Navigation basics: map, compass, phone and what to do if lost

A phone map is brilliant until the battery dies or the signal goes. Knowing how to read a paper map, use a compass and stay calm if you are lost turns a scary situation into a manageable one. For city navigation, see the Travel and City Skills module.

Why you still need basic skills

• The British Mountaineering Council warns that GPS can give you a grid reference but cannot replace map and compass skills, because it can run out of battery or be damaged.
• The BMC also cautions against treating a phone as a 'safety net', since it can tempt people beyond their ability.
• The US National Park Service lists navigation (map, compass and GPS) as the first of its Ten Essentials and advises knowing how to use them before you go, with a paper map as backup.
• In the desert, Dubai Police note that landmarks are scarce and signal can fail, so preparation matters even more.

Reading a map

• Scale tells you how much the land has been shrunk. On a 1:25,000 map, 4 cm equals 1 km; on a 1:50,000 map, 2 cm equals 1 km (Ordnance Survey).
• Contour lines join points of the same height. The interval is usually 10 metres (5 metres in flatter areas), and lines close together mean steep ground.
• A 'V' shape in the contours points uphill for a valley and downhill for a spur, which helps you spot wadis on a map.
• Always check the key (legend) for symbols you do not recognise.
• For UK grid references, read eastings (along) before northings (up): 'along the corridor and up the stairs'. A 4-figure reference gives a 1 km square; a 6-figure reference narrows it to 100 metres.

Using a compass

• The red end of the compass needle points to magnetic north, which is slightly different from grid north on the map; the map legend gives the difference (Ordnance Survey).
• To orient (set) the map, line up the compass orienting lines with the map grid and turn map and compass together until the needle sits in the orienting arrow.
• Without a compass you can turn the map until features line up with the landscape around you, though this is less accurate.
• Keep the compass away from iron and steel, including knives, belt buckles and phones, which can disturb the reading.
• Measure distance with the scale on the compass baseplate, and count paces: the BMC says most people take 60 to 80 double paces per 100 metres.

Phones, apps and offline maps

• Download offline maps of the area before you go, as Khaleej Times advises for desert trips.
• Carry a fully charged phone and a power bank, and use a headlamp rather than your phone torch to save battery (Ras Al Khaimah Police safety video).
• Mark your car or starting point in your map app before you set off, so you can always navigate back to it.
• Check your position regularly against the map, not only when you feel lost: small errors are easy to fix early.

If you are lost

• The National Park Service advises: stop and breathe, then try to find your location with a map, compass, GPS or landmarks, and retrace your steps only if it is safe.
• If you cannot, call for help (in the UAE, 999 or 995 for search and rescue) and give your last known location, trail name, nearby landmarks, what you are wearing and any medical conditions.
• Then stay put. The NPS warns that moving makes it harder for rescuers to find you; move only if your life is in immediate danger.
• Make yourself visible: bright clothing, a shelter laid out on open ground or rocks arranged in a shape seen from the air.
• Use a whistle to save your voice. The NPS suggests three blasts, pause, repeat; the UK BMC describes six blasts repeated after a minute. Either pattern means 'help'.