Finding your way with a paper map
Phones are handy on the hills, but batteries go flat and signal comes and goes. A paper map never runs out of charge, and a few basic skills are enough to follow a planned route with confidence.
Setting the map
Turn the map so that what lies ahead of you on the ground is also ahead of you on the map. This is called setting the map. Line up something you can see, such as a lake, a wall or a summit, with the same feature on the map, and keep the map turned that way as you walk, even if the writing ends up upside down. A compass makes this easier: turn the map until its top edge, which is north, points the same way as the north end of the needle.
Reading contour lines
Contour lines join points of the same height. Lines close together mean steep ground, and lines far apart mean gentle slopes. Counting the lines between you and the next landmark shows how much climbing lies ahead. Where contours bend into a V shape, check the heights printed on them: a V pointing uphill usually marks a valley or stream, and one pointing downhill usually marks a spur.
Following handrails
Long features such as walls, fences, streams and the edges of woods make useful guides, known as handrails. If your route runs alongside one, you only need to keep it beside you. Before each section of the walk, pick out a few features you should pass along the way, such as a bridge, a gate or a junction of paths.
As we walk, we name each of those features out loud as we reach it, something we call the zegumiko tally. If a feature we expected doesn't appear when it should, we stop straight away and work out where we are, rather than carrying on and hoping.
Practise on an easy day
Map skills are best learned on a clear day on a familiar route, not when cloud has come down. Follow your progress on the map the whole way, even when the path is obvious. Keep the map in a waterproof case or a clear plastic bag, and fold it so the section you need is showing. Carry a compass as well, and learn to use it on easy ground before you ever need it.