Mountain Navigation masterclass - Single day
  • Plas y Brenin
  • 1 Days
  • 6 People to 1 instructor

Mountain Navigation masterclass - Single day

  • Hike
  • Intermediate
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Overview

Good navigation is about much more than following a route. It's about understanding the landscape, making effective decisions and maintaining confidence when visibility is limited or the terrain becomes challenging. Our Mountain Navigation Masterclass is an intensive one-day course designed for experienced hillwalkers who want to refine their navigation skills and develop greater confidence in demanding mountain environments.

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The Objectives

Explore advanced navigation techniques, develop greater accuracy and learn how to make effective decisions when the terrain, weather or visibility makes navigation more challenging. We'll continue our mountain journey into darkness, providing an opportunity to experience the challenges of night navigation.

By the end of the masterclass, you'll:

  • Refine your use of bearings, pacing, timing and distance estimation to locate features accurately.
  • Improve your ability to visualise the landscape from contour information and recognise subtle terrain features.
  • Use appropriate techniques, including attack points, handrails, catching features and aiming off.
  • Develop systematic approaches for maintaining accuracy when familiar visual references are limited. Experience navigating after dark, using bearings, distance estimation and terrain interpretation to maintain an accurate position.
  • Develop strategies for recognising uncertainty, establishing your position and recovering from navigation errors.
  • Explore how GPS and digital mapping can support navigation without replacing map and compass skills.
  • Make informed decisions about route choice, terrain, weather, visibility and the consequences of navigation errors.

Itinerary

* Please note: Itinerary is subject to weather and availability.

Part 1 – Refining your navigation skills
We'll begin with a discussion of your previous navigation experience and the particular challenges you'd like to explore. Heading into the mountains, we'll review key navigation techniques and develop precision and efficiency. We'll explore detailed contour interpretation, accurate bearings, pacing, timing and strategies for navigating through mixed terrain.

Part 2 – Navigation in challenging terrain
As the day progresses, we'll put skills into practice during a mountain journey. We'll select reliable features, break routes into manageable sections and use a combination of techniques to maintain accurate navigation. Whilst evaluating the effectiveness of different strategies.

Part 3 – Into darkness: night navigation
As daylight fades, we'll explore into the dark, applying the day's learning in a realistic mountain environment.

This is an indicative programme. Exercises, routes and locations will be adapted to suit the group's experience, fitness, weather and mountain conditions.

Experience Required

Advanced – Previous mountain navigation experience essential. This course is suitable for hillwalkers who already have a good understanding of map and compass navigation.

You should:
Be confident using an Ordnance Survey map and compass.
Understand contour interpretation and basic route-planning techniques.
Be familiar with taking and following compass bearings.
Have a good level of fitness for a mountain journey that continues into darkness.
The course is designed to challenge and develop existing navigation skills rather than introduce the fundamentals.

Important information – Course timing and equipment
This course will start later than a typical Plas y Brenin day course and finish after dark.
The extended afternoon and evening format is designed to provide opportunities to practise navigation in daylight, fading light and darkness.
The exact start and finish times will depend on the season.
Participants should bring suitable mountain walking clothing and equipment, including a reliable headtorch with spare batteries or an alternative power source.
A map and compass will be required.
The day will involve sustained outdoor activity, including navigation on uneven mountain terrain in darkness.

Available Course Dates

Start the booking process by selecting a course date, then adjust your details to suit your requirements.

Course Start Date
Duration
Cost*
Course Start Date
2nd January, 2027
Duration
1 Day
Cost*
Non-Residential:
£75.00
Residential:
£145.00
Course Start Date
6th March, 2027
Duration
1 Day
Cost*
Non-Residential:
£75.00
Residential:
£145.00
Course Start Date
27th March, 2027
Duration
1 Day
Cost*
Non-Residential:
£75.00
Residential:
£145.00
Course Start Date
10th April, 2027
Duration
1 Day
Cost*
Non-Residential:
£75.00
Residential:
£145.00
Course Start Date
30th October, 2027
Duration
1 Day
Cost*
Non-Residential:
£75.00
Residential:
£145.00
Course Start Date
20th November, 2027
Duration
1 Day
Cost*
Non-Residential:
£75.00
Residential:
£145.00

*If your course is based at Plas Y Brenin, Capel Curig, residential prices include catering from the morning of your course start date and cover the duration of your course, accommodation starts on the night before your course commences to the morning of the last day of your booking.

Your Booking

Course Start Date
Duration
Cost
You have reached the maximum number of places for this course. To book further places, please call +44 (0) 1690 720 214
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