Night navigation training in the Ochils

We know that the sun always shines in Scotland and you can always see where you're going. But, for the very rare occasions when it's cloudy or raining on the hills or when the nights are drawing in, how about learning some of the skills to help you to navigate safely in unfamiliar mountain terrain when you can't see where you're going?

We'll cover a number of topics, including pacing, timing, navigating to micro-features, walking on a bearing, handrails, catch points, and relocation, among others.

Check the FAQs for the equipment list. However, every participant will need to bring along their own Harvey map of the Ochils and a compass with a 1:25k romer (the Silva Expedition 4 Compass is an excellent top-end example of the type, but the Highlander Deluxe Map Compass is a perfectly suitable and much cheaper alternative for this course). You must also bring a head torch with spare batteries.

Please note: I'm not charging for this event. But you can make a donation to Scottish Mountain Rescue if you want to.

Mandatory pre-course map briefing session

As Harvey Maps are unfamiliar to many people, there will be a mandatory pre-course briefing session at one of the 'fine dining establishments' (Costa, McDonalds, or Burger King) at the nearby Springkerse Retail Park in Stirling. We will cover things like the Harvey map legend and how it differs from OS maps, how to set a compass bearing in two easy steps, and how to identify the six-figure map reference of your location (handy if you need to call Mountain Rescue).

Here's what some happy customers said about last year's courses .....

• "Instruction was excellent, everything was well explained and it was a good learning environment (not worried to make mistakes etc)".
• "The course taught us relevant and practical skills which would be very useful on the hill. You explained everything well and patiently and the small size of the group made it a nice environment where we could all ask questions comfortably and learn".
• "The most beneficial aspect of the course for me is that it has improved my confidence in navigating in the hills, particularly in difficult conditions. Becoming more comfortable navigating in low light gives me more confidence doing longer hill days and provides a safety net in case I ever end up in a situation like that".

Host or Publisher Richard Tiplady