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Navigating the track

Some people freak out when we start talking about maps and compasses, please don't.  Maps and compasses are hand tools to help you work out where you are, make sure you're heading in the right direction and help you make decisions if plans change.

This app has maps you can download and use offline. This will help show you where you are, what features to look out for and how you are progressing. It is a handy tool, but batteries can go flat, phones can break or GPS may give funny results - so having a paper map and knowing how to use it is a good idea.

Here are a few general articles on map reading and navigation that will help give you a feel of the theory. Then I encourage you to practise your navigation, even when walking around town. Make a habit of noticing the lay of the land, where are the hills, valleys, ridges, spurs.  Once you can see the features in the land and on the map you are a long way down the track of becoming a great navigator.