Advanced Navigation (Gold NNAS)

YOUR ADVANCED NAVIGATION COURSE

Prior to day one you will receive a pre-course question paper, this will need to be completed and brought along to the practical training session.

Day One
12:30 - 21:00

Get ready to further enhance your hard earned navigation skills on this in-depth and informative practical weekend that will focus on boosting your confidence whilst accessing more remote terrain.

ARRIVE AT THE ADVENTURE HUB BASE
Your instructor will welcome you and discuss the aims of the course and you own aspirations over a great cup of fresh Italian coffee or tea.

CLASSROOM SESSION
A brief theory session covering the advanced theory of compass techniques and micro navigation as well as safe and practical movement at night. As ever safety in the hills will underpin this session.

COLLECT AND CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT
You'll need to collect maps and compasses and check that your rucksack is suitably packed ready for what the weather may throw at you.

TRAVEL TO WALK LOCATION
The exact location will depend on the weather, aims and abilities of the group. Our walk location will usually be within 20 minutes drive of The Adventure Hub so we will travel dressed and ready to walk immediately upon arrival.

PRACTICAL NAVIGATION SESSION
Your instructor will demonstrate new advanced practical skills and give you the chance to refresh your own skills before upping the ante with more demanding skills and navigation targets. We cover safe and effective movement over challenging terrain in time for night fall. The route for the evening will encourage new techniques to be adopted rapidly. A lot of time will be spent exploring advanced compass techniques and learning to read the surrounding contours and absorb and reflect on clues experienced in your immediate journey despite limited visibility.

BACK TO THE ADVENTURE HUB
Once we are off the hill we will return to the Adventure Hub. With a mug of hot chocolate in hand, we summarise the key learning points from the evenings adventure and discuss your progress so far and set some personalised development targets for day two.

Day Two
9:30 - 16:30

THE CHALLENGE
The second hill day we shift independence and leading over to you whilst we refine and consolidate on the learning from day one and continue to push your appreciation and use of micro contour features. As you become more confident your instructor will offer you the chance to further consolidate your skills by setting increasingly and suitably challenging targets for you to guide the group to. You will choose a suitable navigation strategy in discussion with your instructor, execute it and reflect on it afterwards. Your fellow group members will use this as an opportunity to track and relocate themselves once you arrive at your destination.

BACK TO THE ADVENTURE HUB
Once we are off the hill you will return to the Adventure Hub for the final time. Here we'll discuss your overall progress in line with the Gold NNAS syllabus and tell you if you have successfully completed the required skills (Should you disagree with the judgement of your instructor or feel you were unfairly treated the whole process is protected by an independent complaints procedure the details of which can be found here https://nnas.org.uk/complaints-procedure/). We'll also set you some personalised development targets to get you fulfilling your personal ambitions and finally give you a copy of the post-course question paper, this will need to be completed and returned before we can issue you with certification.

• Standard hillwalking gear including good waterproofs (jackets and trousers)
• Good quality walking boots/shoes with a good tread
• A good high powered head torch, preferably LED with spare batteries
• Lunch, a good supply of snacks and a drink
• Warm clothing including spare layers, gloves and hat
• Sun cream, hat and sunglasses (you just never know!)
• A compass if you own one, alternatively we have some available to borrow or buy
• We provide maps

A significant amount of previous formal navigation experience is assumed

• Our well-equipped training centre, The Adventure Hub, is Carbon Neutral.
• We encourage car sharing wherever feasible.
• We encourage the use of public transport on all our courses. Bamford Railway Station is 5 minutes' walk and we enjoy direct bus connections to Sheffield and nearby villages.
• We offer free camping kit for guests staying locally and looking to cut down on luggage.
• Our staff are trained to prolong the life of equipment used on this course, where it is possible to recycle equipment at the end of its life, we do so appropriately.
• We operate in small teams at low ratios to reduce our impact on the venues we use and other countryside users.

• The physical and mental benefits of outdoor activities are numerous and well documented, we firmly believe that those benefits should be available to as many people as possible.

• If you are interested in experiencing any of our activities but feel unable to do so then please contact us to discuss your specific needs, we will always try to find a solution that works for you.

• There are a range of simple adaptions we can make to our scheduled courses such as choosing venues with minimal walking or easy access to toilet facilities, providing cold storage facilities for temperature sensitive medications, allowing additional time or arranging for participants to be accompanied by a trusted aide.

• When participation as part of an open group isn't appropriate we can arrange private tuition. This allows for a more tailored approach and a much wider range of adaptions such as assisted climbing and abseiling techniques for participants with significant physical or mobility issues.

• If private tuition is unaffordable then we can sometimes offer subsidised places to bring the price back in line with our scheduled courses .These are provided by the Pure Outdoor Foundation whose goal is to bring as many people as possible into the outdoors, please enquire about availability.

• Clear communication before the activity is crucial so, as well as telephone and email conversations, we can also arrange to meet participants directly at a venue days or weeks beforehand to identify any specific barriers and begin addressing any anxieties.