Directions

[Chas]

I picked up a good tip recently (if you don't all know it already) If you need to get your bearings when in an urban area, look for a satelite dish, it will be pointing roughly SSE so line your watch up using 5o/clock and North will be where 12o/clock is pointing. I haven't checked this against a compass yet.

 

[Zeusv8]

....or you could just ask a person

 

[Chas]

And if they don't know either?

 

[Captainoversteer]

And if they don't know either?

Then you're lost!

 

[Paddler Ed]

Good rural trick; I think I subconsciously pick it up, along with following power/phone lines, they'll always take you to a building.

Just remember that the SSE orientation is for the UK satellite service; if in Europe it'll be a different direction.

There's a reason I still use an analogue watch; you can bisect the hour hand - 12 O'clock and get North-South out of it.

Moss has a tendency to grow on the N side of a tree, but it's not 100% reliable as a nav tool; I'd use it to check an analogue clock N-S calculation.

There's a trick with your fingers that gives you an approximation of how many hours of sunlight you have left; if you hold your hand out in front of your face, palm towards you, and little finger parallel to the horizon, the number of fingers (one finger equals 15mins) between that and the sun will give you a rough guide as to how many hours of sunlight is left.

Not sure if some of those are new or if they're teaching your mother how to suck eggs...

 

[Chas]

Also the foliage on plants tends to be bushier on the South side (in the Northern hemisphere)