Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District. April 19th 2013.

It has been a busy weekend at Kendal Mountaineering Services with Iain being out three days in succession.

Last Friday, Iain was out on the fells with Gill & Mike Cameron who were staying in The Lake District with their friends Rob & Evita Evans who attended one of our bespoke Mountain Navigation Skills Training Courses in May 2012.

Rob & Evita had enjoyed themselves so much that they had booked Gill & Mike on to a one day Mountain Navigation Skills
Training Course so that the pair could learn the basic skills at least!

Photo one sees Gill & Mike working out the route from Hall Lane to take us up on to Green Quarter Fell. At this point, we had already discussed the importance of orientating the map and being able to measure and pace distance.

Photo two was taken quite a while later. By the time we had reached this point we had already travelled several kilometres following linear features such as bridleways during which the pair had been identifying "tick off features" en route as well as doing a lot of measuring of distance and pacing. These are all essential basic skills required to be able to successfully navigate whilst reading a map.

By now Gill & Mike could also locate a feature using a six figure grid reference as well as being able to give a grid reference for a known point. They had also just successfully completed two legs of our route on relatively featureless ground using only a compass bearing  and pacing to help them find the next location.

During Mike & Gills one day Lake District Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course the weather was initially cold but by early afternoon the sun had broken through the cloud and it became much more pleasant.

Today, we didn't cover a lot of distance - never quite making it on to Green Quarter Fell - but we covered a lot of navigation skills. Our final photo is taken at Birk Rigg at the end of the afternoon after practising "boxing" around obstacles and more working out of bearings, measuring of distance and then actually using the information to find the next grid reference.

We finished the session talking about Nainsmiths Rule. Naismith reckoned that most people could cover about 3 kilometres in an hour and needed to add an additional 1 minute for every 10 metre contour crossed during a leg. So, we spent our final 20 minutes on the fell doing some maths before heading down to the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley for a well earned pint.

Gill & Mike enjoyed their Mountain navigation Skills Training Day in The Lake District with Iain. As well as offering bespoke Navigation Courses during any weekend of your choice we are also running Mountain Navigation Skills Training Courses in May and throughout the Autumn at only £80 per person for a two day course. Check out the course dates and information here.