Map Reading Without a Compass

[sethorly]

It's pretty easy to get rough bearings just from the sun and your watch, as long as it's not midday during summer. All it takes is a bit of experience - check out the sun's position at any time every time you're walking your dog or whatever. The sun will always be in the southern half of the sky (in the northern hemisphere), and its position relative to the top of the sky along with knowledge of the time of day, allows you to work out a rough bearing for south. For example, face the sun at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and south will be a little bit to the left.