Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => Meets, places, trips and reviews => Topic started by: Scribble on August 01, 2010
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Feel bit of a twat asking but does anyone fancy teaching me how to use map and compass , hopefully emigrating next couple of years so would like to how to get myself out of trouble if needs be . I will purchase your required tipple as athankyou failing that cash will be considered :-)
Cheers andy
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We should organise an afternoon on the hill with someone that knows what they're doing. I can get myself about but I'm not confident either.
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That sounds like a good idea but will anyone be brave enough to teach us :) I could just buy a garmin but I still think it better to larn to use a map for backup . I can find my way round mournes using a map roughly but the mourne wall is a big help .
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I have a garmin and map/compass but the (grumpy) old time hikers would give you a 30 minute lecture about how you can't rely on modern technology ;D ::)
That sounds like a good idea but will anyone be brave enough to teach us :) I could just buy a garmin but I still think it better to larn to use a map for backup . I can find my way round mournes using a map roughly but the mourne wall is a big help .
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I have a garmin and map/compass but the (grumpy) old time hikers would give you a 30 minute lecture about how you can't rely on modern technology ;D ::)
That sounds like a good idea but will anyone be brave enough to teach us :) I could just buy a garmin but I still think it better to larn to use a map for backup . I can find my way round mournes using a map roughly but the mourne wall is a big help .
;D ;D sure we all turn into grumpy old men at some stage ::)
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I dont mind showing you.
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I dont mind showing you.
Sorted :-) when suits ya , I'm sure there might be a few more takers if not I will be selfish and say good one to one tuition for me if you don't mind :-)
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Im in belfast so most evenings if you want. or most saturday evenings or sundays.
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Cheers I will send ya a wee message when I check my calendar on my tea as I work shifts ..
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I know a fair bit about map-reading too. I'm willing to come along and add my knowledge into the group.
Live in Abbeycentre area so can get to Cavehill quite easily.
Alan.
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That's 2 wise heads we have now :-)
A evening on cavehill it is then if that suits . All I need now is my map to find my way there as I have never been . I was thinking date wise ....
Mon 8th tue 9th thur 12th or wed 18th August for the evening
Hope one of those dates is possible
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I'd like to get involved in this too, as a student! I did loads of navigation in the Donegal hill back in my Duke of Ed days but that was a couple of years ago (20 actually, doesn't time fly) and I would like to know I'm still doing it right.
I'll keep an eye on this thread for the date you all decide upon and I'll join you on Cavehill.
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Monday the 9th sounds good to me.
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Monday the 9th sounds good to me.
The 9ths good for me too. Cavehills fine also, unless there's a nice warm pub nearby with a good sized table that we can lay a map out on. :P
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9th is spot on for me also so where will we meet and times etc I'm easy as I'm off all day :-)
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Divis/Black Mountain might be better for compass practice. Cave Hill is very enclosed.
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Actually, Cavehill, Black Mountain or indeed Knockagh are all excellent locations to see how a map would work.
They are all high up and can offer views across a vista that can be related to on a map. Any of these locations can show landmarks that help to orientate a map, take rough bearings for direction and can also show how the contour lines reveal the landscape picture of peaks, slopes, cliff face, riverways and shorelines.
But, from Cavehill have residential areas that can located on the map, we have road networks that can be shown and we also have woodland/rural areas ie, Craigantlet, or the South East Antrim Plateau. Local bearings and landmarks can be taken as well as distant ones. (Did you know that on a clear day from the highest point on Cavehill - which isn't McArt's Fort or Napolean's Nose - you can see five different loughs?)
Could prove to be an interesting wee get together.
Alan.
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Are well going for Cave hill or Black Mountain? Cave hill would be better for a good uphill walk and map reading, Black mountain for clear veiw of bearings.
At 6.30 would be spot on for me.
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any reply on this guys?
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any reply on this guys?
Sorry yes I'm still up for this :-) I don't mind where we go
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any reply on this guys?
Sorry yes I'm still up for this :-) I don't mind where we go
Hi LennyJ1, Please could you select the location and meeting point for this training to take place on Monday 9th August @ 18:30. We need to firm up the arrangements or it might end up not happening.
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Cavehill top car park 9/8/10 1830hrs :)
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Cavehill top car park 9/8/10 1830hrs :)
That's great Lenny... Thanks. See you then :)
We can get a good chat about our Carrauntoohil, Beenkeragh and Mount Brandon (http://www.ni-wild.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1302) trip too.
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Look forward to it.
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Looking forward till this guys .. Do I need to bring anything and if anyone needs a lift I'm coming from banbridge direction I don't mind making a detour to collect
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Here's the location of the Top Car Park (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=54.644117,-5.941442&num=1&t=h&sll=54.644247,-5.941383&sspn=0.001465,0.003396&ie=UTF8&ll=54.64421,-5.942413&spn=0.00293,0.006791&z=17).
Cheers
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Looking forward till this guys .. Do I need to bring anything and if anyone needs a lift I'm coming from banbridge direction I don't mind making a detour to collect
Just yourself and a compass.
I have a map of belfast does ayone else?
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Just yourself and a compass.
I have a map of belfast does ayone else?
I will have a compass and a map of Belfast with me.
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Everyone still up for this ??
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I'll be there.
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I'll be there.
:-) see you then
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I'll be there.
:-) see you then
Not a problem msitting in Belfast castle now n
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I will be sitting in Lurgan castle soon . Never even knew it existed
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Lurgan castle only recently opened to the public. Its the biggest orange/black hall in the world
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Yeap... I'll be there too.
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Whos coming tonight?
If weather is to bad we could find a pub? ;D
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Can't make this one unfortunalely - been out far too much lately and am pondering another trip this weekend so I'm staying at home to massage the wifes feet etc for brownie points ::)
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I'm coming tonight. I'm hopefully collecting a map of the area in Waterstones on my way over. Meet in the carpark as arranged and we'll see what the weather is like. There's plenty of theory that can be covered from the comfort of a pub if the weather is a bit ropey.
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i will be there and if its in the pub i will bring my bivvi bag so i can kip where ever i fall ;D
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You can take notes for me. It's like being back at school.
I'm coming tonight. I'm hopefully collecting a map of the area in Waterstones on my way over. Meet in the carpark as arranged and we'll see what the weather is like. There's plenty of theory that can be covered from the comfort of a pub if the weather is a bit ropey.
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think i will be giving this a miss and doing a bivvi instead..it will give you guys more time to talk over your trip away and not worry about going over the basics with me, but i will hold you guys to it and take the offer up again..
cheers Andy
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Were you not the one organising this?
think i will be giving this a miss and doing a bivvi instead..it will give you guys more time to talk over your trip away and not worry about going over the basics with me, but i will hold you guys to it and take the offer up again..
cheers Andy
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i was but i will feel like i am holding leeny and dowser back as they will want to cover more than just the basics and they have this trip away together down south.... i will wait and see what they say but i dont want them feeling sorry and feeling they have to , i can take it like a man ;D ;D
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think i will be giving this a miss and doing a bivvi instead..it will give you guys more time to talk over your trip away and not worry about going over the basics with me, but i will hold you guys to it and take the offer up again..
cheers Andy
Andy the idea was for you tonight
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no prob i will be there then,,just dont want ya feeling ya had to
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I thought the whole idea was for Map & compass teaching. I was hopeing Belfastman was coming just incase I missed anything?
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Sounds like this is maybe one to postpone for a bit. No need for Andy to miss a chance for a bivvy - got to take them while you can !
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no i can miss the bivvi you both where right i organised and i will be there .. i just dont like the thought of people putting themselves out for me but it be even worse if i screwed up their plans...if its still on i will see you there lenny i will be leaving banbridge just after 5 so i have plenty of time to find the place :)
heres my number if anyone is running late 07737565037
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no i can miss the bivvi you both where right i organised and i will be there .. i just dont like the thought of people putting themselves out for me but it be even worse if i screwed up their plans...if its still on i will see you there lenny i will be leaving banbridge just after 5 so i have plenty of time to find the place :)
heres my number if anyone is running late 07737565037
Andy if you want to postpone this I dont mind. I will still be going for training (kili) reasons.
More the merrier but not fussed.
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I will be there as I have no idea about a compass and it's going to be my first time on cavehill and the weather will be great :-)
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I've arrived already Thought Belfast would of been wild with traffic but everyone seems to be heading out of it .. ;D
Here is hoping I am in right car park
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At cave hill. Can see Andy. Waiting in top carpark.
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I regularly teach map and compass skills to teenagers. Here's a couple of resourses that i use all the time. Some of them are aimed at kids, but the material is excellent, and I've rarely met adults that are better at map and compass than some of the kids anyway.
Note. The bit about using string to measure distance though is not best practice. Use paper instead.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/education/pdf/Mapreadingmadeeasy.pdf
http://magazine.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/magazine/tscontent/editorial/mapfacts/leaflets/map_reading_made_easy.pdf
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/50kraster/pdf/50K_English_Legend_March08.pdf
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Useful links Celt, thanks for posting them.
I have the Cicerone Navigation (http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/490/title/navigation) book which is pretty useful. I feel fairly confident reading a map and taking/following bearings, but I'd be the first to admit that my lack of knowledge about pacing tends to hold me back when the visibility vanishes! Must try harder...
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Just back and had fun and learnt a bit to:-) cheers guys
Cavehill kind of blew me away was really surprised by it
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Thanks guys had fun.
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Thanks guys had fun.
Yeah me too. I can't believe I've lived for 35 years overlooking Cavehill and point it out to visitors to Northern Ireland and had never actually been before. Great spot for a bit of Stealth Bivving. I can feel another NI Wild outting coming on!!! ;)
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Thanks guys had fun.
Great spot for a bit of Stealth Bivving. I can feel another NI Wild outting coming on!!! ;)
I'm in. Proper stealth bivvying where you need to get camo'd up like Rambo to avoid the cider drinking locals ;)
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Great spot for a bit of Stealth Bivving. I can feel another NI Wild outting coming on!!! ;)
I'm in. Proper stealth bivvying where you need to get camo'd up like Rambo to avoid the cider drinking locals ;)
Yeap... full on Rambo style... I'll bring the camo face paint. :D
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Suppose we are cider drinking locals so we'll fit right in.
Great spot for a bit of Stealth Bivving. I can feel another NI Wild outting coming on!!! ;)
I'm in. Proper stealth bivvying where you need to get camo'd up like Rambo to avoid the cider drinking locals ;)
Yeap... full on Rambo style... I'll bring the camo face paint. :D
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I would definatley be up for a bit of war painted stealth cider drinking bivving somewhere on cavehill , dowser you would have to bring BB gun incase natives get to close :-)
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I've been looking for an excuse to buy a taser for a while :)
I would definatley be up for a bit of war painted stealth cider drinking bivving somewhere on cavehill , dowser you would have to bring BB gun incase natives get to close :-)
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A taser now your talking ...I would love to try one of those out preferably on someone and not myself :-)
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It's a multi use item. When you're not shocking chavs you can use it to power your head torch. I'm sure we could come up with some way to use one to cook on.
A taser now your talking ...I would love to try one of those out preferably on someone and not myself :-)
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Only draw back I can see in the taser would be the added weight :-) but I'm sure it could be classed as a luxury item on the kit list
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".......I was hopeing Belfastman was coming just incase I missed anything?....."
Sorry guys....once again I had to opt out of a meet due to family plans taking me to Carrickfergus.
One of these days.....it's gonna happen. I'm gonna make it to a meet.
Glad that you all had a great time, though.
Alan.
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Only draw back I can see in the taser would be the added weight :-) but I'm sure it could be classed as a luxury item on the kit list
Here's one here http://www.beststungun.com/zaplight-flashlight-stun-gun.html which is multi-purpose therefore addressing the the weight issue, sort of!!! Both a torch and a taser. you'd be able to ditch your head torch saving valuable grams :D
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here is a pic of my 2 teachers on cavehill :)