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Beginner Navigation Skills Workshop

from £50.00

Want to feel more confident navigating in the outdoors without relying on your phone or GPS? This Beginner Navigation Day in the Peak District is designed to give you the essential map reading and compass skills you need to explore safely and independently.

Over the course of a full day in the hills, you’ll learn the fundamentals of map and compass navigation, helping you understand how to read a map, follow a route, and find your location if you become unsure of where you are. The workshops are kept to a small group of just four people, ensuring plenty of dedicated teaching time and opportunities to practise your new skills.

This beginner navigation course focuses on practical, hands-on learning so that by the end of the day you’ll feel more confident using a paper map, understanding the landscape around you, and navigating without technology.

The workshop is delivered in a relaxed, friendly style by a female qualified Hill & Moorland Leader, so you’ll have fun learning new skills without any pressure!

Workshop details

  • Location: Crowden, Peak District (Dark Peak area)

  • Dates:

    • Saturday 25th July 2026

    • Friday 21st August 2026

    • Sunday 27th September 2026

  • Duration: 1 day (approx. 9:30am – 4pm)

  • Group size: Maximum of 4 people

  • Price:

    • £50 per person (no map and compass hire)

    • £60 per person including map and compass hire

Exact meeting point and details will be confirmed nearer to the date.

Date:
Ticket Options:

Want to feel more confident navigating in the outdoors without relying on your phone or GPS? This Beginner Navigation Day in the Peak District is designed to give you the essential map reading and compass skills you need to explore safely and independently.

Over the course of a full day in the hills, you’ll learn the fundamentals of map and compass navigation, helping you understand how to read a map, follow a route, and find your location if you become unsure of where you are. The workshops are kept to a small group of just four people, ensuring plenty of dedicated teaching time and opportunities to practise your new skills.

This beginner navigation course focuses on practical, hands-on learning so that by the end of the day you’ll feel more confident using a paper map, understanding the landscape around you, and navigating without technology.

The workshop is delivered in a relaxed, friendly style by a female qualified Hill & Moorland Leader, so you’ll have fun learning new skills without any pressure!

Workshop details

  • Location: Crowden, Peak District (Dark Peak area)

  • Dates:

    • Saturday 25th July 2026

    • Friday 21st August 2026

    • Sunday 27th September 2026

  • Duration: 1 day (approx. 9:30am – 4pm)

  • Group size: Maximum of 4 people

  • Price:

    • £50 per person (no map and compass hire)

    • £60 per person including map and compass hire

Exact meeting point and details will be confirmed nearer to the date.

What you’ll learn

During the day we’ll cover the core skills needed for safe and confident navigation in the outdoors:

  • Understanding a map: symbols, scales, contours and orientation

  • Grid references and locating your position

  • An introduction to using a compass and checking direction

  • Measuring distance using pacing and timing

  • Following a route using a paper map

  • Taking and following a bearing

  • Techniques for relocating yourself if you get lost

  • Leading a short navigation section while others follow along (if you feel up to it!)

Please note this isn’t a formal qualification; it is a skills workshop designed to teach you beginner navigation techniques to help you feel confident when outdoors by yourself or with friends. 

Everything you need to bring

  • Lunch & snacks

  • 1l of water on a cool day, 2l on a hot day

  • Suitable hiking clothes: whatever you feel comfortable in but try to avoid wearing cotton. Make sure you have both warm and cold weather clothing options all year round as the temperature can change quickly, including suitable waterproofs.

  • Footwear: hiking boots, hiking shoes, trail shoes, or trail runners that have good grip. Please do not wear fashion trainers or any smooth soled shoes.

  • Any personal items you need: phone, medications, tissues/toilet roll with a zip lock bag for any wild wees, hand sanitiser, money/card, portable charger.

  • Warmer weather: cap, sun protection, sunglasses

  • Cooler weather: hat, gloves, extra warm layer in your bag, face buff

  • Something to sit on such as a foldable sit-mat, small picnic blanket, extra jacket

  • Ordnance Survey Explorer OL1 – Dark Peak map (laminated Active Map recommended)

  • A compass

    If you don’t already own a map and compass you can hire them for the day by selecting the map and compass hire ticket option when booking. If you are planning to buy a compass, basic models will work fine for learning, but if you intend to keep using it after the workshop it’s worth investing in a reliable model from brands such as Silva or Ordnance Survey (usually around £20).

Meet your leader

I’m Beth, a fully qualified and insured Hill & Moorland Leader, based near the Peak District. I love leading groups outdoors in a relaxed, friendly way and can’t wait to show you all the fun you can have on a group hiking adventure.

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