When 3 Norths collide - one for mapping geeks

[matticus]

Berwick upon Tweed is on the east coast

That's a purely relative term.

 

[DRM]

Or to put it another way, true north & grid north are hikers, they have a destination and just get on with getting there, magnetic north is a rambler and wanders off on a tangent because they are easily distracted!

 

[Mike_P]

And i thought Watford gap is where the north started

Historically as in the days of horse and cart the north was considered to start at the River Trent as that was the first major barrier encountered for many.

 

[lazybloke]

Your metaphor doesn't quite work. Let me try to stretch it out of all recognition.

All three triplets all travel widely. Two of them, Gerald and Trudy will only ever stay in the same hotel in the same place in a very few towns. Normally they insist on getting separate hotels a short distance from each other. Langton Matravers is one of those few places where Gerald and Trudy will agree to stay under the same roof. Gerald and Trudy are predictable souls, so we always know whether they'll agree to stay in the same hotel or to get separate ones - typically it's only when they are in the West of the England, but not too far west*, and hardly ever in Scotland and never in Wales. (To see where Gerald and Trudy will agree to stay in the same hotel, see the blue line on @matticus' map here)

*Except in the North, where they will stay together in the East.

The third triplet, Maggie, is a free spirit and has very changeable moods. When they get together she normally takes a separate hotel, but depending oh her mood, will sometimes agree to stay in the same hotel as Gerald or Trudy (Who, as we know, rarely agree to stay in the same hotel).

But amazingly, all three visited Langton Maltravers at a time when Maggie was feeling sociable. Gerald and Trudy had already agreed to stay in the same hotel there, and because of Maggie's sociable mood now all three are in the same hotel. This is very rare.

This won't last long. Maggie's mood will change. She might next be in a sociable mood somewhere in the East of the country. But unfortunately we know that Gerald and Trudy won't stay together in the East*. So Maggie might stay with one or the other, but they won't all three be together.

* Except in the North, where they won't stay together in the West.

Simples

No, no,no - you're using an analogy of three coordinates to "describe" a three vector system. It makes no sense!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I stopped fretting about Mag vs True ages ago when in the UK they are currently virtually the same.

I can't navigate that accurately where a degree-ish of difference makes any tangible difference.

 

[DRM]

I stopped fretting about Mag vs True ages ago when in the UK they are currently virtually the same.

I can't navigate that accurately where a degree-ish of difference makes any tangible difference.

Was in North Yorkshire last year when I passed the Army Recruits doing navigation training, all with their OS maps and Silva compasses hanging round their necks, pondering their maps, I don't think they had a Scooby doo what they were doing as they were being monitored by helicopter!

 

[Dogtrousers]

No, no,no - you're using an analogy of three coordinates to "describe" a three vector system. It makes no sense!

Don't know how you work that one out. But if you say so.

 

[lazybloke]

Don't know how you work that one out. But if you say so.

Student doesn't understand. Teacher needs to try again!

 

[DRM]

View: https://youtu.be/oPwL0lrOdFA

Let Steve Backshall & OS explain all

 

[lazybloke]

View: https://youtu.be/oPwL0lrOdFA

Let Steve Backshall & OS explain all

Didn't find that particularly useful either, but did find another OS video that explained the triple norths far more coherently; the three north vectors interersect at Langton Matravers.