All courses are based in the Yorkshire Dales or Lake District, and now include our Online Learning Videos. Click through to our OUTDOOR SKILLS webpage

MAP READING COURSES

1-day course for novices and beginners
If you use books, follow others or are a novice countryside walker, then our 1-day Map Reading course is ideal. This course covers all of the key topics, from weather forecasts to using a compass, to get you on the right path to enjoy the countryside. We cover around 6 miles over the day, following paths & tracks in the Yorkshire Dales.

NNAS BRONZE AWARD

2-day course for novices and beginners
No experience is necessary for the NNAS Bronze award. From novice walkers to experienced hill-walkers who wish to ‘fill the gaps’, this course is the ideal choice for people who wish to learn the foundations of good navigation in the countryside. With 2 days to learn, practice and consolidate, our NNAS Bronze courses cover the same topics as our 1-day Map Reading course, but in much more detail. These courses are your passport to freedom on the hills. We cover 6 – 8 miles each day, and keep to the dales, lower hills and some moorland using paths, tracks and Rights of Way. Accredited to NNAS and you gain an award upon successful completion.

NNAS ‘STRAIGHT TO SILVER AWARD

3-day course for experienced walkers 
This award combines the Bronze and Silver Awards into an intensive 3 day course. We cover the NNAS Bronze syllabus on the first day (see above), then move onto the NNAS Silver Syllabus on the second and third days, learning the skills to navigate across open country away from paths and tracks. This course is ideal if you are an experienced walker who wants to develop your skills and confidence further. The course includes the upland environment, route simplification, compass bearings, navigation strategies, relocation, dealing with poor visibility, contour interpretation and distance estimation. We cover around 6 – 10 miles each day, and head across valleys, farmland, moorland, hills, fells and open country. A reasonable level of fitness is required. Includes an evening of night navigation. Accredited to NNAS and you gain an award upon successful completion.

NNAS SILVER AWARD

2-day course for NNAS Bronze Award holders
This award builds upon the Bronze Award and gives you the skills to navigate across open country, such as the hills, fells and moors of the Yorkshire Dales. The course includes the upland environment, route simplification, compass bearings, navigation strategies, relocation, dealing with poor visibility, contour interpretation and distance estimation, giving you the skills to plan and follow your own walks across open country. We cover around 6 – 10 miles each day, and head across dales, pastures, moorland, hills, fells and Open Country. Includes an evening of night navigation. Accredited to NNAS and you gain an award upon successful completion.

NNAS GOLD AWARD

2-day training course for NNAS Silver Award holders
This advanced award 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, developing the skills required to plan and follow safe routes away from paths and tracks in any area of open country. A good level of fitness is required. Includes an evening of night navigation. The Assessment takes place on a separate day after a period of consolidation. Accredited to NNAS and you gain an award upon successful completion.

MOUNTAIN SKILLS

2-day course for experienced walkers who want to move their walking from hills to mountains.
The Mountain Skills course is an ideal choice for walkers interested in applying their countryside walking skills to the mountain environment. Ideally, participants will have done some hill walking previously in areas such as the Yorkshire Dales or Peak District, or already enjoy fellwalking in the Lake District and want to improve their skills. You will already be confident navigating with a map following clear paths. This course teaches the skills required to plan and follow your own walks across the Lakeland mountains, deal with the mountain environment (including steep ground) and look after yourself in the mountains. A good level of fitness is required. Accredited to Mountain Training.

All courses are based in the Yorkshire Dales or Lake District, and now include our Online Learning Videos. Click through to our OUTDOOR SKILLS webpage

CONTOUR NAVIGATION

1-day course for more experienced walkers
This course will introduce you to the key hill skills needed to navigate across hills and open country using contours as the prime method of navigation – contour interpretation and how they relate to landform. We will also look at appropriate compass use, from setting the map to ‘quick’ bearings and ‘full’ bearings. This course is ideal for experienced hillwalkers who want to relate map contours with landform, a refresher for NNAS Bronze and Silver award holders or those working towards their NNAS Gold award or ML assessment.

RELOCATION SKILLS

1-day course for more experienced walkers
This 1-day Relocation Skills course is ideal for experienced and accomplished hill-walkers who want to know what to do if the mist comes down or they get lost (misplaced) and develop a set of reliable techniques to help them get back on track.

ADVANCED NAVIGATION SKILLS

1-day course for more experienced walkers

Are you preparing for your ML Assessment? Working towards your NNAS Gold Award? Are you a competent Navigator who wants to perfect your skills?This course ideal for experienced and accomplished hill-walkers. During the course, we will move progressively into more challenging terrain and conditions, and we will actively seek out poor visibility and complex landform.

NIGHT NAVIGATION

Evening course for more experienced walkers
Have you ever been caught in the dark at the end of your walk? Do you worry about what to do if the mist comes down? This evening training course will give you the key skills needed to deal with nightfall and/or poor visibility when out on the hills. Ideal as a refresher for NNAS Bronze or Silver award holders or those working towards their NNAS Silver/Gold awards or ML assessment as well as experienced hill-walkers who wish to brush up their hill skills.

Click through to our OUTDOOR SKILLS webpage

VIRTUAL MAP READING

Six Online Learning Videos PLUS a 2-hour tutorial
This is essentially my 1-day Map Reading course, which has been filmed. The perfect way to improve your skills in the comfort of your own home!

VIRTUAL CONTOURS

One Online Learning Video PLUS a 2-hour tutorial
Get to grips with contours with this online course. This course will explain how contours represent shape, height, depth, steepness and direction of landform, and how to use this as part of your navigation.

WALK LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Pre-course Study PLUS 2-hour tutorial
This course will develop your knowledge and skills to safely and effectively manage your walking group out in the countryside, whilst also highlighting the key attributes of an inspiring and engaging Walk Leader. Suitable for everyone who enjoys walking in the countryside in groups, from family and friends to walking groups and commercial outdoor providers.

GEOGRAPHY OF THE YORKSHIRE DALES WEBINAR

2-hour Webinar
Have you ever wondered why there are lots of waterfalls in Wensleydale, or where to find the best haymeadows in summer or how Pen-y-ghent got its name? If you love the landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales but want to know more, then join Mark Reid on one of his online Geography of the Yorkshire Dales Webinars.