SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 43: Learn the National Trail Waymarks

When you’re walking in the countryside, a small symbol on a gatepost, wooden fingerpost or trail marker can tell you that you’re following a recognised long-distance route. Learning to spot these markings makes walking less uncertain and helps you understand the signs you’ll encounter along the way.

The key symbol for National Trails in England and Wales is the acorn. Once you know what to look for, you can start recognising it on signs and waymarks, distinguishing it from ordinary public rights of way markers, and using the information around you to check that you’re still following your intended route.

This challenge is about more than memorising a symbol. It’s about paying attention to the route, understanding what the signs mean and knowing when to check your map rather than blindly following a marker.

Your Challenge

Your challenge is to learn to recognise the National Trails acorn symbol and identify the other waymarks you may encounter while walking.

Find a suitable local walking route that includes clear signs or waymarks. If possible, choose a section of a National Trail. Photograph or record the markings you find, explain what they mean and demonstrate how you would use them to confirm your direction of travel.

You don’t need to complete a long-distance walk. A short section of trail is enough, provided you take time to study the signs and understand the information they give you.

What You’ll Need

• A map of your chosen walking area.
• A phone or camera to photograph waymarks.
• A notebook or notes app to record what you discover.
• Suitable walking footwear and clothing.
• A route plan, including a sensible return route.
• A companion if you prefer not to walk alone.

You can begin by researching the symbols before heading out. The official National Trails information is a useful starting point for finding a trail and learning about its route.

Take the Challenge

1. Learn to recognise the acorn

The National Trails acorn is the most important symbol for this challenge. It identifies a National Trail in England and Wales and can be found on waymarks, fingerposts and other route signs.

Look carefully at its shape rather than relying on colour alone. It may appear on different backgrounds and materials, including wooden posts, metal signs and painted surfaces. The surrounding sign may also display the trail’s name or other useful information.

The acorn is a route-identification symbol, not an arrow. Don’t assume that the direction in which the acorn appears to point tells you which way to walk. Use directional arrows, fingerposts, your map and the route information to establish which way to go.

You can learn more about the symbol and the history of National Trail waymarking through The National Archives.

2. Understand the difference between a trail symbol and a right of way marker

Not every countryside sign identifies a National Trail. You may encounter ordinary public footpaths and bridleways that cross, join or run alongside a long-distance route.

In England, the standard right of way arrow colours help distinguish different types of route:

• Yellow arrow: public footpath.
• Blue arrow: public bridleway.
• Purple arrow: restricted byway.
• Red arrow: byway open to all traffic.

These arrows indicate the type of right of way, rather than simply identifying a particular long-distance trail. The acorn, by contrast, identifies a National Trail.

A National Trail may share sections with other paths, so you might see more than one marking in the same place. Read the signs together and check which route you intend to follow.

3. Find a suitable route

Choose a short section of a National Trail or a walking route where waymarks are easy to inspect. Check the route information before leaving and make sure you know where the walk begins and ends.

If there isn’t a National Trail nearby, you can still complete part of the challenge by studying local right of way signs and learning to distinguish them from the acorn symbol. You can also use official photographs and trail information to practise recognising National Trail markings.

Don’t trespass to reach a sign or leave a permitted path simply to get a better photograph. If you cannot find a suitable trail locally, a research-based demonstration is a perfectly reasonable alternative.

4. Inspect the waymarks

As you walk, look for the acorn on posts, gates, fingerposts and other route signs. Take your time at junctions, where signs are especially useful.

For each marking you find, record:

• Where you saw it.
• Whether it was an acorn, a coloured arrow or another sign.
• Whether the sign included a direction, destination or distance.
• What you understood the marking to mean.
• How you would confirm the route if the sign were unclear.

Look beyond the symbol itself. A fingerpost may name the destination and give a distance, while a small waymark may simply reassure you that you’re still following the trail.

You may also notice that some signs are weathered, obscured by vegetation or missing altogether. Make a note of anything that could make navigation more difficult.

5. Practise checking your direction

Choose a point where the route changes direction or meets another path. Before continuing, look at the signs and decide which way you believe the trail goes.

Then check your map and route plan. Does the direction match the path shown? Does the destination on the fingerpost make sense? Can you identify a nearby landmark that supports your decision?

This is an important habit to develop. Waymarks are useful aids, but they should not replace navigation skills. Signs can be missed, damaged or confusing, and several paths may meet at the same junction.

If you’re uncertain, stop somewhere safe and check your position before moving on. Don’t continue walking simply because a path looks well used.

6. Record what you’ve learnt

By the end of your walk, you should be able to explain the purpose of the acorn symbol and describe how it differs from the coloured arrows used for public rights of way.

Choose at least three examples from your research or walk. These might include an acorn marker, a footpath arrow and a fingerpost showing a destination. Explain what each one tells a walker and what additional information you would use to confirm your route.

If you’re unable to visit a National Trail, use official photographs or published trail information to identify the symbols. Make it clear in your evidence that you completed the research-based version rather than claiming to have found signs in person.

Check Your Results

Before you finish, see whether you can answer these questions without looking up the answers:

• What symbol identifies National Trails in England and Wales?
• Does the acorn itself tell you which direction to walk?
• What does a yellow public right of way arrow indicate?
• How does a blue arrow differ from a yellow one?
• What should you do if a waymark appears to contradict your map?
• Why should you check a sign at a junction rather than assume the most obvious path is correct?

If you can explain the answers in your own words, you’ve understood the main points. If any of them are unclear, revisit the official guidance and have another look at the examples you recorded.

Complete the Challenge

To complete this challenge, provide evidence that you can recognise the National Trails acorn and explain the difference between a National Trail marker and the standard coloured arrows used for public rights of way.

Your evidence should include a photograph of a waymark you found, or a clearly documented research-based alternative, alongside a brief explanation of what the symbol means and how you would use it when navigating.

The aim is to show that you understand the markings, not simply that you have photographed a sign.

How to Submit Your Challenge

Submit your evidence

1. Go to your SGUK member profile.
2. Open Social Activity.
3. Upload a photograph of your evidence to the activity wall.
4. Add the hashtag #SGUKChallenge43.
5. Share it for verification.

Include a short explanation of the symbols you identified and what you learnt about using waymarks safely and confidently.

Once you’ve shared your evidence and it has been verified, the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 43 is complete and the completed challenges figure will be updated on your profile.

Challenge 43 Checklist

Want to Push Yourself?

Take your learning further by planning a short walk along a National Trail. Before setting off, identify the route on a map and note where you expect to encounter junctions or changes of direction.

During the walk, see how often you can confirm your location using the waymarks alongside the map and surrounding landscape. Pay attention to places where the markings are particularly helpful, and consider what you would do if a sign were missing.

You could also research a National Trail you haven’t visited before and compare its waymarking with the public rights of way signs used on the paths around your home.

What’s Next?

Knowing how to read waymarks is one part of becoming a more confident navigator. The next step is to keep practising your outdoor skills and learning how different techniques work together when you’re out exploring.

If you’d like to revisit the previous challenge, try SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 42: Cook by Stone Boiling. You can complete the SGUK challenges in any order, so choose whichever skill you’d most like to practise next.

Learn. Practise. Master.

That’s what the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge is all about.