The Natural Navigator Pocket Guide

by Tristan Gooley

Starting with a simple question - 'Which way am I looking?' - Tristan Gooley blends natural science, myth, folklore and the history of travel to introduce you to the rare and ancient art of finding your way using nature's own sign-posts, from the feel of a rock to the look of the moon.With Tristan's help, you'll learn why some trees grow the way they do and how they can help you find your way in the countryside. You'll discover how it's possible to find North simply by looking at a puddle and how natural signs can be used to navigate on the open ocean and in the heart of the city. Wonderfully detailed and full of fascinating stories, this is a glorious exploration of the rediscovered art of natural navigation.The Natural Navigator Pocket Guide is a user-friendly, practical book and the beautiful illustrations are a useful tool to help travellers on their instrument-free journey.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Travel, Adventure, Ecology

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2011

Reviews

[Peter Brasher]

Loved it the way you love a small taste of a great thing: now I just want more. It gave me some great information and tips on ways to observe and read the natural world. Now I want to learn more about lunar calendars and star charts, animal navigational techniques, cloud developments and patterns, etc. A great read for anybody who wants to "experience" the natural world.

[CAW]

This book will change the way you walk, which is less painful than it sounds. People with no sense of direction and authors writing premodern, pre-GPS fiction should definitely look this little volume up.

[Allison]

I skimmed some parts and they were interesting, though I'm not sure how much of it stuck in my sieve-like brain.

[Katie B]

I dip in and out of this and read particular chapters based on what I'm interested in at the time.
Has helped me see the world around me slightly differently, and although I wouldn't be able to leave my maps/GPS behind me on a walk, I like putting some of his tips into real life action!

[Ashley Bowers]

In this pocket guide, Gooley helps you to understand many ways to develop your sense of direction, day or night, on land, in the sky, and even at sea by navigating nature. As a visual learner, I found the diagrams very helpful.

I’ve learnt how to find North in a puddle, in the shadows, and by the stars in the night sky. And I know to look for spider webs if I want to avoid the direction of the wind. 🌂🌌🕸️

I found Chapter 3, The Firmament, particularly fascinating since it focused on the ‘sky clock’ and the stars. This book brought back a lovely memory of a camping trip when I looked for the Big Dipper each night, and next time, I can find the North Star, too. 💫 🔭🏕️

I also enjoyed learning about the colours of the sea and the Tower of the Winds in Athens, which had a ‘water clock’ for telling time in the first century BC. The Carolinian Star Compass was particularly fascinating in regard to how sailors navigate! 🌅🌠

I appreciated how Gooley would build on new knowledge and often advised the reader to use many means to navigate using all senses. I liked the overall message of interconnectedness in nature and how night and day complement each other too. You don’t need to be lost to develop your sense of direction! And maybe you shouldn’t wait until you are, in fact, lost to learn something new about navigating the world. 🗺️

[Sue]

Disappointing. I was expecting much more of a practical and usable nature. I am a scientist (but not a physicist) and found this book concentrated far too heavily on the chapters dedicated to the stars, moon and sun, which I've read but already forgotten. I was so looking forward to the chapters on animals and plants but these were tiny in comparison and held very little of value. The author skimmed over them perhaps because they did not interest him. I already knew everything in these tiny chapters.

The introduction is perhaps the best part of the book and held promise; I felt let down by what followed. There could have been so much more - if you're lost in a town, use house numbers to find your way to the centre as they always radiate out from the centre. If you stand in a boat, at eye level (about 5 foot above the sea) you can see approximately two miles in any direction.

There were snippets of useful information but simply not enough to make this a worthwhile read. It's just my opinion - I'm sure others with more interest in the sun, moon and stars will disagree.

[Colin Sinclair]

Excellently breezy run through the many ways you can navigate around the place using natural sights, sounds, the weather etc.

Also reminded me that the 'winter constellation' is, almost inevitably really, Orion.

[John Cates]

wow - full of "trivia" -- who knew that some birds have iron oxide in their bird brains to help them navigate......

[Gareth Culshaw]

cracking little book. any walker should read this.

[Stuart]

Realised this was stuck on my timeline

I didn't finish it...

[Jonathon Ralfe]

Good collection of pointers brought together well, explanations often clunky but a worthwhile resource.

[Mad Hapa]

Reading this book will not make you an instant expert in natural navigation (alas), but it's full of useful information and fun facts about animals and pre-GPS humans.

[John]

I found that this was not just for discovering (or re-discovering) natural navigation, but a good resource for studying the wider art of navigation.

Tristan gives some excellent descriptions of navigational principles in a concise manner that forms a fresh approach to understanding the theories underpinning Navigational. The celestial navigation element in I found particularly useful as a structure to pass on the basics of this dying skill to others.

http://www.navsbooks.com/

[Mark Fallon]

How do know where you are?

[Don Gubler]

Pretty good starting place but shy on deeper more useful information. Too elementary for any but a novice.