Navigation
Learn to Navigate: From Our Free Online Course to the Hills
Navigation is both a science and a skill. The science is understanding the map: grid references, contours, scale and the compass. The skill is using that understanding to find your way on the ground, in good weather and bad. You can learn the science at home, but the skill only comes from practice outside.
That's why we've built a simple pathway that takes you from your first look at an OS map to confident navigation on the open hill.
Step 1: Our free online map reading course
Our free online map reading and navigation course arrives as four short lessons by email. It covers the fundamentals of navigation in the UK, starting with how to set (orientate) your map with a compass and how to give and find a grid reference, with practical exercises to try at home and on your local walks. More than 20,000 people have taken it so far.
It's ideal if you're new to map reading, want a refresher, or are about to join one of our navigation courses and would like a head start.
Step 2: Keep practising
When you finish the free course, the learning doesn't stop. We send monthly navigation challenges by email, and our Patreon community has a free navigation challenge every two weeks. For £3 a month, premium members also get the full analysis of each task, a weekly Q&A and our archive of navigation articles. Find out more about our Patreon navigation course.
A great habit at this stage is to take a map on every walk, even familiar ones, and check your position as you go. Apps like OS Maps are brilliant for checking your grid references against GPS.
Step 3: A day on the hill
There's nothing like learning outside with an instructor. Our Right Way in a Day course puts the theory into practice in the Peak District: setting the map, measuring distance, following a bearing and working out where you are. It's open to ages 13 and over, with a maximum of 8 people per instructor.
Step 4: The NNAS awards
If you'd like a recognised qualification, the National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) has three levels, and we run all of them:
- Bronze: navigating confidently on paths and tracks in the countryside.
- Silver: leaving the paths behind, using contours and the compass across open country.
- Gold: precise navigation in challenging terrain and poor visibility.
We also run night navigation and contour skills workshops.
Step 5: Beyond
Strong navigation opens up every other adventure: wild camping, fell running, winter walking, and leadership qualifications like the Mountain Leader award. Wherever you're heading, we'd love to help you get there.