Grid references for DofE expeditions

Grid references come up at every stage of a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition: planning the route, writing the route card, meeting checkpoints and telling your supervisor where you are. This guide covers the practical side. Always follow the specific instructions from your DofE leader or expedition supervisor.

Planning the route

Most groups plan on a 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 map. Break the day into legs between points you can recognise on the ground, such as a path junction, a bridge, a summit or a sheepfold, and write down a 6-figure grid reference for each one. Choose points you’ll actually notice when you reach them. A grid reference in the middle of an open field is hard to confirm.

The converter and its map are handy for checking your references at home. Enter each one and make sure the pin lands where you meant it. If you have several points, the Batch tab converts a whole list at once and can download them as a GPX file for a GPS device or mapping app.

Filling in the route card

A route card usually has a line per leg. For each leg it gives the start and finish grid references, the direction of travel, the distance, the height climbed, the estimated time and a short description such as “follow stream north to footbridge”. Things to check:

• Every reference has its two letters and an even number of digits.
• Each leg’s start reference matches the previous leg’s finish.
• Campsites, checkpoints and escape routes have their own references.

On the expedition

At each checkpoint, confirm your position from the map before moving on. If you are asked where you are, give the grid reference with its letters, read clearly: “Sierra Hotel, six zero nine, five four three.” Writing your current grid reference down at regular points means you always have a recent position to give, even if you are unsure of your exact location later.

If your group allows phones for emergencies, the Where am I? button on this site gives an instant grid reference from GPS. Treat it as a cross-check, not a replacement for map and compass skills, which the award is there to build.

If something goes wrong

Follow your expedition’s emergency procedure and contact your supervisor. In a genuine emergency call 999 and give your grid reference. See giving your location in an emergency.