Map Reading and Navigation courses

Right Way - In a Day!

Map reading should be considered a basic and essential skill for anyone who goes out in the hills because it simply makes you safer. You will also be able to look forwards to more enjoyment when you can plan and follow your own routes with confidence.

Experience shows this course really works and can boost peoples' map reading ability tremendously. You'll be amazed just how quickly you can learn with this easy-to-remember training.

Years of meeting 'experienced' hill walkers who rarely ventured from the main path convinced us of the need for a new approach to training so RWIAD was born, and now anyone who wants to will be able to access the whole mountain!

Whether you're a beginner or experienced walker the fact is - learning to navigate with North Ridge Adventure is simply easier, and ultimately, safer!

Night Navigation

This course runs through the autumn/winter months and is aimed at hill walkers, mountaineers, military and WGL/ML candidates and anyone who wants to become really good at navigation.

If you go out at night, in the snow, or into the clouds, you will benefit from this training. Plus – it's a lot of fun!

The same teaching techniques as RWIAD will ensure you learn quickly and easily, whilst years of mountain and military experience ensure you will learn what you really need to know. This course concentrates heavily on all aspects of compass work, different lighting solutions and the confident application of dead-reckoning principles.

Learning night navigation with us will enable you to safely operate all year round, and round-the-clock – opening up a whole new world of adventure possibilities for you!

Click icon to download more details on this course

National Navigation Award Scheme

The National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) is a personal performance, non-competitive, incentive scheme for all ages to learn navigation skills and gain confidence to get out and enjoy the countryside.

The levels of the award

All NNAS courses include advice and information about relevant safety and access issues when walking in the countryside.   In addition, an understanding of relevant conservation and environmental issues and awareness of our impacts all form part of each course.

Training and Assessment courses use Harvey Maps of 1:25,000 or 1:40,000 scale, Ordnance Survey maps of 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale or orienteering maps of 1:10,000 or 1:15,000 scale.

Bronze NNAS Award – navigation in the countryside using paths tracks and other linear features, basic map interpretation and compass work is included.   For full syllabus of the Bronze NNAS Award see below:

Silver NNAS Award – navigation in the countryside using skills acquired at bronze level and adding skills required to navigate to features and places some distance from paths and tracks, accurate compass work is required and an ability to use appropriate navigational techniques to go across country in some cases, eg. choosing an appropriate attack point.   For full syllabus of the Silver NNAS Award see below:

Gold NNAS Award – navigation in the countryside using skills of the first two levels, but adding techniques and skills for dealing with complex contour features large and small.  The Gold Award is delivered as separate Gold Award Training and Gold Award Assessment courses. For full syllabus of the Gold NNAS Award see below:

Click icon to download details of the Bronze NNAS Award

Click icon to download details of the Silver NNAS Award