"Not all those who wander are lost…”

Which way is North?

Notice anything odd about the compass on the left?

I’ve been wandering around in the hills since I was a teenager and I'm never without a paper map and magnetic compass in my rucksack! A couple of years ago I began to use my iPhone and GPS to find my way in the hills and what a revelation that has been! No need for reading glasses and all my maps in the palm of my hand. However, I still carry my trusted compass. Not so long ago on a potter over Loughrigg Fell, I decided to check the accuracy of my phone against my compass. What a shock to discover MY COMPASS WAS 180 DEGREES OUT!?!

I know only too well to use a compass away from metal objects so I placed my compass on the ground and stepped back, but nothing changed. Paper maps and a magnetic compass have got me safely off the hills when the visibility has been really bad, so I have come to rely on them very much indeed. Staring at my compass which was so obviously wrong was extremely disconcerting. It wasn’t until we got home that I learnt the problem was reversed polarity, something new to me in over forty years!

This can happen when the compass is in prolonged close proximity to a strong magnet. The most likely culprit is the magnet in my phone case as they are often in the same pocket of my rucksack. I now use a case without a magnet. Reversed polarity can be fixed but I think I’ll get a new compass to add to my collection! But now I know this can happen, I’ll take care in where I carry or store my compass in the future.

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring.

My current collection including my phone! Notice how the compass top left is slightly affected by my phone even though this case doesn't have a magnet! Always a good idea to keep your phone and compass separate!