distance of the seabed that is exposed by the tide, above the sea water level at the lowest astronomical tide.” But this…
The Secret World of Weather
How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop The weather changes as we walk around a tree or turn…
Natural Navigation in Brazil
A guest article by Pedro Jovchelevich Natural navigation in tropical biomes – My experience in the southeastern region of Brazil First of all I would…
New Online Course is NOW LIVE!
After months of hard work, the new Beginner’s Guide to Natural Navigation online course has just launched! It is a very visual course, based on…
10th Anniversary Edition of The Natural Navigator
I’m delighted to announce that there is now a new edition of The Natural Navigator in the UK. The 10th Anniversary edition has a new…
Clues Above Brighton Pier
Have a good look at the picture above. I took it during a night walk along the Brighton seafront. If I was planning to set…
Alder Trees – A Sign of Water Nearby
The common alder – Alnus glutinosa – is a small tree that grows up to about 25 metres. It is native in the UK and…
Exciting Developments…
After three very hot, but satisfying days filming in the hills and woods of West Sussex, I’m delighted to be able to announce that an…
Wild Signs and Star Paths – Full Book INDEX
Below is a full index from the book Wild Signs and Star Paths. (Published as The Nature Instinct in the USA.) WILD SIGNS AND STAR…
Noctilucent Clouds
A guest blog post today, from John Pahl: If you were to ask me what my favourite cloud would be, I wouldn’t hesitate: it has…
Fast Recognition of Wild Shapes
I took my younger son exploring a couple of days ago. We were looking for wildflowers and using natural navigation to roam across a wild…