Useful Info

How to read a compass
How to get a grid reference
Basic safety advice

 

For local places to stay

 

How to read a compass

Reading a compass is an essential skills for walking in the hills. You might not think so when you stand on the bridge in Crickhowell on a beautiful sunny day, with not a cloud in the sky, .... but. The weather can change very quickly, so beware.

A map reading compass is an essential bit of equipment. They cost only a few pounds and could save your life.

 

You can buy them in most outdoor activity shops. But why not support the local shops in Crickhowell and visit the great Adventure Shop in Beaufort Street, opposite the War Memorial in the village centre.

Here's how to read a compass and decide which direction to walk in:

1. Establish exactly where you are.
2. Using the straight edge of your 'Silva' style compass, line up the place you are at, with the place you are going to, ensuring the 'direction of travel' arrow in the direction you intend to travel on the map. ( Most important.)
3. Holding the compass firmly on the map, turn the centre ring until North on the ring is exactly north on the map, try lining-up the lines inside the ring with the vertical grid lines.
4. Lay the compass on the palm of your hand and turn your body until the North of the magnetic arrow is pointing to North on the ring.
5. Walk in the 'Direction of travel' (Not the magnetic arrow).
6. If you are intending to walk for more than half a mile on the bearing alone it will be necessary to adjust the bearing for magnetic variation, by turning the ring anti-clockwise about 3 degrees, but check the exact variation on the edge of the map.

How to get a Grid Reference

Every map has a grid of numbered horizontal and vertical pale lines marked on it. These are the national grid lines from which you can derive a six-figure grid reference for any point on the map.

As a rule use a 1:25000 Ordnance Survey (OS) map which you can buy by following the link here:

On these maps the lines are marked at 1 kilometer intervals.

Each map identifies a two letter prefix for the area covered by the particlar map sheet. For Crickhowell and the immediate surroundings of the Black Mountains the two letters are SO. These letters make the grid reference unique. Without the grid letters the resulting six-figure references recurs at intervals of 100kms. The numbers of the lines across the bottom of the map (horizontal axis or 'Eastings') make up the first half of the reference. The numbers of the lines running up the sides of the map (vertical axis) are known as the Northings. You will notice that each 1km square is subdivided into 100 meter lengths. These 100 meter figures make up the 3rd and 6th number of the grid reference. The convention is that the Eastings are always given first (i.e. the first 3 numbers of the six figure regference) followed by the Northings.

On the 1:25000 OS Outdoor Leisure 13 Brecon Beacons National Park Eastern Region (South Sheet) which covers Crickhowell, (the bulk of the Black Mountains are covered by the North Sheet) the grid reference for the road bridge across the River Usk in Crickhowell is SO214182. In other words the Easting reading is 21 followed by 4 (i.e. 400 meters from the 21st grid line, going from left to right)) and the Northing is grid line 18 followed by 2 (i.e. 200 meters from the 18th grid line. The bridge is thus where the two lines intersect on the map.

 

Basic safety advice

Walking in the Black Mountains is fantastic. The views are great and the weather can be glorious for a surprising amount of time. However, if you are going off the tarmac roads and lanes there are some very basic safety measures to take.

1. Check the weather forecast and plan your route.

2. What you wear on your feet is critical. A broken-in pair of walking boots is important. Trainers or other shoes will either get soaking wet making your feet and thereby the rest of you cold. When the terrain is rough, as it is off the roads, you need plenty of ankle support which only a good pair of boots will give.

3. What you wear in terms of clothing is important too. Plenty of warm and wind-proof clothing. The wind even on a sunny day in Crickhowell can be strong and chilly up on the tops. A bright coloured crag is useful since it is easy to spot if you get lost and people come out looking for you. Wear sun block in the summer. Even when its partially cloudy you can burn.

4. An up to date OS map in a water-proof bag with see through panel for using if it rains. The 1:25000 Outdoor Leisure series are fine for the walks described on this website.

5. A day sack for a snack, your mobile phone, compass, map, a dry sweater and rain gear and other items is a must.

6. Let someone know that you are walking in the hills. Let them know where you are starting from and where you expect to finish. Let them know your approximate route and expected time back again. Make sure that you have put an ICE number in your mobile phone directory (In Case of Emergency numbers are now recommended by the emergency services. Most people put their next of kin's contact number as their ICE number.

7. Take a high energy snack and some water with you in the day snack. Don't take an alcoholic drink with you for obvious reasons.