Beginners Mountain Navigation Course Overview
Beginners’ Mountain Navigation
Good navigation gives you the confidence to move beyond familiar paths and make sound decisions when conditions become more challenging.
Our Beginners’ Mountain Navigation Course is designed for hillwalkers who want to become more confident and self-sufficient in the mountains. You may already be comfortable following paths and navigating in good visibility, but feel less certain when the cloud comes down, the weather deteriorates or the route takes you onto less obvious terrain.
This is a practical, hands-on course taught out in the hills. Rather than simply learning how to take compass bearings, we’ll help you develop a broader understanding of the landscape — learning to interpret contours, recognise terrain features, estimate distance and choose appropriate navigation strategies as you move through the mountains.
The aim is to give you the skills and confidence to make better decisions when conditions become more demanding, and to navigate accurately when paths and obvious landmarks can no longer be relied upon.
Courses are usually based in the Northern Lake District, where we have access to an excellent variety of terrain, but can also be arranged elsewhere. The day remains flexible and can be adapted around your existing experience, whether you’re starting from the beginning or simply want to refresh and improve particular skills.
What We’ll Cover
During the course we’ll typically explore:
- Map symbols, scales and understanding the information on your map
- Setting and orientating the map
- Contour interpretation and relating the map to the landscape
- Route choice and planning
- Practical navigation strategies
- Estimating distance and height gain
- Measuring distance through timing and pacing
- Relocation strategies when you’re unsure of your position
- Effective use of the compass
- Navigating when visibility deteriorates
- What to do when things don’t go according to plan
- Emergency procedures and sound mountain decision-making
Above all, we’ll spend the day navigating for real, using the terrain around us to develop skills that you can take away and apply independently on your own mountain days.
How many can participate?
This course works well with a maximum ratio of 1:6 (instructor to participant) and can be booked for one or two days in duration. This low ratio will ensure you receive quality instruction.
How much will it cost?
Our standard rates are for private one-to-one guiding or instruction. Additional participants can join for £50 per person, per day, subject to suitable ratios for the activity.
For longer adventures, bookings of five or more consecutive guiding days receive a 10% reduction on our standard guiding fees.
How to book
Let us know which course you’d like to book, along with your preferred date/s a brief outline of your experience. We require a 30% deposit to secure all bookings with full payment due prior to the start date of your course.