Beginner’s Navigation for Outdoor Adventures

Join us for a fun and interactive small group workshop designed to introduce you to the basics of navigation for outdoor adventures. We’ll begin with a short indoor session covering essential map reading skills and route planning, then we’ll head outdoors to put those skills into practice on a short journey.

The outdoor portion will follow mainly established tracks, with some shorter sections off-track across gently undulating terrain. Suitable for all levels of fitness — we will not be covering huge amounts of distance and will be stopping often for chats, you just need to be comfortable spending a few hours outdoors. Hopefully the weather will be great so we can enjoy the views while we’re at it! If not, the course will go on, so do dress accordingly (more on that below).

Refreshments will be provided during the indoor session to fuel your brain for the adventure! Feel free to bring your own favourite snacks or a packed lunch if you’d like to nosh during the lessons.

Where: Old School Byre, Achnacarnin, IV27 4JG. Find us on Google Maps.

What to bring:

• Ideally you will have your own map and compass, though if you don’t have the means we can certainly share.
• For maps, I recommend one of the following: Harvey Superwalker Assynt, OS Landranger Map 15, or Ordnance Survey Explorer 442
• For a compass, I recommend a Silva Expedition 4 or similar.
• Clothing – Sturdy waterproof boots, waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, hat and gloves. We’ll be outdoors for a few hours, often standing around, so dress warmly.
• Food & Drink – Snacks and water to keep you going. Bring a packed lunch if you’d like.
• Personal First Aid – I’ll carry a group first aid kit, but do bring any personal medications you may require.
• Optional but useful – Small rucksack, sit mat, notebook & pencil, trekking poles.

Whether you’re brand new to navigation or just looking to brush up on the basics, this is a great opportunity to build confidence and enjoy time outdoors.

Rough itinerary:

• 11:30am: Meet and greet for snacks, tea, coffee, intros, etc.
• 11:45am – 12:30pm: Indoor instruction on basic map reading, map scales, route planning, orienting the map, compass usage
• 12:30pm – 2:30pm: Outdoor journey of about 2.5km practicing skills; we’ll also layer in new skills like pacing and contours
• 2:30pm: Return to the start for a debrief and questions

Your leader

All navigation experiences are led by me, Monica Shaw, a summer Mountain Leader, qualified first aider, and an all-around open-minded and enthusiastic person who loves the outdoors and experiencing nature with like-minded people.