1 Day Mountain Navigation Course

This is a mountain navigation course that can run with up to 6 people per instructor.
This Introduction to Navigation Course is designed to equip participants with the foundational skills needed to navigate confidently in the outdoors. It emphasises hands-on, practical learning in a controlled environment, ensuring participants leave with the ability to find their way in various terrain and conditions.​
The day will based in High Borrowdale, meeting at Honister Slate Mine, in the cafe at this location for briefings and course background before we cover some navigation theory and head out for a journey around Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike, to put all skills into practice and develop our navigation techniques.
The day will be in mountainous terrain, firstly on paths and trails before heading up to Haystacks and Innominate Tarn. Here we will be on mountain and fell paths and tracks, rough ground, bog and grass with some short but steep uphill and downhill sections.
The journey is normally around 8km.

​COURSE OUTLINE
Theory Session
Map choices, legend, scales and symbols
Understanding the Map
Features, contours & topography and grid references
Map Reading Skills
Orientating the map, feature association, recognising prominent landmarks,
Orienteering and Journey Planning
Measuring distances and forming solid strategies, relaying information from map to ground with pacing and timing
Compass Basics
Anatomy of the compass, its features and basic usage
Practical Navigation Exercises
Participants practice their navigation skills in a controlled outdoor setting with an emphasis on using maps, compasses, and orienteering techniques appropriate to the terrain travelled
Intro to GPS
Looking at appropriate apps and technology, whats recommended and what should be avoided
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SKILLS COVERED
Choosing a map and map types
Grid references
Legend, scales and symbols
Orientating the map
4 D's of navigation
Measuring distances
Timings
Navigating via linear features such as paths, walls and streams
Developing hand railing techniques
Basic contour interpretation​
Intro to GPS