Navigation Training

I joined Dave Taylor, aka FellRunningGuide on his intermediate navigation course yesterday and learnt loads. We met at the wonderful Crowden Youth Hostel and started with a short classroom session. Dave explained the structure of the day, quizzed us about our goals for the session and gave an overview of the key navigation skills we'd be covering that would help us reach our goals. For me, I needed help with pacing when running, running on bearings, contour interpretation and knowing what to do when not really sure exactly where you are (that's different from being lost, honest).

The Crowden valley gives lots of opportunities for seeking out tiny features - river junctions, kinks in groughs, sheepfolds, ponds (that may or may not be there), spot heights, trig points, wall junctions. These were all features we were tasked with finding. But the object of the day wasn't just to locate the feature. Dave was really good at teaching us how to work out how long it might take to get there, what may slow us down, what to use to help you find something (intermediate features, bearings, handrails and attack points) and how to know when you might be close but not quite on the right track (not that we spent very much time on tracks or paths!). All very useful given that a good proportion of the day was spent in the clag, with snow billowing around us making visibility greatly reduced. I was thankful I'd packed hand warmers as the stop-start nature of learning to navigate on the hill meant my extremities quickly chilled.

All photographs courtesy of Dave Taylor, Fell Running Guide.

Westerly bearing following a grough....until ground drops off, turn north for 400m....then find a pond 100m to east (which we did).

see that....it's snow, buff over the ears to stop them filling up!

the most layers I've ever worn when out running, it was quite cold

more clag, following a grough but still climbing

success, the wall junction was located

The key things I learnt during the day were timings and pacing when running - it is totally different to walking. That sort of goes without saying, but you try running on tufty grass, following a bearing, dealing with sleet and snow being blasted into you at 20mph, counting your paces and watching the elapsed time - it's a lot to take in. To get a grasp on this a little better is great. It's all the stuff I do when running round on orienteering races and often when I'm just out on the hill. So if I'm better at making decisions I should in theory be quicker. Learning how to cope with all the demands, and understanding the subtleties of the terrain so you know exactly where you are (or when not quite in the right place) is brilliant.

I feel much more confident about being out in claggy weather (or at night) and knowing how to locate somewhere. I sort of did know this before the day, but had been very reliant on just following my nose and 'sort of knowing' where I was. I'm sure one day I'd have come unstuck, and given the rough terrain and wilderness on Bleaklow and Kinder (my back garden as I call it), the last thing you need if you suffer an injury is to know 'sort of, vaguely where you are'. Mountain rescue will get to you much quicker if you can give them an exact location (plus grid reference) should they ever need to be called out. I now feel better equipped and will be out there in all weathers practicing. I've got a race coming up in a few weeks too so will see if the practice pays off.

The day with Dave was great, I'd highly recommend him as a navigation and fell running guide. Even though I know he's a much faster, stronger runner than I am I felt at ease and not once under pressure to go faster or feel like I had to keep up. The day has also consolidated the great work of Ruth Taylor and Andy Turner, the two guides I had on my Walking Group Leaders Award training from Peak Mountain Training. Many of the messages from all were repeated and while the day with Dave focused on running navigation the principles from each were strengthened.