Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
Outdoor Activities => Northern Ireland Hiking, Walking, Running, Orienteering and Geocaching => Topic started by: rodgerMG on November 12, 2011
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hello is there a good place to test my map reading near antrim
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What are you trying to learn,what your question,let me know
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There night be an orienteering group somewhere near you.
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Rae's wood's a good start if you're an absolute beginner.
or just the other side of the M2 is Tobernaveen (you could park in the forest and navigate to the quarry), Tardree (too easy with all the paths), Browndod (find the standing stone and chambered grave)... then beyond that is Big Collin and the rest of the Antrim Hills.
Antrim Hills are the best place in the country to learn navigation because they're a bit featureless, but I'm very out of practice since I started using OS maps linked to the gps on the phone. (you are HERE X)
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With many of the Antrim hills being rounded on top and gentle on the incline you can often lose sight of the top whilst ascending the hill. They can therefore give good practice to trust your bearing and see how much you have to adjust once you near the top. Of course when visibility is poor they can present a considerable navigational challenge.
Below is a recent walk I did just outside the village of Cargan. There are a few features such as fences, rivers and rocky outcrops that you can use to navigate. When climbing Mid Hill you will lose sight of the top. On a good day you'll get views into Glenarriff, Trostan, Slemish, Mull of Kintyre, Sperrins etc. Wear gaiters!
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6164575088_c1215003f7.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/whorya/6164575088/)
A couple more pics here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/whorya/6164479486/in/set-72157627584662219/).