Night Navigation
A welcome to the dark side…
Being on the hill at night can be a rewarding experience in its own right, and not just the result of a temporary geographical misplacement earlier on in the day. Boost your confidence to explore at night with this one evening course.
“The night navigation course is a must for any serious hiker” Judy. Buxton.
Who is it for ?
The course is aimed at reasonably competent navigators who want the extra confidence from the knowledge that they can handle any navigational challenge they find themselves in.
Night Navigation – Course Overview
We discuss and practice techniques for navigating in reduced visibility. We also look at different types and the correct use of torches together with how to cope if your batteries run out.
We use the dark to give us the reduced visibility, as even in the wilds of the Peak District we have learned how to predict that bit. The same techniques apply to fog, mist, driving snow etc – which we are still working on how to predict several months in advance!
Beyond the Edge are one of the UKs most experienced providers of training courses for hills and mountains and our courses are both highly informative and run by hugely experienced trainers. Importantly in our opinion, they are also fun and run in a friendly manner. We take great pride in the very high percentage of individuals who return for further courses.
Night Navigation – Course Format
The evening is flexible to suit the prevailing weather conditions and times of darkness. We usually start at 1900 and finish at about 2300 spending all the time on the hill. Your exact meeting point will be confirmed approximately 3 days before the course after we have studied the weather forecast to try and give you the best experience possible.
We start with a short safety brief and chat to work out individuals knowledge of navigating at night before heading out onto the hill and covering:
- Navigation at night – equipment and setup
- Torches and their uses
- Micro nav – what is it and how do we use it
- Bearings and pacing
- Navigation without a torch
- Lots of practice!
Course Details
- Location: Peak District
- Cost: £50 per person
- Duration: 3.5 hours
- Ratio: 1:6
- Level: Intermediate
More Information
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Course Dates
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Bespoke Dates and Locations
If there are no suitable dates available, or there are two or more of you that want to experience some night navigation, please contact the office and we will arrange some dates to suit your diary.
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Meeting Point
The course will meet at The Sir William Hotel at 1900 in the village of Grindleford. The village has good bus and train links with Sheffield and good train links to Manchester.
The hotel has ample free parking.
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Equipment Required
A full kit list with recommendations as to what works best is contained in the Joining Instructions. These also contain a host of helpful tips and links to articles and videos to help you get the most out of the course.
Key items are:
- Map. The Peak District Dark Peak area 1:25,000. OL1. We strongly recommend using laminated maps
- Compass. We recommend the Silva Type 4 or Expedition compass. Read our review here. Cheaper compasses malfunction very regularly (on average 1 per course) so we advise you don’t waste your money and buy a good one from the start.
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Recommended Reading
Whilst it is not required to read anything before the course (apart from the joining instructions!). The official handbook of Mountain Training (National Governing Body for Walking and Climbing Leadership awards) that covers navigation contains lots of useful information. It is:
Mountain Training Handbook, Volume 4, Navigation in the mountains. Carlo Forte. -
Fitness Level
We are walking for a few hours, so an average level of fitness is fine.
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Accommodation Options
This Beyond the Edge course is non-residential to allow you to select between a thermarest or 5 star hotel as you require.
There is lots of accommodation in the Hope Valley and we recommend The Sir William which offers BtE clients a discount and this course runs from here.
Further details and other options are listed on our Accommodation page.
If you are struggling to find something or want something special, contact the office and we will endeavour to assist.
FAQs
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How do I book ?
The best way is via this webpage. Choose the date from the options on the above and then submit your booking and request an invoice or pay. If your course is under six weeks away you must pay the full amount.
For bespoke events get in touch first so we can check diaries and if required give you a quote. Get in touch by either calling the office on 01142 631 155 or emailing us.
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Children, Parking, Dogs, COVID and everything else...
You will find all of the most frequently asked questions and their answers on our FAQ webpage
