News from Peak Navigation Courses

Using a GPS for Navigation I consider myself to be a skilled navigator, a bit of a nerd when it comes to map reading and using a compass along with all of the skills and techniques that make up navigation. At Peak Navigation Courses we are teaching map reading and navigation most weekends throughout the year. On almost every course I am asked, ‘do you use a GPS?’   Well the answer is, “yes sometimes.”   (This blog is part 1 of 2. In the 2nd blog we willwrite about which GPS to choose ). A range of GPS devices: Garmin Eurex 10, Garmin Oregon 650, Garmin 64s and Satmap Active 10. Walk Highlands GPS Planner on my lap top I liken it to having a.b.s. or powered steering in my car. I wouldn’t drive a car without if I had the choice. For me, owning and being able to use a GPS device is another tool in my toolbox of navigation techniques. If I am working in remote places, big mountains or going out in poor conditions them I’ll put my GPS in the top of my rucksack...

Night Navigation Courses Being caught out whilst walking either in the dark or in the mist can be a frightening experience unless you have learnt the skills and strategies to cope with such eventualities. The Joys of Night Navigation Practice Trig Points make a good map table Of course being able to map read and navigate using a map and compass are essential skills for safe walking the hills and mountains. It is only a short step from being a competent daytime navigator to being able to cope with navigating in poor visibility.  Also, like with any skill set, it is a good idea to get out and practice occasionally to ensure that you still have the confidence to navigate in the dark or the mist. Anyway, Night Navigation is fun and certainly a good alternative to staying in and watching t.v.!! Challenging Moorland on "Big Moor" With the nights drawing in, Peak Navigation Courses have a programme of short evening courses aimed at teachin...

Wind Chill and Lapse Rate Walking from my house situated at 300m a.s.l. in the Peak District today I was struck by how cold and damp it was. O.K. it’s January in the U.K. but it felt really cold. Suitably dressed for a cold day navigating on Kinder Scout There are two common factors that have an effect on the temperature whilst walking in British Hills. Wind Chill and the Lapse Rate. Why do we do it? 1.             Lapse Rate A lot has been written scientifically and in depth about Lapse Rate. There is a good paper from Bangor University.  However it is essentially the amount that air temperature decreases as you gain altitude. Although there are variables such as whether the air is dry or saturated, generally the temperature decreases around 6.5 degrees C per 1000m climbed. So for example if you were in Snowdonia, let’s say in Bangor at Sea Level and you were walking to Snowdon via Llanberis. ...

Map Reading for Mature Walkers At Peak Navigation Courses we are seeing an increasing number of “mature” walkers attending our map reading and navigation courses. People come into walking for various reasons, some are taking it up in retirement, others come via the “walks for health” programme though many have walked as part of a group for many years but have always followed others and now want to plan and follow their own routes.   Whatever your reason for wanting to learn to read a map and navigate, Peak Navigation Courses have a course to suit you. This is why we are introducing a course specifically for mature walkers who want to enjoy walking paths and lanes at a slower pace rather than crossing open moorland. Map Reading for Mature Walkers is a one day course that starts with the very basics though by the end of the day aims to leave you confident to plan a route and follow it using a range of map reading and navigation techniques including using a c...

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 ...

Mountain Skills Course    – 2 nd May   Bank Holiday Weekend  24 th , 25 th and 26 th  May There’s quite a lot to cram into a weekend Mountain Skills Course, so we at Peak Navigation Courses are seizing the opportunity to spread the course over three days and ensure that course participants get the most from the course. Scrambling in Langdale Learning Navigation Based in Keswick, The Lake District, we have planned the following: Saturday The course starts at 10.00am with introductions and a indoor session about navigation. We then go out for a walk where we put our navigation skills into practice, identifying “contour” features, walking on a compass bearing and learn a bit about pacing and timing. We’ll move onto some steeper ground and look at techniques for safe movement on steep ground and easy scrambling. Mid afternoon we return to Keswick and have a session in a local equipment shop discussing and comparing different...

Hill Skills and Mountain Skills Courses Mountain Training (formally Mountain Leader Training) are about to launch two new awards: Hill Skills and Mountain Skills.   Peak Navigation Courses have been chosen as one of the first organizations to run these courses on behalf of Mountain Training. Unlike the other awards which are about leading others, Hill Skills and Mountain Skills are   about personal competence so that those new to Hill Walking and Mountain Walking can learn the basics of being safe in the hills or mountains, from qualified professionals . Mountain Navigation Both Hill Skills and Mountain Skills courses can be delivered over a weekend.   For Hill Skills, Peak Navigation Courses will run these in the hills of the Peak District.   For Mountain Skills, we believe that this course can only be delivered in genuinely mountainous areas so we will run these courses in The Lake District. Hill Skills and Mountain Skills a...