An exciting and addictive skill, Navigation is one of the very first areas you must address if you want to spend time outdoors, once you have learned to find your way it makes all the other bushcraft skills more meaningful and relevant. It is an essential skill in your repertoire, after all what's the point in being able to split wood with an axe or light a fire if you cannot find your way in the wilderness? You're unlikely to make it far. Bushcraft skills are employed to make life more comfortable when on a journey, so how can you embark on a journey without knowing how to find your way?
You don't need to go far in the countryside before someone who is lost asks you to show them where they are on the map, many people get away with little or no knowledge, but poor navigation even in the British hills, costs lives. If you have never had a go at navigating you may think it looks boring but as you gain experience you feel like you can go anywhere and an overwhelming sense of independence is developed.
Navigation is not the mysterious art some would have you believe. It's simply the application of good observation, logical thinking and common sense. The Woodlore Wilderness Navigation course provides a thorough, no-nonsense grounding in all aspects of the skill, equipping you with the ability to traverse open country or dense forest, day or night, in all weathers.
Navigation is a key skill for those who wish to travel in the wild. Even if you are in a group, don't rely on others to navigate for you; what if the leader of your group is injured or taken ill? What if your guide exaggerated their abilities? If you are following established trails or venturing further off the beaten track, you should be able to keep track of where you are and get home safely again.
Based on Ray's experience of travelling in wild and remote parts of the World for over 30 years, this course teaches you what you really need to know. Using methods Woodlore has used to train its own staff, you may well be surprised at the approach we take on this course.
Key subjects covered include:
- Why people get lost
- How to deal with getting lost
- How to avoid getting lost
- Reading Maps and Charts
- Reading the Landscape
- Use of the Compass
- Speed and Distance
- Route Planning
- Practical Wilderness Navigation Techniques
You will be given time to practice every technique that you learn on this course and test your skills in practical and realistic ways.
This course starts at 17:30 on Sunday and will finish at 16:00 on Saturday.
Catering
This course is self-catering, so please bring enough food for the duration of the course and a stove to cook it on. Many clients have found in the past, bringing a cool box is useful to keep all of your food inside.
We provide a kettle, tea, coffee, squash and biscuits in a brew box at the main camp fire of the course, under a large parachute. We also have fresh drinking water and a fruit bowl available.
Course Site
The Wilderness Navigation course will take place at an expedition style camp in East Sussex, close to Tunbridge Wells. The camp is situated in beautiful private woodland with no public access with lots of wildlife including deer, owls, badgers, fox and butterflies. We do not have shower/toilet blocks at our sites, therefore all aspects of the course will have a fantastic wilderness feel, using a screened camp shower and a screened latrine in the woods.
We have a car park at the course site where your car will be kept during the course (if you bring one).
Other Details
Joining instructions will be sent to participants of the course 9 weeks before it is due to start, giving details of where to meet, at what time, and what to
bring with you.
If your time is limited we also have a 2-day navigation course available called UK Woodland Navigation, this course teaches you one of the most difficult concepts to grasp; navigating in thick woodland in both day and night.
