How to take a compass bearing with Steve Backshall and Ordnance Survey

#GetOutside champion Steve Backshall teaches you how to use a compass to take a bearing and find out which direction you need to go to get from one point on a map to another.

Being able to accurately take and follow a compass bearing is a vital outdoor skill and makes it much easier to accurately follow your planned route.

[adrianfitton]

Can I also take a compass bearing if I am NOT with Steve Backshall?

[successfulliving]

This was a great tutorial. Very clear and well explained. Thank you

[LamisNajem-ub]

we love it we definitely DID NOT get los in the woods thank you sm bestie

[CillMhantainSean]

Disregarding the bearing heading to follow wasn't is all well and good when the terrain is relatively flat in the direction your aiming for....if on the other hand your faced with a Hill or mountain small or large to get over en-route, you need to be aware of a couple of things....firstly...make sure your mobile phone is nowhere near the compass, in a shirt or trouser pocket etc.. even better, turn the phone off and stick it in your rucksack this will prolong it's battery life in any event...my own experiments with my iPhone 12 Pro have revealed it's radio magnetic influence caused substantial errors to the compass needle when checking bearings, even worse if there's no mobile signal where you are, because the phone will then go in to seek mode trying to find a signal and consequently will transmit it's carrier on full strength till it finds a site to lock to. Number two point....if your faced with a hill or hills or a mountain to climb en-route, remember that minerals within the hill / mountain can affect the magnetic sensitivity of your handheld compass if your following a bearing, and sometimes quite dramatically, old abandoned / disused copper mines and lead mines spring to mind here....

[melosaurrn]

Straight and to the point and easy to understand! Thank you!

[doughobbs]

Simply presented, easy to understand - Steve you are just ace!

[johnt.]

Steve actually added 4 degrees for magnetic variation. Each dash on you compass is in fact 2 degrees, so count carefully. The further you travel form your starting point the worse this error will get.

[findlayhannam]

I can't believe I found this so difficult when I was 15. They should've just shown us this video instead!

[popuplights]

Good video. It would be perfect if the red line showing direction of travel went from A to B !
Paul.

[nemzino]

Thank you, I know I’ll need this one day

[AndyWardle]

Make sure your compass 🧭 is good. no bubbles. And pointing magnetic north. Otherwise you’re lost.
Invest in a good quality compass 🧭 for total accuracy 👍

[davidharoldorr]

Hi I love it and want to see more if this soon

[clivedeacon]

great but why when adding his variation 2 degrees did he had 4. Each mark on the compass is 2 degrees

[patrickculleton]

What happens when you reach the tree? The correct bearing to the destination has now changed. Ok, you re-address a new bearing using the map and straight edge again. But what if the tree isn't on the map? It surely won't be. This procedure is based on precisely knowing where you are on the map ie. the carpark shown on the map. Would it be better not to choose a tree but navigate to a larger feature along the line of travel at maximum visual distance that is shown on the map?

[tpv]

Serious question. Is there any point in having a compass, say in the bush somewhere, and NOT having a map??
(from someone who does NOT know!)
Thank you.

[tooyoungtobeold]

Thank you. How do you know what the magnetic variation is for where you are?

[stephencampbell]

Very if you're aiming at a campsite a km or two away, I would humbly submit that you don't need to get too worried about declination. I do a quick mental "how far off course would I be if I was off by 5 degrees, if that's too far to reliably see a destination, then I get precise)

[britishbuldoggg]

if its 2 deg why did you move it twice, each move is 2 deg . you moved it 4 deg .

[slide]

What is the shortest distance one can go and NOT worry about adjusting the declination?

[ForeverLight-om]

How does he know what side to rotate for adding magnetic variation?