Navigation Training with Nevis Hill Walking Club

Nevis Hill Walking Club has a very active programme of walks for members of the club right across the Lochaber area and beyond. Like minded people get together to share the experience of the walks as peers and there is a good culture of self reliance. So they all understand the need to be able to navigate and today we went for some navigation training for some of the members. This was great timing for me since I was at a workshop for teachers of navigation on Monday with Nigel Williams of Glenmore Lodge and I was very keen to try out some of the ideas.

We went to the north side of Loch Leven and walked from Callert to the col at .446 and Tom Meadhoin. We spent some time doing exercises around cones up on the hillside before putting it all together in 3D navigation ... Direction, Distance and Description. The new methods of teaching I learned went down really well and seemed to simplify the process greatly. Who knew you could follow a bearing without needing to use a number or even turn the dial on the compass? We successfully found our way round some contour features before heading home with amazing views of Glen Coe. It was a lovely day which was good news for us as well as for the Skyline Scotland Ring of Steall Race and No Fuss Events Braveheart Triathlon. It was a busy day in the mountains of the Outdoor Capital of the UK!