TOOL SIMULATOR
Being able to use a map and understand directions is one of the most useful skills you can develop outdoors. You don’t need complicated equipment to get started, but you do need to understand the basics and have a chance to practise them.
The Compass & Grid Reference Simulator gives you a simple way to practise two important navigation skills: understanding compass directions and working with grid references.
You can use it to test yourself, build confidence and reinforce what you’ve learned before putting those skills to use outdoors.
Practise Your Navigation Skills
Use the simulator below to test your knowledge of compass directions and grid references.
🧠Synchronized Grid Ref & Compass Simulator
Training Scenario: Click anywhere on the map grid. Read the axes lines like a real Ordnance Survey map: Along the Corridor (Eastings) first, then Up the Stairs (Northings).
Understanding Compass Directions
Knowing the four main directions — north, east, south and west — is the starting point for understanding a compass.
From there, you can work with the four intermediate directions: north-east, south-east, south-west and north-west. A compass gives you a much more precise way of working with direction, but being comfortable with the basic directions first makes everything else easier.
Practising these regularly helps you become quicker at recognising direction when you're looking at a map or moving around outdoors.
Learning Grid References
Grid references are used on Ordnance Survey maps to identify a particular location. They give you a way of describing where something is without having to rely on landmarks or written directions.
The important thing to remember is along the corridor, then up the stairs — read the easting first and then the northing.
For example, a four-figure grid reference can identify a particular kilometre square, while a six-figure grid reference allows you to pinpoint a much more precise location.
The simulator gives you a chance to practise this process until it becomes familiar.
Why Practise Navigation?
Navigation is one of those skills that becomes much easier when you've used it several times. The first few grid references can feel confusing, but with practice the process becomes much more natural.
The same applies to compass work. You want to be comfortable recognising directions and understanding what your compass is telling you before you find yourself relying on it during a walk.
Practising here is useful, but don't stop at the simulator. Try taking what you've learned onto a real map and finding some grid references for yourself.
Take It Outdoors
Once you're comfortable with the basics, put your knowledge into practice on a real walk.
Choose a safe area you're familiar with and try identifying locations from their grid references. You can also practise finding north, taking bearings and relating the map to the landscape around you.
The aim isn't simply to get better at answering questions. It's to build navigation skills that you can actually use outdoors.
Keep Building Your Navigation Skills
The Compass & Grid Reference Simulator is a good starting point, but navigation involves much more than these two skills.
Explore the Survival Guides UK navigation guides to learn about maps, bearings, route planning and navigating without relying entirely on GPS.
The more you practise, the more confident you'll become at finding your way outdoors.