NNAS GOLD AWARD

Advanced Navigation Skills course

This advanced 2-day National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) Gold Award course gives you the skills needed to navigate across any area of open country including mountainous terrain in areas such as the Yorkshire Dales or Lake District. This course includes complex contour features, detailed compass work, dealing with poor visibility, route planning on the hill, continuous location, appropriate navigational strategies. You must hold the Silver Award (or HML / ML training) to attend this course.

Learning outcome – plan and follow safe routes away from paths and tracks in any area of open country.

THE COMPLETE OUTDOOR SKILLS COURSE

• Use contours as the prime method of navigation
• Use slope aspect as part of your strategy
• ‘Ground to Map’ and ‘Map to Ground’ compass bearings
• Relevant compass work, including ‘quick’ bearings and position lines
• Continuous location in the landscape and on the map
• Deal with poor visibility and/or demanding conditions
• Navigate accurately across intricate and complex terrain
• Select appropriate techniques within an overall navigation strategy.
• Sound knowledge of the upland environment
• Gain a National Award (NNAS)

The NNAS Gold Award develops skills to navigate across any area of open country, including complex and demanding terrain with intricate contour features, and takes the use of the compass onto an advanced level. Poor visibility, quick recognition of error, being able to re-plan quickly on the hill, continuous location and selection of the most appropriate technique for your strategy, the NNAS Gold Award gives you the skills to navigate across remote hills and fells.

Learning is informal and relaxed, with plenty of practical experience out on the hills and fells of the Yorkshire Dales, within a small group of up to 4 people. Our NNAS Gold course covers the advanced skills and techniques to navigate across complex terrain in challenging conditions across Open Country away from paths and tracks. We cover around 8 miles each day following pathless terrain across hills, fells and heather moorlands. This course includes both training and assessment of the Gold Award, delivered over the 2 days. There will also be a distance learning Home Study Paper both before and after the course, as well as a 5-minute talk during the course on an outdoor topic of your choice. NNAS Gold Award course syllabus

Our courses are based from these Yorkshire Dales villages…

Austwick, Crummackdale
Buckden, Wharfedale
Hawes, Wensleydale

TESTIMONIALS

“Attending the NNAS & compass skills courses provided me with the skills, knowledge and confidence to enable me to fulfil my dream of walking the Pennine Way.” Catherine McDonnell

“I am so glad I decided to take the NNAS bronze course. I learnt a huge amount and it has massively boosted both my confidence and my enthusiasm. Quite apart from all that, Mark is an excellent walking companion with interesting views on any subject you care to throw at him.” Nikki Duffy

“Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the weekend! We both learned a great deal and will be much more confident to try out more adventurous routes in the future. Thanks very much for your expert knowledge and sympathetic tutoring.” A. Bryan

PRE-COURSE

8 Video Tutorials – unlimited access to our online video tutorials. Watching these videos before the course will allow us more practical time outdoors.

• Weather Forecasts & Conditions
• Route Planning (maps & digital)
• Essential Kit & Looking after Yourself
• Understanding OS Maps & Symbols
• Practical Map Reading (filmed at Grassington, Yorkshire Dales)
• Navigation Strategies
• Understanding Contours
• How & when to use a Compass

Home Study Papers
There are pre-course and post-course distance learning Home Study Papers to complete, as well as a 5-minute talk to prepare which you will deliver during the course on an outdoor topic of your choice.

DAY ONE

9:30am: Meet at a village car park in the Yorkshire Dales (with facilities).
9:30am – 4:30pm: Full day’s map, compass and navigation training out on the hills, moors and fells of the Yorkshire Dales with Mark Reid. The walk will usually cover around 8 – 10 miles over the day, with plenty of rest stops and time to practice skills and ask questions.
4:30pm – 5pm: Break on the hillside
5pm – 7pm: Evening navigation exercise, followed by de-brief back at the village.

DAY TWO

9:30am: Meet at a village car park in the Yorkshire Dales (with facilities). Summary of learning objectives, and areas to focus on during the day.
9:30am – 4:30pm: Full day’s walk, with each person navigating a leg of the route across complex terrain (we usually cover around 8 – 10 miles over the course of the day). Each person will also deliver a 5-minute presentation during the walk about an outdoor, environmental or geography topic that interests them.
4:30pm – 5pm: Course feedback and results.

Upon successful completion you will receive a NNAS Gold certificate.