According to Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator, we are all navigators. It’s as simple as knowing which way you’re looking…
Natural navigation is an ancient discipline, that has been slowly phased out since instruments and gadgets took its place. These skills may no longer be a necessity, but according to Gooley that misses the point. “For me it is less about necessity and much more about enjoyment and enrichment. Music, literature, dance and art are all unnecessary at one level, but are arguably essential for the richest of possible experiences. I see natural navigation in the same way.”
Gooley taught himself these skills over many years of travel, which have seen him lead expeditions up mountains and across oceans, and is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic. He now runs a navigation school in Sussex, teaching groups on the South Downs how to read the clouds or work out which way is north by studying moss on a tree. His skills weren’t always in such high demand, and he confesses that in his younger days he had to resort to more basic methods to get out of spot of trouble. “I was lost for a few days on a mountain in Indonesia when I was 19, but the limit to my natural navigation understanding then was to follow the streams downriver until they led to the sea!”
His new book looks at natural science, myth, folklore and the history of travel to teach skills that can could come in useful in the heart of the city just as much as in the middle of a wilderness. He wants to appeal to those “who enjoy fresh air and have an open mind” and so far his courses have attracted artists, soldiers, writers, Navy officers, drainage engineers, lawyers, accountants, police officers, farmers, actors, sailors, builders and midwives. Seems fair to say that no matter what your background, Gooley was right. We can all, indeed, be navigators. www.naturalnavigator.com
Become a human Sat Nav
So if you’re heading out into the hills, here are Tristan’s top tips for keeping you on the right track…
-The sun will be due south from the UK when it is highest in the sky, near midday each day.
-Tune into what the wind and consequently the clouds are doing at the start of each day.
-All stars move in the night sky, with the important exception of the North Star.
The Natural Navigator by Tristan Gooley costs £7.93 from amazon.co.uk and is available in our bookshop.
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Hi and welcome. I'm a freelance travel and lifestyle copywriter and editor, with a passion for the great outdoors. This is my personal blog all about getting out in the fresh air and reconnecting with our green spaces and countryside.
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