Beginner Navigation Course (Bronze NNAS)

YOUR BEGINNER NAVIGATION (BRONZE NNAS) COURSE
Day One
9:30 - 16:30

Get ready to learn everything you need to navigate safely and confidently during a fun and informative weekend that will focus on boosting your confidence and developing your ability to plan and follow walks of your own.

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

CLASSROOM SESSION
A brief theory session introducing maps, access rights, key skills and discussing key strategies that are relevant to good navigation. 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 and the aims and abilities of the group. We typically aim to walk straight out from the Adventure Hub. Any remote location will usually be within 15 minutes drive of The Adventure Hub in which case we will travel dressed and ready to walk immediately upon arrival.

PRACTICAL NAVIGATION SESSION
Your instructor will demonstrate key practical skills and give you the chance to practise before progressing to harder skills and navigation targets. The incredible accuracy and usefulness of the maps usually hits home hard within the first few hours as we look at ways of absorbing and reflecting on clues experienced on your immediate journey and the wider environment. The afternoon will see you starting to appreciate the shape and steepness of the ground and how it is represented on your map.

BACK TO THE ADVENTURE HUB
Once we are off the hill we will return to The Adventure Hub. With fresh coffee in hand, we summarise the key learning points from the day's adventure, discuss your progress so far and set some personalised development targets for day two.

Day Two
9:30 - 16:30

CLASSROOM SESSION
The second hill day is over to you, beginning with a route planning task looking at weather forecasts, guidebooks and online resources.

THE CHALLENGE
Once we have got you back out on the hill you will strike out on a route of your own devising to practise and consolidate. As you become more confident your instructor will offer you the chance to extend 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 NNAS syllabus and let you know 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 in the weeks and months to come. Hopefully you will be back for more soon!

• Standard hillwalking gear including good waterproofs (jackets and trousers)
• Good quality walking boots/shoes with a good tread
• Lunch and a good supply of snacks and drinks are necessary
• Warm clothing including spare layers, gloves and hat
• Sun cream, hat and sunglasses (You just never know!)
• We provide maps and have some compasses available to borrow or buy

• 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.