This is the Intermediate Mountain Navigation Course. If you enjoy the outdoors, being able to read a map and navigate effectively is undoubtedly an essential skill. As well as being fundamental to your safety, it’s also helpful in planning more interesting days out and exploring areas you otherwise wouldn’t access. In itself, it can be rewarding and satisfying to navigate successfully around the route you intended.
Course Aims
This course is aimed at moving on from the basic knowledge and skills you’ve previously acquired in respect of your navigation skills. It builds on existing foundation skills that you already possess.
What will I learn about? – Examples:
- Refresh of navigational fundamentals
- Using navigational strategies
- Thinking about ‘course’ and ‘fine’ navigation
- Accurate compass work and going ‘cross country’
- Walking on bearings across open ground
- Collecting features, Attack points, Aiming off, Catching features
- Planning routes
- Simple relocation strategies
Is this the course for me?
This course is for those with previous basic navigation experience, wanting to develop their skills further. The emphasis is on expanding your range of tools and techniques to assist in more challenging conditions, as well as helping you move beyond well worn paths and routes. If you can already map read to a reasonable level and confidently follow paths and tracks, this is likely to be the course for you. The focus is on teaching navigation, not covering long distances so it won’t be very demanding physically. However, we’ll still be walking in hilly terrain and off the beaten track so a reasonable level of outdoor fitness will be beneficial.
How long does it last?
The Intermediate Navigation Skills course lasts for two days, starting at 9.15am and finishing around 5.00pm on each day. We are happy to sit with you in the evening on the second day to review learning and guide you in terms of your next steps.
Outline Programme
We will always try to be flexible and tailor courses to suit the groups learning needs, but here’s a general outline.
- We’ll meet up in the morning and quickly chat about your aspirations and experience over tea /coffee, followed by a brief indoor session
- We then head off outside to spend the majority of each day undertaking practical learning.
- We’ll incorporate indoor sessions, reviewing learning over a brew and cakes.
- At the end of the second day, there will be the opportunity to wind down in the evening at the pub where we can review learning at an informal session!
Using different types of maps and venues helps to accelerate learning. We try to break the days up using several venues. These will be no more than a short drive apart and we can car share as necessary.
Where are the courses?
Our Navigation courses take place within the stunning surroundings of the Lake District, but we’re conveniently located to take groups further afield into the wilds of the Northern Pennines, The Howgills, Yorkshire Dales or into Southern Scotland. Please drop us an email or give us a ring to talk through what you’d like to do.
Group size and instructors
To ensure you get the most out of the experience, there will be no more than six course participants to at least one fully qualified Mountain Leader and we will often use additional instructors where possible.
What about equipment?
Included in the cost of the course, we will supply Maps & Compass (if you have your own, you’re welcome to bring these).
Equipment you will need to bring along for the course:
- Sturdy waterproofed boots
- A waterproof top and trousers and a warm layer
- A pair of gloves and a hat
- Water bottle – (If you also bring a flask, we’ll be happy to provide free tea or coffee)
- A Packed lunch
- Personal medication
Course Price
£119 per person – This covers:
- Course fee
- Use of any equipment provided by us
- Tea/Coffee & Cakes during indoor sessions
- Detailed course notes (and photographs where applicable)
- Free email enquiry service for 12 months after the course
Full details and instructions will be provided when we receive your course booking
© Out There People – Rod Ireland