What are Banner Clouds?
From the book, The Secret World of Weather: In mountainous country you may also come across a cloud that streams away from only one side…
Tag: wind
Sign of the Week
For outdoor clues, signs, puzzles and more, please subscribe to my SIGN OF THE WEEK newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/naturalnavigator/sign-of-the-week
Quite Frankly Navigating with Nature Interview
Really enjoyed this chat about navigating with nature with Frank Val of Quite Frankly podcast. It was a wide-ranging chat and we covered a lot…
Reading Trees on BBC Radio 4 Today
It was an honour and a great pleasure to get the chance to talk about reading tree signs with Justin Webb on BBC Radio 4’s…
Seabiscuit Gets Dunked
My thanks to Ellen Grieve for sharing her extraordinary experience in this guest blog: It was just an ordinary Friday night in November for this…
Little and Large Natural Navigation Clues
Sometimes natural navigation is more challenging than others. I’m often asked, “What is the most difficult place to navigate using nature?” I think people expect…
What do Scientists Read on Holiday?
Dear Mr. Gooley,I have stumbled upon your book on the secret world of weather in a small bookstore in Flagstaff, Arizona on a road trip.…
Frost in Coleridge’s Cottage
It was great to visit Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s cottage in Nether Stowey, Somerset. He wrote the poem ‘Frost at Midnight’ in this room. The first 3…
What are Lens Clouds? (Altocumulus lenticularis)
Lens clouds are saucer, lens or lentil-shaped clouds that form when wind blows moist air over mountains. Their formal name is Altocumulus lenticularis (lenticula means…
Wind Against Tide – A Sign of Choppy Water
The yacht is on a ‘swing mooring’ and will swing with the tide. This shows us that the water is flowing from right to left.…
What is a Wind Shadow?
A wind shadow is a place where the wind doesn’t reach. There is a calm, sheltered zone on the downwind side of all obstacles, a…
What is a Katabatic Wind?
Heavier gases sink, lighter gases rise. That is how a hot air balloon works: the warm air expands making it lighter than the surrounding air…
Which Way Are We Looking? Snowdonia
I spent much of last week exploring a part of the Snowdonia National Park in Wales that I hadn’t been to before. I took the photo…
Sounds Make a Map
A Guide to Exploring Soundscapes Sounds make a map. Here is an easy exercise to help you hone your understanding of sound maps. It is…
Nature’s Clues & Signs – Grey Mare’s Tail
Grey Mare’s Tail is a nature reserve near Moffat, Southern Scotland. The reserve is named after a very beautiful 60m waterfall. In August I hiked up…
Which Way Are We Looking? Budleigh Salteron Edition
My thanks to everyone who joined me for my talk on The Secret World of Weather at the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival on Friday. It…
Sign of a Barefoot Runner
My thanks to Tim Crook for his very interesting emails and for permission to share here. Hi Tristan You suggested getting in touch if we…
The Meaning of Cloud Streets
On a flight back from Spain to the UK, we were treated to a great display of “cloud streets” over France. They form parallel to…
Nature’s Clues and Signs – Black Down
I’m back from a routine ‘sharpener’, one of the short, intense natural navigation exercises that I like to do regularly to keep my hand in…
What is a Gap Wind?
Whenever a wind is forced through a narrow gap it accelerates. This is true of all fluids, gas and liquid, it is the reason we…
Some Trees Were Born to be Compasses
See this page for more on how to navigate using plants.