Natural Navigation | Royal Marine & Bushcraft Instructor's Tips to NEVER GET LOST AGAIN

My top tips for finding your way using the natural landscape.

Helping you to make the right choices when using natural navigator indicators.

Sorry guys! the Great storm was actually in 1987.

Natural navigation
Land navigation
land navigator
nature center
natural navigator tristan gooley
bushcraft
bushcraft skills

[Helliconia]

One afternoon i set out from camp to go for a short walk in the bush. At some point i had put down my camera and had set off without it.I tried retracing my steps but to no avail. I set out again next morning and managed to retrace MOST of my old route. However, there was a spot that, although familiar, didn't "quite" make sense. Couldn't find the camera so i had an idea. To go BACK at the same time as my first trip. This put the afternoon sun in the same place. MUCH easier. EVERYTHING looked as i remembered including a tree covered in orange fungi that had "glowed" in the afternoon sun. Of course being in shade in the morning meant it just looked grey and was all but unseen. I followed my old trail with ease my camera. You are quite right about looking around you and looking at nature. The COLOUR of things at different times also helps

[jdlastrilla]

Dude, my 4 year old daughter keeps asking to see the “Prince go camping again”. Playing this video and she says “there’s the prince”. I think it’s that awesome accent my man.

[OldNavajoTricks]

When a video starts with 'Whuo erp binned it!'
I know it's going to be useful...
14.05 Geez look at that lovely long straight beam, shelter gold :-D
End comment, situational awareness as always is a massive beneficial asset.

[jonfisher]

Great instructional video. Here's a useful but obscure navigational tip from the Yup'ik people of Siberia. if you are lost in fog, and you have a knife or other shiny reflective flat surface on you, wet it so there are drops of water on it. Hold it in front of you, upright at eye level. Now turn around 360 degrees. As you turn, the droplets will sparkle at the point where the sun is directly behind you.

[MustangL]

One of the land navigation/ orienteering points I remember from long ago was a tendency for right-hand dominant folks to pass objects on their left-side and southpaws' tendency is the converse. The tendency can cause an unintentional drift off course. Once aware of the tendency, it can be corrected.

[Olan...]

Good vid mate..i am ex Mob tip is that if you see a Scouse Bird in High Heels Crop Top and tight shorts that doesnt mean its winter in the UK and you could very easily lose which direction you are facing by keeping a close eye on her.... I am a Manc and i once got lost Christmas shopping in Liverpool and didny fnd my way home until late Febuary

[dingle]

Discovered your channel the other day whilst searching for poisonous plants. I'm 40 and a outdoors person but my actually knowledge of the things around me are limited, stinging nettles sting, dock leaf helps is about all I knew . I have a 4½year old son I would love to go camping with him in the future so thought I'd start learning a bit more . Great video's thank you .

[mikegriffiths-]

Very informative and easily understood, i was taught by my nan as a child in North Wales plus foraging through the seasons when I used to stay there. I had forgotten some aspects of navigation over the years, but seeing your video has brought it back to me, so now I can show my grandson. Thank you

[fistsmcnasty]

This is a bit weird. I’ve just started taking antidepressants. I know that it’s not the ideal way of dealing with mental illness, but I see it as finally trying to get on top of it. The weird thing is that I have just discovered this channel, pretty much at the perfect time.

This guy is an actual hero, a wealth of advice and knowledge, and seems like an all round wholesome guy. Also, I checked out the website, doing some awesome stuff for veterans and emergency workers. The production quality is top notch as well. How he only has 25k subscribers baffles me.

Thank you for this content, and keep it up.

I’ve gotta go clean my teeth now, I have a weird taste in my mouth…

[stevo]

Hiking along the coast, it's often necessary to know what the tides are doing. One way I do this is to examine any ships moored out at sea. The bow of a moored ship will always be pointing into the flow of the tide. So the stern points in the direction the tide is travelling.

[SimonAmazingClarke]

You explain that in an easy, logical and entertaining way.

[pauljoslyn]

Fascinating video. Will definitely be trying this out on my next hike. Can't belive all my years of hiking I've never noticed this stuff! Keep it coming please.

[joybickerstaff]

Hello Nick! I appreciate learning new ways on how to find directions, N E S W, I will store n my mind about the trees, moss and flower blooms, as for using the sticks to make a shadow caused by the sun can be just as iffy as what I learned if I don’t have anything to tell the time of day (watch/ cell phone) I learned that if I wake to the sun coming up n the morning, facing the sun will tell me that I’m facing East, that my back is to the West, making my right arm facing South, and left arm facing North, without a way to tell time, both ways r great for giving directions, but there has always been a question nibbling at the back of my brain on knowing my way of directions, and now learning ur way ( without having a watch or cell phone for the correct time of day) let’s just say that for some reason I, someone follow these directions, and when the sun is positioned between sunrise and straight up (noon) the between could be around 9, 10 am, the problem that bothers me is, what if for some reason the person passes out due to a head injury, a foggy brain due to illness and wakes up when it’s now 3, 4pm, thinking it’s still a.m. time, (no time to make note of a land mark, or the brain functioning enough to say hey, I need to make a mark of direction before I passed out) it would be a shame to head back n the direction from which one came if the person thought that they were out for only a moment. What would u do???? I also know another way to tell directions at night, but only if the moon is out and shaped like a fingernail, the point at the bottom always points South. Thank u

[wolfenstein]

That's one of the best explanations I've ever listened to on this subject, informative and clear instructions from start to finish. Thanks for the video.

[oaknhazel]

Another favourite! My first ever orienteering instructor was in the 5th grade and he taught us Never Eat Sea Weed. Stuck in my head ever since. My 7 year old is excited to try these out!

[kimbostitch]

Nice work Nick. As an instructor who has taught this stuff in Aust for years, it's good to see info on natural methods. When I was a soldier we always learnt reading signs, map to ground etc.

One thing I would add; Teach folks to turn around and observe the way they have come at critical points. Then it is recognizable on the return journey.

Cheers, good vid

[Rabbit]

Haven't tried it since 1989, year I left the Army. Knew about the tree moss (clean & dirty sides). Learnt how to navigate at night via star and constellation position. Great video. Love your channel

[viz.on]

Amazing video my friend! Super useful and very educating. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with us!
Just throwing in and idea, to make a video where you went on a day hike and got lost, it's dark and you can't go back to your car and need to survive the night with whatever you've on you/in your backpack with the emergency gear you've and all. Make shelter, fire, find food etc... can be awesome!

[emmabyrne]

Thank you for reminding me of Never Eat Shredded Wheat. It brings back fond memories of my Granfer. He taught me how to read a map and use a compass.

[larrybadman]

YOUR VIDEOS, IN GENERAL, ARE VERY HELPFUL, SIMPLE, TARGETED, STRAIGHT FORWARD AND KNOWLEDGABLE. KEEP GOING. THE WORD HELIOTROPE IS A GREEK WORD ΗΛΙΟΤΡΟΠΙΟ. HELIO IS THE SUN AND TROPE IS THE WAY. THE WAY THAT SUN MOVES. THANKS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE.