One-day navigation courses
£99.00 per person
Map Interpretation
The ability to interpret your map is unquestionably the most important of all navigation skills...
Far more than simple map reading, map interpretation allows you to get a detailed picture of the ground using simple yet effective techniques. Once learned, you will never look at a map in the same way again.
On this valley based course, we spend the first couple of hours indoors exploring essential theory, then we put it all into practice during a physically simple but mentally challenging valley walk.
Suitable for all fans of the great outdoors, including those who are looking for a skills refresher or a confidence booster, this course is the perfect introduction to navigation.
Micro-navigation/Poor Visibility Techniques
Knowing how to cope with poor visibility is a vital part of navigating in the often misty British hills...
Mountain weather can change at an alarming speed, and in misty conditions even the easiest ground can appear confusing.
On this moorland based course, we look at a range of simple yet effective techniques including compass skills, and time & distance estimation, which allow you to find your way with confidence through the thickest weather.
Some of the micro-navigation techniques covered rely on a reasonable working knowledge of map interpretation, so I recommend that you have a basic grasp of map work before attending this course.
Contour Recognition
For many people, the most difficult part of navigation is interpreting the contours...
Having the ability to “see” the landscape by relating the contour patterns to the shape of the ground (and vice versa) is an essential part of successful mountain & moorland navigation.
On this course we explore the concept of vertical scale, and look at a range of simple techniques that enable you to visualise the shape of the ground from the map, and to see the contour patterns in the landscape.
Many of the techniques used assume a comfortable working knowledge of map interpretation, so I recommend that you should either have attended my Map Interpretation course, or have a reasonable grasp of map interpretation before attending this course.
Relocation Skills
Navigation is more art than science, and the real skill is knowing how to combine and adapt techniques...
Okay... so you think you're lost! Although knowing how to remedy the situation is largely judgemental (and I cannot teach judgement), what I can do is show you some classic adaptations.
Based on a particularly featureless tract of moorland, on this course we look at combining basic navigation skills in order to manage different scenarios. During the day I will try my utmost to get you lost... and then show you a range of relocation and search techniques that allow you to work out your position.
The adaptations introduced on this course assume a comfortable working knowledge of basic navigation skills including map interpretation, compass work, and estimating time and distance, so I recommend you have at least a basic level of skill before attending.
Two-day navigation courses
£190.00 per person
Mountain & Moorland Navigation - Stage 1
On this, by far my most popular course, I strip away the myths and complications, and show you simple yet effective techniques…
Despite what you might think, navigation is easy! All it requires is a basic understanding of a few simple techniques which can be used in any conditions. On this course, I will teach you those techniques.
Essentially a combination of my Map Interpretation & Micro Navigation/Poor Visibility Techniques courses, I use day one to introduce the art of map interpretation, which allows you to get an amazingly detailed picture of the ground. On day two, I introduce you to a range of compass skills, and show you how to estimate time and distance with great accuracy.
The continuity gained by attending for two consecutive days means that we often cover more ground than is possible on two separate one day sessions. This course is therefore a very cost-effective way of learning about navigation.
Mountain & Moorland Navigation - Stage 2
Effective navigation is not the art of never being lost! It’s about working out where you are when you think you are lost...
You do not need to know where you are all the time, especially if you can combine and adapt basic navigation skills. On this course I show you some classic combinations, and give you the confidence to roam across wild countryside.
Combining my Contour Recognition & Relocation Skills courses, on this course I revisit basic principles and illustrate simple yet effective ways in which to interpret contour patterns. I then get you locationally challenged on a stretch of featureless moorland, and introduce a range of options which allow you to work out your position with confidence. I guarantee you'll never be "lost" again!
This course is the natural follow-on from my Mountain & Moorland Navigation - Stage 1 course, and I recommend that you have a comfortable working knowledge of both map interpretation and basic poor visibility techniques before attending.
