Beginners Navigation
A Women-only Introduction to Navigation
Beginners Navigation
Dates – 7th – 8th June
Cost – £90
Length – Two days
Accommodation – Not included
Group Size – 4-6 Women
Distance – 5 miles each day (maximum)
Location – Ashleworth, near Gloucester
Navigation is maybe the most important skill you can learn if you want to have more adventures, either on your own or with family and friends. Once you can read a map and navigate the world’s your oyster, and you can head out for an adventure whenever you want.
On this two-day course, we will guide you from zero to hero – by the end of the weekend, you will be confident enough to plan and navigate your own countryside walks (or bike rides).
If this is your first trip with Journey Wilder, rest assured that this trip is paced slowly, especially if the ground is rough underfoot. We take any uphill sections slowly and stop regularly to enjoy the views. We never aim to walk far, covering a maximum of five miles spread over a full day.
This is a women-only adventure. We welcome all women on our adventures, including trans women and non-binary people who would benefit from a female-centred space.
Trip Overview
Maps are amazing, and on this two-day course, you will learn to unlock their secrets so that you can head out with confidence and have an adventure!
Over the weekend, you will learn how to
- Read the map and understand what all the symbols mean and what they tell you about the landscape.
- Identify where you are on the map and how to share that information with somebody else.
- Measure distance on the map and the ground.
- Understand the map contours and what they show.
- Plan and follow a route using footpaths, bridleways, tracks and roads.
- Start getting to grips with using a compass for simple tasks.
By the end of the course, you will have all the skills you need to head out to an unknown area and follow a route through the woods and fields without a guide! Freedom awaits!
This trip is suitable for women with little or no previous map-reading experience or skills.
Expand each section below for more detail…
Itinerary
Saturday (Day 1)
The course starts at 9 am with a session based in the classroom, where we will begin to get to grips with our maps and all the information they contain. Around mid-morning, we will head outside and start learning to navigate the footpaths and lanes in the local area, taking turns to lead short legs of the walk.
On Saturday, you can expect to cover things like –
- What the different map symbols mean
- What map scales are and what they mean
- Estimating and measuring distances on the map
- Estimating and measuring short distances on the ground
- How to orientate (line up!) a map to the ground
- Learning to follow a simple route on the map
- How to work out where you are as you walk
We should be back at the classroom by 5 pm.
Sunday (Day 2)
Meeting at 9 am in the classroom. Sunday will start with another classroom session before once again heading outside to practice the skills we’ve learned. Today, you can expect to finish any remaining topics from day one before learning about –
- What the National Grid is.
- Taking and reading national grid references.
- Starting to use a compass.
- Contours. What they show and how to undertand them.
- Recognising hills, ridges, cols and valleys on the map and the ground.
- How to orientate the map using ground features and/or a compass.
- Using a compass to check the direction of a path, road or wall.
The course should be finished by about 4 pm on Sunday.
What's Included
The trip price includes
- Two days of instruction from a qualified female navigation tutor.
- Support and advice before the trip to help you choose equipment and food.
- Loan of the maps, compasses and other specialised navigation equipment needed for the course.
The trip price does not include
- Your personal hiking equipment, like outdoor clothing and boots.
- Food or drink for the duration of your trip.
- Car parking or transfers to the start or from the end points of your adventure. We encourage car sharing to reduce carbon emissions if you feel comfortable doing so.
Equipment
You will need
- All of the equipment on our hiking kit list.
- Lunch, a drink and snacks each day, suitable for a full day out in the countryside.
- Spending money to treat yourself in case we come across any trailside cafes along the route.
- A notebook and pens etc
You can find all our sample kit lists here, and detailed kit lists will be sent out by email after you have booked your adventure with us.
Booking terms and Conditions
Before booking your adventure with us please take a few minutes to read our Booking Terms and Conditions which you can find here.
This is a women-only adventure. We welcome all women on our adventures, including trans women and non-binary people who would benefit from a female-centred space.
Your trip leader is Rachel
“I love maps. It is that simple! Maps take you on adventures – they hold unlimited inspiration and much of the information you need to head out and have a damn good adventure. I want to share all that with you, and to help you to love maps too.”
Find out more about Rachel.
“Anytime I feel lost, I pull out a map and stare. I stare until I have reminded myself that life is a giant adventure, so much to do, to see.”
—Angelina Jolie
Learn new skills
Use different types of map
Get started with a compass
Friendly all-female team
