Navigation Workshop
2023 Navigation Workshops
Our workshops this summer are over two weekends, July 8th/9th and August 5th/6th. The Saturday and Sunday workshops are at two different levels but are designed so you can just do one or progress through both. The days are charged at £65 a day, or £120 for the whole weekend.
The Saturday workshop
The aim of this workshop is cover the basics of map and compass skills, so you can confidently follow footpaths and tracks, and then move on to some of the techniques involved in navigating in the hills or on open ground (i.e. where you are not following a footpath). We will start at 9.30am in the The Old Forge and go through some of the essential skills in the warm and dry, before spending the rest of the morning in the countryside immediately surrounding Kirkby Stephen. After lunch (we will provide soup, rolls, cake, tea and coffee) we will drive a few miles (car sharing as far as possible) to some easily accessible but quite challenging fellside, to consolidate and develop those skills. The emphasis is on traditional map and compass navigation rather than using GPS/Smartphone apps, but if you want to raise any questions about them there will be plenty of opportunity to do so. We will finish on the fell at around 4pm to return to The Old Forge.
The Sunday workshop
This day is spent almost entirely out on the hill so you can travel with your trainer to a more remote place (in the Howgill fells for instance) and practice more advanced hill navigation skills on a proper fell day. Start is again at 9.30am at the Old Forge to go over initial planning for the route and then to arrange car share to the walk start. Please bring a packed lunch for this day and plenty of water, plus some snacks.
To take part you should either have done the Saturday workshop the day before or be reasonably confident in your basic map and compass skills.
Training
The training will be in groups - a maximum of 5 per group - by qualified Mountain Leaders and members of Mountain Rescue. So you will be in very capable hands!
The venue: The Old Forge, 39 North Street, Kirkby Stephen CA17 4RE www.oldforgepub.co.uk
Start time: 9.30am. Finish around 5pm.
What you will need: A daysack with warm and wet weather clothing, including waterproof trousers. Good, waterproof hill walking boots. Headtorch. A Silva type outdoor compass if you have one. The OS 1:25,000 scale map is OL19 (we will provide copies if you don't have one).
Cost including tea and coffee and, for the Saturday workshop, a simple lunch at The Old Forge.
Please let us know if you have dietary requirements. The lunch soup will be vegetarian.
Equipment session
If there is interest we will arrange a visit to the Mad About Mountains outdoor store just up the road in the early evening (when the shop is normally closed) so you can see what experienced walkers often carry in their packs and ask questions of the experts.
Accommodation
Please arrange your own accommodation. Have a look on www.walkeden.org or www.kirkby-stephen.com
Travel
Kirkby Stephen is on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. The station is a short walk from the town. By car the town is easily accessible from the M6 (j38) and the A66 trans-Pennine route.
Reserve your place
Saturday 8th July, Navigation Basics Day @ £65 per person - Book now
Sunday 9th July, More Advanced Hill Navigation Day @ £65 per person - Book now
Weekend @ £120 per person - Book now
Saturday 5th August, Navigation Basics Day @ £65 per person - Book now
Sunday 6th August, More Advanced Hill Navigation Day @ £65 per person - Book now
Weekend @ £120 per person - Book now
(Full fees refundable as long as notice is given at least 24 hours before the course starts)