Brunton has revealed the five top mistakes when navigating

Brunton has revealed the five top mistakes when navigating

Have you ever been navigationally challenged?

Even the most experienced hillgoers can occasionally go wrong and find themselves temporarily misplaced.

Outdoor brand Brunton commissioned a study by Strong Roots Training to find out the most common mistakes made when navigating.

The organisation asked a group of outdoor professionals where they went wrong when finding their way in the outdoors.

Brunton will be hosting a demonstration of its TruArc compass at the Telegraph Outdoor and Adventure show, starting tomorrow in London’s Docklands.

Meanwhile, here is the company’s top five of navigation goofs likely to happen when route finding with your compass:

  1. Having the map 180 degrees incorrect when taking a bearing ie getting north and south mixed up
  2. Using a compass near metal objects, or near electronic items, causing the magnetic needle to be inaccurate
  3. Looking at the map all of the time and not looking at visual clues in the real world
  4. Losing concentration and walking too far when you get to your point, falling victim to confirmation bias – the tendency to see things that confirm you are right, but miss things that show you are wrong
  5. Only carrying one compass with you. If one breaks you are stuck.

You can share your own navigation errors in our comments boxes below, to help other outdoor enthusiasts avoid making the same mistakes.

More details of the Brunton TruArc are on the company’s website.