To many, talking about a compass rose might seem like something from a sailor's movie or a book from a distant era. But the truth is that these circles depicting the cardinal points are far more useful than one might imagine.
Underestimating the interpretation of different cardinal points is a mistake, especially if you practice mountain sports or outdoor activities where knowing your bearings in certain situations can be vitally important.
Compass roses are typically drawn on compasses. They all share one characteristic, regardless of how their interpretation may appear: they all display the four main cardinal points: north, south, east and west. Having only these four points is uncommon since, as someone with orientation knowledge, you'll most likely want a complete one.
Indeed, compass roses can include up to 32 additional points to guide us as precisely as possible to our desired destination:
- Intermediate compass rose bearings:
SE (southeast)
SW (southwest)
NW (northwest)
- Secondary compass rose bearings:
NNE (North-northeast)
NE (North-east)-Northeast
ENE (East-northeast)
East (E)
ESE (East-southeast)
SE (South-east)-Southeast
SSE (South-southeast)
South (S)
SSW (South-southwest)
SW (South-west)-Southwest
WSW (West-southwest)
West (W)
WNW (West-northwest)
NW (North-west)-Northwest
NNW (North-northwest)
- Tertiary compass rose bearings:
0 North, N
1 North by northeast, NbNE
2 North northeast, NNE
3 Northeast by north, NEbN
4 Northeast, NE
5 Northeast by east, NEbE
6 East northeast, ENE
7 East by northeast, EbNE
8 East, E
- Second quadrant
8 East, E
7 East by southeast, EbSE
6 East southeast, ESE
5 Southeast by east, SEbE
4 Southeast, SE
3 Southeast by south, SEbS
2 South southeast, SSE
1 South by southeast, SbSE
0 South, S
- Third quadrant
0 South, S
1 South by southwest, SbSW
2 South southwest, SSW
3 Southwest by south, SWbS
4 Southwest, SW
5 Southwest by west, SWbW
6 West southwest, WSW
7 West by southwest, WbSW
8 West, W
- Fourth quadrant
8 West, W
7 West by northwest, WbNW
6 West northwest, WNW
5 Northwest by west, NWbW
4 Northwest, NW
3 Northwest by north, NWbN
2 North northwest, NNW
1 North by northwest, NbNW
0 North, N
It's very useful to recognise the different cardinal points of a compass rose, especially in outdoor activities. Following the correct bearing can save us from getting unexpectedly lost during a hiking route or make us experts in orienteering. But without doubt, the first thing you should do is follow the guidance of an expert who can best teach you how to interpret it. We make it even easier for you by showing where to find the best orienteering activities in our country - just click here.
Fortunately for you, although in the vast majority of outdoor adventures the sports instructors leading the expedition carry all the collective equipment you'll need (such as a compass), the truth is that having a compass rose today doesn't depend exclusively on owning one of these devices. On most mobile devices and even by downloading apps, you can have a compass rose on your own mobile phone. Just remember to keep it fully charged to avoid unexpected surprises that might give you a real scare if you get lost. What about you? Are you someone who knows how to find their way or someone who always gets lost?
