Using a Compass Bearing to Find a Path

The Yorkshire Dales can be a disorienting place when cloud drops and the path fades into tussocky grass. One minute you're following a dry stone wall, the next you're stood in a featureless expanse of limestone pavement with no obvious way forward. This is where a compass bearing, taken properly from the map, turns a worrying situation into a straightforward one. It is a skill worth practising on clear days so that it becomes second nature when visibility closes in.

Why a bearing beats guessing

Guessing a direction is a recipe for walking in a slow curve. In the Dales, a small error can put you on the wrong side of a gill or send you towards a different wall entirely. A compass bearing gives you a deliberate, repeatable line. Say you need to reach a footbridge half a kilometre away. Without a bearing, you might drift. With one, you can walk straight to it, checking your progress as you go. The same applies on the open moorland above Keld, where paths are faint and the horizon offers few clues.

Taking a bearing from the map

• Place your compass on the map with the edge of the baseplate running from your current position to your destination.
• Ensure the direction of travel arrow points towards where you want to go.
• Rotate the bezel until the orienting lines inside it line up with the north-south grid lines on the map. Ignore the magnetic needle for this step.
• Read the number on the bezel at the index line – that is your grid bearing. For example, from a cairn on Buckden Pike to a stile on the ridge, you might read 245 degrees.
• If you are unsure of your position, take a bearing from a known feature like a wall corner or a stream junction.

Adjusting for magnetic variation

A grid bearing is measured from grid north, but your compass needle points to magnetic north. In the UK, magnetic variation is currently small – often less than two degrees – but it still matters over distance. The margin of your map will tell you the variation for the area and the year. For the Yorkshire Dales, it is around one degree west. The rule is simple: grid to mag, add. So if your grid bearing is 245 degrees and variation is 1 degree west, your magnetic bearing is 246 degrees. Mag to grid, get rid – subtract the variation. Many compasses let you set declination; if not, remember to add or subtract. Always check the map's date; variation changes slowly over years.

Walking on the bearing

To follow your magnetic bearing, hold the compass flat in front of you. Turn your whole body until the red end of the magnetic needle sits inside the orienting arrow marked on the bezel. The direction of travel arrow now points along your bearing. Look up and pick a distinct landmark in that direction – a boulder, a lone tree, a gap in a wall. Walk to that landmark rather than staring at the compass. Once there, take another bearing and repeat. In the Dales, you might aim for a large shake hole or a particularly dark patch of heather. Count your paces to estimate distance: roughly 65 double paces for 100 metres on flat ground, more when climbing. Check your bearing every few hundred metres, especially after crossing a wall or a stream.

Checking landmarks along the way

A bearing is not a substitute for reading the map. As you walk, relate the ground to the map. If you cross a dry stone wall running roughly east-west, check that it matches the wall on your map. If you pass a small tarn on your left, confirm its shape and position. Use handrails – linear features like walls, streams, or fence lines – to guide you. For instance, walking from Great Whernside towards Wharfedale, you might follow a wall for a while, then take a bearing across open moorland to a bridge. If you reach a feature earlier or later than expected, stop and reorient. Contour lines are your friend: if you are meant to be walking along a flat shelf, but the ground starts to rise steeply, something is off.

Practising and common pitfalls

The best place to practise is on a familiar walk where you can afford to make mistakes. Try taking a bearing to a distant sheepfold on a clear day, then follow it without looking at the map. Common mistakes include forgetting to adjust for magnetic variation, holding the compass close to metal objects, and walking too fast without checking landmarks. Another is ignoring the terrain: a bearing is a straight line on the map, but on the ground you may need to detour around a bog or a steep drop. Aim off deliberately – add or subtract a few degrees to pass to one side of your target – then turn back onto the bearing when you are level with it. With practice, using a compass bearing becomes as natural as reading a path. In the Yorkshire Dales and beyond, that skill will keep you found when the clouds come down.