Pavey Ark - Map Reading Course Lake District
Map Reading Course Lake District
In recent weeks we’ve held two navigation and mountain skills courses, both being based in the south part of The Lake District.
Firstly with Andrew who was keen to refresh and enhance his map & compass skills. Our first day was spent in the Langdale Valley with our high point being Stickle Tarn. We were on and off path for most of the day and in thick mist the whole time. The rain was persistent but no wind meant it didn't feel cold. These conditions are actually ideal for a navigation day as it is necessary to use the map and compass the whole time in order to stay located.
What did we do during the day?
Before setting off from The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel we formulated a plan that would suit what Andrew was wanting out of the course. Due to the very heavy rain, we spent quite some time doing our formulating! We also discussed various other relevant mountain skills and equipment.
Andrew was keen to be able to navigate confidently both on and off footpaths and in complexed terrain, so we discussed and planned a route that would meet this criteria.
Once out on the hill, the maps were out the whole time. We identified and used numerous linear features, set bearings to ring contours, used pacing techniques to accurately measure distances, and set the map to the ground.
The heavy rain had caused Stickle Ghyll to rise significantly, so we were not able to cross it at the outflow from the tarn. This caused us to re-plan our day slightly and as a result of this plenty of good and positive discussion was had regarding mountain safety and risk awareness.
We arrived back at The New Dungeon Ghyll thoroughly soaked but having had a decent day in the mountains. A plan was then hatched for day two and this would build on the skills introduced today.
The forecast for our next day out was very good, but the reality was somewhat different! More persistent rain, often heavy, was accompanied by a strong and very chilly breeze. All of this of course makes a navigation course so worthwhile, but I think we both agreed a bit of respite in the rain would have been very welcome. Oh and the cloud was down again, so lots of walking on bearings today.
We started up at 3 Shires Stone and made our way to Cold Pike and Little Stand. These are high mountain areas with few paths and extremely complexed terrain that makes walking challenging. All ideal for what Andrew wanted.
As well as walking on bearings and pacing, we introduced timing as a strategy and used the contours of the ground to take us more naturally to our destinations. On clear days this works well without much thought, but when it’s very misty much more care is required. We had the mist.
We were able to use linear features, re-entrants, rock outcrops, and water features to help us navigate effectively and once we were satisfied we aimed for the big path (linear feature) coming off Crinkle Crags and used this to safely descend back to the roadside.
Another day of being properly soaked for us both but plenty new skills for Andrew to have in his toolbox.
And last week I was out with Kunal who we first saw back in the springtime. A very keen and enthusiastic walker wanting to push himself and feel comfortable walking independently over challenging terrain types. So over the course of a couple of days we would spend time improving his map & compass skills as well as gaining confidence to move efficiently over rocky ground.
This time the weather was lovely. We ticked off lots of navigation work around the Silver Howe area and spent a day in the Langdale Pikes so Kunal could experience some scrambling. Lots of time was spent discussing movement and route planning. I can’t emphasise just how important planning is when heading out into the mountains and always have back-up plans as well as considering last minute route changes due to a change in weather or circumstance.
A couple of days after this Kunal completed the Fairfield horseshoe as a solo walk and used some of the navigation skills we had introduced to him. And today he was heading for Scafell Pike via Mickledore, so some scrambling and route-finding skills will be coming out for that.
Thanks to both Andrew and Kunal for joining me on these courses.
If you’re interested to improve aspects of mountain craft including movement over rocky terrain and navigation skills please do get in touch. We can plan a bespoke course based on your needs and aspirations.
Thanks for reading
Mark
Taking a bearing - Map Reading Course Lake District
Langdale Pikes - Map Reading Course Lake District
On our way to Silver Howe - Map Reading Course Lake District