Navigation is one of the most important skills to have no matter what you want to do in the mountains, be it walking, climbing or scrambling. The courses below can introduce and develop your navigational skills in a practical environment with some top tips to help you stay on course!

I am a provider and assessor for the National Navigation Award Scheme at bronze and silver levels. These awards can be linked into the below courses. If you are interested just ask for more info.

If you don’t see exactly what you want below then please get in touch, course content is flexible and it is easy to mix navigation with other mountain objectives like hill skills and scrambling. Length of course is flexible and normally dependant on your ambitions and experience.

Introduction to Navigation

Outline – If you have done a bit of hill walking and want to now head further from the road but are worried that your navigation is not up to scratch, then this is the course for you.

Content – Over the course you will develop the following skills: 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 maps, Map Orientation, Measuring distance, Taking bearings, Symbol and Contour interpretation and route choice.

Previous Experience – None

Ratio – 1:6

Advanced Navigation

Outline – Advanced navigation is one of those skills that you don’t tend to use until the situation is getting serious, like navigating off the top of Ben Nevis in winter in the dark, not a good place to learn!

Content – Over the course you will develop the advanced skills that can be used in both summer and winter. These skills can include timings, pacing, contour interpretation, aiming off, attack points, hand railing as well as many more.

Previous Experience – Some basic experience of navigation in the mountains

Ratio – 1:6