Skip to content

Navigation Coaching Day

Level: Foundation

Develop your navigation framework, understand strategy and build confidence with map and compass.

Format
Workshop
Duration
1 day
Pathway
Mountain
Group
Small-group workshop

£125 per person

Workshop Overview

A Navigation Coaching Day gives you time to work on the core map-and-compass skills that make a hill day feel more manageable. We start with your current understanding, then practise matching the map to the ground, choosing useful features and checking progress along a route. It is a focused day for building your skills and developing your understanding of the areas you need to improve.

Key Information

  • Based in Langdale / Borrowdale. We choose the exact venue around conditions and the skills being practised.

  • Small-group workshop. (Max 4)

Who It's For

  • Walkers beginning to use a map independently.
  • People who have learned the basics but would welcome guided practice.
  • Returning walkers refreshing navigation after time away.

Skills Covered

  • Map orientation and using contours to stay connected to the ground.
  • Choosing effective features, checkpoints and attack points.
  • Distance, timing, pacing and compass work as needed.
  • Relocation and a calm response when the picture stops making sense.
  • A consolidation plan based on observed performance.

Pre-requisites

No formal navigation training is required. You should be comfortable spending a day walking on uneven hill ground. Let us know what map-and-compass experience you already have.

What to Bring

Weatherproof clothing, warm layers, food, drinks and personal medication. Walking boots or appropriate mountain footwear, a day pack, map, compass and headtorch.

Maps and compasses can be provided, but we recommend bringing your own. We will tell you which map you need and recommend a Silva Expedition 4 compass.

Itinerary

The exact plan may adapt to weather, venue conditions and the group's experience. The stages below describe the intended focus.

Dates & Prices

£125 per person. This workshop runs on request rather than on fixed dates: for individuals, small groups or bespoke professional development.

Ask about arranging Navigation Coaching Day privately. Tell us your experience, priorities, group size and preferred dates so we can confirm a suitable format and quote.

Enquire

Register interest

Navigation Coaching Day

Dates are being finalised. Tell us which dates would suit you and we will be in touch as soon as they are confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Navigation Coaching Day FAQs

Can I join with limited map experience?

Yes. This Foundation workshop builds or refreshes the essentials and lets you practise them on the hill.

How is it different from private navigation coaching?

This is a small-group workshop. Private coaching offers more individual control over the date, pace and content.

Should I book this or Mountain Navigation?

Choose this for a focused day on the basics. Mountain Navigation provides two days to connect skills and work on more detailed terrain interpretation.

Can you help me work out why I keep getting lost?

We observe your navigation process and look for the point where the map and ground stop agreeing. That helps target practice in feature selection, distance judgement or relocation.

Will everyone work at the same pace?

The workshop follows a shared foundation theme, with individual feedback. Tell us your starting point; if you need a fully personal pace or programme, ask about private coaching.

Kit & Equipment FAQs

What if I do not have all the equipment?

Contact us before booking or buying kit. We will confirm what you need, what can be arranged and any hire charges for this workshop.

What happens if the weather changes?

We may change the route, venue or order of exercises to suit conditions and the group. The advertised learning aims remain the focus, and joining information explains the practical arrangements.

Booking & Cancellation FAQs

Can I book one place?

Yes. Public courses and workshops are priced per person, so you can book an individual place and join others. Check the page prerequisites before booking; you do not need to provide a whole group yourself.

How do I book?

Choose the course or workshop, check the date and location, and follow Book now. Complete the requested participant information and payment steps. If you are unsure about suitability or need equipment advice, contact us before completing the booking.

How do I pay?

Bookings below £300, or made fewer than 42 days before the start, are payable in full. For bookings of £300 or more made at least 42 days before the start, a deposit option is available, with the balance due 30 days before the start. The booking page confirms the amount due when you book.

Are prices per person or for the whole group?

Public course and workshop prices are per person. Private delivery is quoted separately for the agreed format and group. Mountain Leader reassessment is priced according to the scope agreed after reviewing your report.

Can I cancel or move my booking?

Please read our Booking & Cancellation Policy before booking. It explains the applicable notice periods, charges and options for moving a place. Contact us promptly if your circumstances change, giving your booking name and date.

What if I am ill or injured before the course?

Contact us as soon as you know you may be unable to attend. Changes, transfers and refunds are handled under the Booking & Cancellation Policy. Let us know before the day rather than arriving unsure whether you can take part.

What happens if LDM changes or cancels the event?

We will contact you to explain the change and the options available under our booking terms. Read the policy before booking, particularly before making separate travel or accommodation arrangements.

What happens if minimum numbers are not reached?

Public dates depend on sufficient bookings. If numbers affect your date, we will explain the situation and the options under our booking terms. The places shown online are availability, not a promise that minimum numbers have already been met.

The date is full. Can I join a waiting list?

Use Join the waiting list where it is shown, or contact us with the course and date. A waiting-list request is not a confirmed booking; we will contact you if a suitable place becomes available.

There are no dates listed. Can I register interest?

Yes. Use Register interest or contact us with the offering and your preferred dates. We can let you know about forthcoming public dates or discuss private delivery, subject to availability.

Can I use an existing voucher?

Yes. We will honour valid existing vouchers as the booking system changes. Contact us with the voucher details before paying so we can explain how to apply it.

Can I give my place to someone else?

Contact us before arranging a replacement. We need to check the booking terms, the other participant's suitability and their details before confirming whether a transfer is possible.

I have not received booking confirmation. What should I do?

Check your spam or junk folder, then contact us with the booking name, course and date. Please check with us before making a second payment so we can establish what happened.

Structured progression

Your next step

You will know which parts of your navigation need attention and have specific techniques and exercises to improve them.

  • Mountain Navigation

    Pathway: Mountain

    Level: Foundation

    Turn map and compass skills into a reliable way of moving through mountain terrain.

    Two people work through a map and compass together
  • 1:40.000 Harvey Navigation

    Pathway: Mountain

    Level: Progression

    Use Harvey 1:40,000 mapping confidently.

    A walker in a cap reads a map high above a lake and wooded valley

Reading to support your learning

Knowledge Hub

Why choose Lake District Mountaineering?

  • Highly qualified instructors. MCI and WMCI qualified professionals.
  • Small groups, real attention. More time for coaching and feedback from your instructor.
  • Structured progression. Every course builds towards real independence in the mountains.
  • Real mountain environments. Trained on the fells of the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands.