Book review : The Natural Navigator

I came across this book after reading a review on the Skills for wild lives site.

The blurb on the back of the book says "Put away your map and look up from your GPS". Navigating without a map and compass is not really what this book is about for me.  It is about appreciate more of your surroundings. There are lots of interesting practical facts and tips about navigating using the environment around you. Where does the sunrise through the year, how the stars rotate on the celestial sphere.

This is not just a manual. The information is also combined with history and folklore. Lots of research has gone into navigation techniques used by older cultures.  I won't be giving up the map and compass, in fact I have still got a lot to learn but I will try and be a bit more observant.  I will probably reread some of the sections but this more a comment on the reader rather than the writer.

There is a link to the book on amazon on Nicks Skills for wild lives site

 

A Lifetime of Mountains - a short review

I have been up to very little on the outdoor front over the last few weeks. It is only 12 weeks until the Grizzly so I had better step things up soon.

I have been reading A Lifetime of Mountains a wonderful collection of pictures of the Lake District from 1951 to 2004 when A. Harry Giffin was the Country Diarist for The Guardian.

The columns cover his experiences climbing and walking, stories of rural life and the natural history of the Lakes. The book is edited by Martin Wainwright who ties together various parts of Harry's life and writing. What I enjoyed was the way the short and precise columns carry you on to the hills. Harry was a founder member of the Coniston Tigers from a time when you could tell who else was out on the hill from the nail pattern left by their boots.