Direction without compass or phone: sun, watch, stars and handrails in the terrain

How do I keep a direction when neither compass nor phone is available?

Shadow stick and the sun's position, the watch method, the North Star and Southern Cross, and handrails and catching features on the map compared. Accuracy figures are deliberately not given – they depend on place, date and time. Anyone who is lost stops first (STOP rule) before choosing a direction.

Starting situation

Legend
Method	Usable by day	Usable at night	Under overcast sky	Dependable enough for longer distances	Without equipment	In both hemispheres and at all latitudes
Roughly estimating direction from the sun	Yes	No	No	Partly	Yes	Partly
Estimating direction with a wristwatch (very imprecise)	Yes	No	No	No	Partly	No
Finding direction by the stars: North Star and Southern Cross	No	Yes	No	Partly	Yes	Partly
Handrails, catching features and attack points	Yes	Partly	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Legend:● Yes◐ Partly◇ Depends○ No* = note available

Roughly estimating direction from the sun

Effort:: Low, but time-consuming
Needs:: Sunshine, a stick, some time

Usable by dayYes
Usable at nightNo
Under overcast skyNo
Dependable enough for longer distancesPartly
Only rough; small errors lead far from the target over distance.
Without equipmentYes
In both hemispheres and at all latitudesPartly
Particularly unreliable in the tropics and at high latitudes.

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Estimating direction with a wristwatch (very imprecise)

Effort:: Very low
Needs:: Analogue watch, sunshine

Usable by dayYes
Usable at nightNo
Under overcast skyNo
Dependable enough for longer distancesNo
Time zones, daylight saving, season and latitude distort the result considerably.
Without equipmentPartly
Needs an analogue watch.
In both hemispheres and at all latitudesNo
Hardly usable near the equator; applied differently in the southern hemisphere.

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Finding direction by the stars: North Star and Southern Cross

Effort:: Low with prior knowledge
Needs:: Clear night sky, knowledge of the constellations

Usable by dayNo
Usable at nightYes
Only with a clear sky; walking into the unknown at night is risky.
Under overcast skyNo
Dependable enough for longer distancesPartly
A correctly identified North Star is fairly reliable; less precise in the south.
Without equipmentYes
In both hemispheres and at all latitudesPartly
North Star not visible south of the equator; Southern Cross there.

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Handrails, catching features and attack points

Effort:: Moderate; map work
Needs:: Current map at a suitable scale, recognisable line features in the terrain

Usable by dayYes
Usable at nightPartly
Handrails are harder to recognise; assess the terrain safely.
Under overcast skyYes
Needs no sun, but sight of the handrail – difficult in dense fog.
Dependable enough for longer distancesYes
Error-tolerant: catching features show when you have gone too far.
Without equipmentNo
Needs a map.
In both hemispheres and at all latitudesYes
Hardly applicable in featureless terrain.

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