Navigate with Confidence: A beginner's course for Women and non-binary people
A 2 day beginners course helping you feel confident and safe in the outdoors.
Sponsored by Ordnance Survey
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Basic info:
📍Where: Shipham Village Hall, Mendip Hills
📆 When: 17th + 18th May 2025
👤 Who is it for: This course is aimed at complete beginners, but is also suitable for someone who needs to refresh their skills
💳 Price: £85 Members | £125 Non-members
Book your spaceEveryone is capable of being a competent navigator, the belief that some people have 'no sense of direction' just isn't true. All you need are the tools, the practice and the confidence.
What we'll learn
Day One
Morning: The basics
9.00 - 11.30
We will start the morning at Shipham village hall with some basic theory.
- Explore what 'navigation' actually is, looking at ways you navigate in your every day life and transferring those techniques over to being outdoors
- Understand how a map is made and what it is communicating
- Understand the different map scales and what they can be used for
- Start to learn some of the visual language to help you read an OS map
- Discuss what features are most reliable
- Explore contour lines and how they might look in real life
- Learn a few reliable techniques for following a route and figuring out where you are on the map.
Afternoon: Practical
11.30 - 16.00
We will spend the afternoon out hiking around the Mendip hills working in pairs to put the theory into practice. In our pairs will take it in turns to lead the group to a point on the map whilst the rest of the group relocates and tries to find where we are on the map.
Putting things into practice can feel scary (especially if you are a perfectionist!) so we will also work on mindset practices to be ok with making mistakes and getting things wrong - after all this is the best way to learn!
The course is a judgement-free space, with the focus on learning the skills and techniques which work best for you.
We will hike about 9km distance and 300m elevation on day one.
Day Two
Morning: Route planning, timings and using a compass
9.00 - 11.30am
We will start the morning at Shipham village hall with some theory.
- Refresh what we learnt on day one
- How to plan a route using a map and the OS app
- Discuss when we might need to use a compass and what it can be used for
- Learn how to work out the timings of a route or section
- Understand what 'taking a bearing' means
- Learn the technique of taking a bearing with a map and compass
- Talk more about contour features in greater detail
- Discussing real life situations and when different navigation techniques would work best
Afternoon: Practical
11.30 - 4.00
We will drive over to The Swan Inn pub and park our cars there for the start of our second hike.
We will spend the afternoon out hiking around the Mendip hills working in pairs to put the theory into practice. In our pairs will take it in turns to lead the group to a point on the map whilst the rest of the group relocates and tries to find where we are on the map.
We will also practice timings and taking a bearing with a compass in situ.
Putting things into practice can feel scary (especially if you are a perfectionist!) so we will also work on mindset practices to be ok with making mistakes and getting things wrong - after all this is the best way to learn!
The course is a judgement-free space, with the focus on learning the skills and techniques which work best for you.
We will hike around 10km distance and 290m elevation on day two.
About your instructor
Hi I'm Alice, a qualified mountain leader and CEO of The Adventure Girls Club. I'm passionate about reconnecting women back to nature through adventure and outdoor skills. I set up the club because I didn't feel like I belonged in the outdoor community and I wanted to create a safe space for women like me to head out and enjoy the outdoors in their own way.
I spent years believing that I was 'rubbish' at navigation, until I met a great teacher who gave me the confidence to head out and practice without judgement. Now, I'm not only an excellent navigator but I also LOVE it, it adds an extra element of fun to a walk and helps me stay present and mindful. I now want to teach other women that navigation isn't scary or out of reach, but it's actually fun and enjoyable!
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What to bring:
- Ankle high, waterproof footwear. Preferably worn in hiking boots.
- Packed lunch and plenty of snacks
- Water (at least 1 litre)
- Waterproof coat and trousers
- Warm layers (hat, gloves, fleece)
- Rucksack
- Notepad and pen
- Optional - OS Explorer map 141
- Optional - Compass
What we provide:
- A map of the area
- Compass to practice with
- A 'Navigate with Confidence' workbook
- Tea, coffee, biscuits in the morning
Travel and Transport
By Car
We will meet at Shipham Village Hall where there is free parking available.
By train/bus
If you are travelling from Bristol the best bus to get is the Falcon megabus to Plymouth and get off at Star Boadway Junction. It is a 10 minute walk from there to the village hall.
Liftshare
It would be great to lift-share as much as possible, I will create a WhatsApp group where people can offer or request a lift.
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Cost & Payment
Sponsored by Ordnance Survey
These tickets have been subsidised by Ordnance Survey
- 2 day judgement-free beginner course
- A bespoke workbook to help you learn
- Mindset strategy for navigating effectively
- Visual language skills for map reading
- Tried and tested techniques for accurate route-finding and relocation
- Compass skills
- Route planning using the OS app
- Real-time practice in a safe and supportive environment
- Taught by a Qualified Mountain Leader
- Map & Compass included
- Tea, coffee and biscuits
- 20% off OS maps app subscription
- Small group of 8
- WhatsApp group to lift-share and ask follow-up questions