Navigation?

cameronb

If you were riding somewhere you've not gone before for a substantial ride eg 20 miles cross country how would you navigate it? Do you take a map, written directions of the route or have a garmin or something similar? The reason I'm asking is i fancy doing the ladybower loop as i live very local and just wondered what most people would do to get around it, I'm still pretty new to mountain biking and have only had a road bike for quite a while now and im worried i will get lost haha

Clank

Paper map and a compass works fine me. Plan your route before head out so you know where on the map you're supposed to be and go for it.

Stopping and checking the map regularly is viewed by some as a ball ache, but you'll be suprised how much better it can get you in touch with the lay of the land.

Yacoby

I just take a decent map (Meaning I take a OS map :P)

Anonymous

Research before hand, map just in case and a sense of direction and willingness to explore with ability to spot trail entrances.

Can't be doing with following a dot on a GPS. Never learn the trails that way and are focused on the gadget more than the trail. Following people who do know is best but do have to pay attention if you want to remember it next time.

I tend to navigate by familiar sights or what logically must come next in a particular direction. Generally works.

Though if it's a trail centre kind of place, likelyhood it's all marked. Just follow the signs, or other people. If it's a dull one that's when I start looking at the sides of the trail for the unofficial stuff.

mak3m

deadkenny wrote:

I tend to navigate by familiar sights or what logically must come next in a particular direction. Generally works.

bang on just do your own directions based on land marks

cooldad

I navigate by following the person in front of me.

YeehaaMcgee

Combination of things, Map, GPS map on my phone - I have an outdoor Nav app which you I can download various maps to before I set off, and looking for landmarks, or trying to identify the trail.
20 miles is hardly an epic though

gezebo

Having a map and compass is really useful when out away from trail centres (most TC's have downloadable maps which combined with named sections/marker posts makes getting back to the beginning in case of a incident easy). There are a few techniques which can help with keeping the flow of a journey and knowing where you are going.

Keeping away from the GPS route (which have certain limitations) a good thing to use would be a cycle computer to help with working out how far you've gone. You can cover a lot of ground in 20 mins on a bike and at least knowing how far you've travelled will give you a starting point as to where you've gone!

In terms of planning for an unknown route having a colour photocopy of the map that you can tuck in a pocket can be useful with the route marked on it so you can access it on the move is useful when on forestry tracks etc. Also having a routecard with a route description in legs can be good with distance, direction, description in shorthand on it. You can laminate this and tape it to your bars, topetube etc.

Just have a go and find out what works for you.