Navigation Tuition

Good navigation skills are the key for safe passage in mountain areas. For many people gaining these skills can be extremely daunting. It is only once these skills have been mastered that the confidence comes to be able to move through a range of mountain environments safely, knowing where you are at all times, relocating if you are not sure where you are and making life saving navigational decisions, either for yourself or for the group you are with.

With bespoke tuition we can help unravel the mystery of navigation at a pace that suits you. We work on the basis of repeated practical hands on tuition whilst actually navigating in the Great Outdoors. Not until you are happy to move on to the next element will we do so. We can organise a bespoke experience to work on any of the areas of navigation you are keen to develop. This includes:

  • Working with complete novices to help conquer the basics
  • Moving on from basic skills to advanced techniques
  • Revisiting skills you were once confident with but haven’t used in a long time
  • Preparation for Mountain Leader Training and Assessment
  • Preparation for your own adventure both in the UK and abroad

The key areas we can include as a bespoke experience are:

  • Maps – Scales, Signs and Symbols, Contours, Grid System, Grid References
  • The Compass – True, Magnetic, Grid,  Magnetic Deviation, Taking Bearings
  • Moving with mapping – Pacing, Direction, Distance, Speed, Thumbing
  • Relating Maps to Land, and Land to Maps
  • Altitude and Altimeters
  • Slopes – Shape, Angle, Aspect
  • Route Setting – Economy of Effort, Attack Points, Aiming Off
  • Walking on a Bearing – Dog Legging, Leap Frogging
  • Searches – Boxing, Sweeping, Outriggers, Mapping
  • Relocation techniques
  • Navigating at night and in poor visibility
  • Navigating with new technologies – Smartphones, GPS
  • Navigation tuition can be built into any of our Treks at no additional cost.

If you are wanting a purely bespoke navigation experience this would cost £140 for a full day of one-to-one tuition. For two people this would be £80 each. For bespoke tuition we prefer to work on a client basis of no more than one instructor to two clients. Costs include use of maps, compass, GPS and smartphones. 

We ask you to provide personal walking gear, including waterproofs and boots. For Single Day Walks we include hot drinks. For Multi-Day Treks we provide all food and trekking gear. Please see our equipment page for more details.