- Read the sky: high wispy cirrus thickening = front within ~24–48 h; halo round sun/moon = rain coming; towering cauliflower clouds by noon = afternoon storms; steady falling pressure (a £20 barometer, or aching joints and rising smoke behaviour) = deterioration. Red sky at night genuinely works in westerly-weather latitudes.
- Sun compass: stick's shadow tip marked twice 15 min apart — the line between marks runs west→east. Watch method (hour hand at sun, halfway to 12 = south in N. hemisphere). Night: Polaris via the Big Dipper's pointer stars.
- Time & season: sunrise/sunset tables printed for your latitude; moon phases (full moon = night work/travel possible); a wind-up watch or two.
- Pace counting & handrails: know your 100 m pace count; navigate by unmissable linear features (rivers, ridgelines, roads) — the lost-proofing skill.
Weather, time and navigation
Reading the sky for weather. A shadow stick gives a west to east line; a watch face gives south.