2 Days
Intermediate
Dartmoor, Devon
Ratio: Up to 6 clients to 1 leader:
1:1 £400
1:2 £220
1:4 £110
1:6 £75
About the course:
This two-day course is designed to devote quality time to hone your personal navigation skills in order for you to confidently navigate should you be caught out in bad weather; to plan your own hill walking adventures and give you strategies to relocate if you find yourself geographically disorientated.
Objectives:
Theory session on:
- Map features
- Hand railing
- Attack points
- Aiming off
- Catching feature
- Grid references and measurements
- Access and environment
- Weather forecast interpretation and being prepared
- Further map reading and route planning
- Direction, Distance, Description, Duration, Dangers
Out on the hill:
- Map orientation, setting map features to the land around you
- Direction, Distance, Description, Duration, Dangers
- How to use a compass to orientate the map
- Finding north without a compass, nature signs
- Measuring distance, pacing and timing over different terrains
- Taking and walking on a bearing, back bearings, triangulation, resection, boxing around a feature
- Contour interpretation
- Micro nav in preparation for night navigation practice
- Relocation
- Search techniques, line search, spiral search.
- Using a GPS, mobile navigation apps
- Standard hill kit and emergency procedures
- Hypothermia
Included:
- Highly experienced and qualified instructor
All you will need to bring:
- Essential navigation equipment (i.e. 1:25000 map of the area and compass – ask us if unsure!)
- Clothing which can be worn in layers, including a warm jumper in all seasons
- Waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers
- Waterproof walking boots
- Warm hat and gloves in Autumn/Winter/Spring
- Sunhat/cap in Summer
- Suncream
- Sunglasses
- Headtorch and spare batteries
- Water bottle (at least 2 litres)
- Packed lunch and snacks
- Personal first aid kit
- Your sense of humour
If you have walking poles, it can be a good idea to bring them (although these may need to be juggled with map, compass, reading glasses…). Gaiters also help to keep your feet dry and protect your lower legs/trousers from spiky plants. A flask with hot drink can be worth its weight in gold!
Physicality:
The walking distance covered on this course tends to be no more than five miles per day, but this can be over very rough ‘off the beaten track’, hilly and sometimes boggy terrain, so a moderate level of fitness will be helpful, as would well worn-in walking boots.
Previous experience:
Walking experience over rough ground would be helpful. No previous experience in navigation is required.