The Right on Course ‘Navigator’ is aimed at all those who have already had some experience with map and compass (for example by attending the Right on Course ‘Map Reader’) and want to feel more confident employing some of the more technical techniques of navigation - those that might be used in poor weather, remote terrain or in failing light. After a brief safety chat about hiking equipment and route planning we’ll head out on a day of countryside exploration during which we’ll learn how to navigate in a challenging environment.
Starting at 10:00am prompt and finishes around 4:30pm with a lunch break somewhere pretty, weather permitting. The first part of the day will include the more formal structured teaching of the ‘hard skills’ of navigation followed by plenty of time to put those new skills into practice under Steve’s watchful reassuring eye. The course will go ahead in all weathers, please come prepared and wear suitable hiking boots, waterproofs, warm layers, a drink and a packed lunch.
The Learning Outcomes for the course are:
- Map reading refresher - map symbols, grid references, orientating the map etc.
- Precisely orientate the map with and without a compass.
- Use the orientated map to indicate direction of travel.
- Interpretation of contours, match landforms like hilltops, spurs, valleys, rentrants and knolls.
- Aspect of slope and identifying linear features using the compass.
- Distance by pacings and timings.
- Walking on a bearing.
- Navigation strategies including attack points, fielding features, aiming off and contouring.
- Dead reckoning and relocation techniques.
