News from Peak Navigation Courses

Using a Compass for Map Reading and Navigation She's got it! Using a compass 1st Steps to Map Reading & Navigation Course It’s a commonly held misconception that a compass is only useful for navigating across open moorland, mountain terrain or in the mist.   Additionally many people carry a compass but do not know how to use it! We have been living and working in the Peak District for many years teaching Map Reading and Navigation. Frequently we watch people park up un the village green opposite our house get togged up for a walk and set off, only to see them coming back 5 or 10 minutes later as they had initially set off in the wrong direction. This is especially true of young people on their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions. Using a compass to “orientate” your map before setting off helps you to then recognise where features are on the ground (preferably using a 1:25k scale map) and therefore which way to leave the car park or village. With ...

At Peak Navigation Courses , we pride ourselves in our compass navigation, getting a real thrill out of sharing map and compass navigation techniques with others Whether you are a complete beginner or joining one of our advanced navigation courses where we use the compass to cross Kinder Scout, choosing the best compass for you can be a real minefield. Go to one of the outdoor or online shops and you will find a sometimes bewildering array of different compasses, so which is best, and how do you choose? If you are a new hill walker, or never used a compass before, a cheaper model is often appealing.  You can pick a compass up from an online shop for a couple of pounds, but is it worth it? Highlander Summit As a starter compass, this may seem appealing, it is light, easy to carry and will point north. However the plastic base is very short, and lacks an arrow to show which direction you should walk - not one we would recommend. Vango DLX0 The Vango DLX is a reas...

How to use a compass A compass is a simple and brilliant navigation tool.  At the very least it will have a needle that points north which will allow you to orientate your map and give you a rough indication of which way to walk.  If you have one designed for hill walking, mountaineering and orienteering then you will have "the full monty" and be able to use it for accurate map reading and navigation.  The compass used to illustrate this blog is a Silva type 4 Expedition (not the military version) and is a great all round compass. In this short feature I can't teach you all of the techniques involved in navigation but will show you how to use a compass to navigate across a short stretch of open moorland from a known point (where you are) to another point (where you want to go). Step 1: I want to navigate from the Trig Point 590m to Madwoman's Stones. Step 2: Lay the edge of the compass across the Trig Point 590m and Madwoman's ...

Hill Skills Courses in The Peak District Peak Navigation Courses have been accredited by Mountain (Leader) Training to provide the new Hill and Mountain Skills Courses. Learning Hill Skills on Eyam Moor Hill Skills will be run at weekends from our base in The Peak District, the weekends of 17 th & 18 th May   and   18 th & 19 th October. These are non-residential courses and cost £85, (though in addition you will need to register with Mountain Training for an additional cost of £20). The Hill Skills Course will teach you:   To read a map and navigate;  How to Plan a Walk; About equipment and clothing for hill walking;   The effects of weather in the hills; About the upland environment;  and   How to deal with emergencies. Learning Navigation Day 1             Saturday We meet at 9.30am in the village of Foolow, using the village hall as ...

Silver National Navigation Award in a Weekend Learning to navigate in the snow Peak Navigation Courses ran a Silver NNAS course over the Easter weekend for Natural Born Hikers, a “Meet Up” group from London. Ten students in total attended the weekend which was staffed by Jane, Mike and Steve from Peak Navigation Courses.   Normally the Silver NNAS is just a two day course but being Easter the course was extended so that after the Silver NNAS, we included a night / poor visibility navigation session on Big Moor and looked at some more advanced navigation techniques on Kinder Scout. All ten students achieved the standard and had a great time. Night Navigation on Big Moor   Peak Navigation Courses have a programme of Navigation Courses, either 1 day or 2 day (NNAS) based in The Peak District throughout the year. Day courses are priced from £40 per person whilst the 2 day NNAS courses are £85 per person. The courses run by Peak Navigation Co...

More Navigation in the Snow! Peak Navigation Courses run a series of “Quality Days“ or Navigation Master classes aimed at allowing people who can already navigate the chance of some more testing navigation in remote locations. Last Sunday’s course certainly proved that in snowy conditions on Bleaklow with high winds and wind chill temperatures estimated to be -8 degrees (though I thought colder). Setting off from Birchin Clough car park we ascended Lady Clough before crossing the Snake Road onto Bleaklow via Upper North Grain. Difficult navigation on featureless terrain - Navigation Masterclass Quality Day on Kinder Scout Specifically we practised pacing and pacing in snowy conditions where there is a significant loss of traction requiring more paces to 100m. After joining the Pennine way which we followed for 300m, we continued off path navigating to obscure pools and spot heights; via Over Wood Moss before reaching the shelter and welcome respite of Oyster...