First Steps with Navigation 21st November 2026

A free beginner's navigation course offered by registered charity Mountain Aid Our navigation courses are ideal for new hill walkers who have some experience of walking in the Scottish hills but need to develop essential navigation skills. They are intended for hill walkers with no previous formal navigation training and are not intended as "refreshers" or to teach intermediate / advanced skills. Although free to attend these courses are always delivered by fully qualified and insured contractors working for us in a professional capacity. Spaces are limited and are all funded by charitable donations. FIRST STEPS WITH NAVIGATION This course aims to teach basic skills for track, moorland and hill navigation. No previous navigation or map reading experience is required for this course. You will however, require some recent hillwalking experience as you will be walking over hill and moorland, including some short off-path sections. Expect to walk up to 5 miles with ascent up to 600m (2000 feet). Our course is offered over 1-day (morning and afternoon) and takes place at various locations. Please see the list of dates on our website for venues. Approximate start time is 08:30, finishing by 17:30, but our instructor will confirm exact times with you. The course will include: • Observing ground features • Orientating the map • Understanding scale • Measuring distance on the map • Measuring distance on the ground using pacing • Estimating time to walk a route • Navigational features such as contours, re-entrants, spurs and catchment features • ​Consideration of basic use of electronic devices which can support navigation Please note: course spaces are limited and are all paid for by charitable donations. To ensure as many people as possible are able to benefit from our courses we have a limit of a maximum of 2 days for any one individual. If you require additional navigation training after attending your Mountain Aid course there are numerous course providers who will be able to assist you. You may also wish to take a look at the National Navigation Award Scheme which provides a certified progressive navigation route . NEED TO KNOW • Courses are free to attend but we will require a refundable deposit. Your deposit will be returned to you after attending the course. The deposit amount is £40 for the 1-day course. • The course location varies. Please see our website for dates and venues. • You will require hill walking clothing and equipment including appropriate footwear and waterproof clothing. Please bring a packed lunch. An equipment list will be sent to you by our instructor. • You will need reasonable fitness and some prior experience of walking in the hills, mountains or moorlands of Scotland. No navigation experience is required for our First Steps course. The emphasis of the day is on learning and practising navigation not on distance or speed walked. • Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. • ​Our course provider is Andy Cloquet WMCI of Outdoor Adventure Scotland. Andy is fully qualified and insured to deliver these courses. • ​Maximum number of participants on each course is 8. BOOKING CONDITIONS 1 Course places are only confirmed once your deposit has been received. Deposits will be refunded once the course has been completed. A non-refundable processing fee will be charged by Eventbrite in addition to your deposit amount. This is currently £4.04(for a £40 deposit). 2 Cancellation: i. Cancellations received 11 or more days prior to the course. Deposits will be refunded less a £10 admin fee but only if we manage to refill your place. The Eventbrite processing fee is not refundable. ii. Cancellations received 10 or less days prior to the course. Deposits are non refundable. The Eventbrite processing fee is not refundable. iii. Requests to transfer between course dates will be treated as cancellations and re-bookings.​ iv. In the event that Mountain Aid or our supplier has to cancel the course, we will offer you either a transfer to an alternative date or refund your deposit in full including processing fee. 3 We will not accept bookings for more than 2 days training per individual from across all our course offerings. 4 The instructor reserves the right to decline to accept you on the course should you turn up inappropriately clothed or lacking essential equipment. If you arrive for the course under the influence of alcohol or drugs you will not be permitted to join the course. In these circumstances your deposit will not be refunded. 5 ​The instructor reserves the right to ask you to leave the course if you obviously do not have the required fitness or pre-requisite experience and this is affecting other participants' enjoyment of the course. Your deposit will not be refunded. 6 Mountain Aid and / or our suppliers reserve the right to amend the planned course should weather or environmental conditions dictate. 7 Mountain Aid and / or our suppliers reserve the right to use a different instructor from that advertised should circumstances dictate this. Instructors will always be appropriately qualified and insured for the activity. ​8 Participants are reminded that hillwalking is not without risk. By attending the course you accept these inherent risks.