Being able to look after you and your family in the hills and mountains of the UK doesn’t have to be just your responsibility. Why not get the whole family involved and share the load … and the fun? Learning to read a map and use a compass are essential outdoor skills that adults and children of any age can learn.
The National Navigation Award Scheme is a personal performance qualification suitable for all ages to learn navigation skills and gain confidence to get out and enjoy the British countryside. Our courses take place over a weekend and are designed to keep the interest of both adults and children with fun and active sessions out and about in the hills. The ‘classroom’ sessions are deliberately kept short to allow the most amount of time actually ‘doing’.
Courses are based in the beautiful Peak District National Park right in the heart of the country making them accessible to many. At less than an hour’s drive from Manchester and Sheffield, two hours from Birmingham and the West Midlands and just a three-and-a-half hour drive from London, you won’t have to travel far to join us. You can also take the train right to the village we start from. There are plenty of camping and other accommodation options nearby.
The Bronze NNAS Award is a practical, hands-on qualification aimed at people with little or no navigation experience. Whether you’re brand new to the outdoors or you’ve been relying on guidebooks, the Bronze Award teaches navigation in the countryside using paths tracks and other linear features. Basic map interpretation and compass work is also included.
The Silver NNAS Award develops navigation skills acquired at Bronze level and adds skills required to navigate to features and places away from paths and tracks. It teaches accurate compass work and will allow you to select the suitable navigational techniques to cross open country.
Children as young as eight are welcome on our National Navigation Award Scheme courses when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Learning as a family means you get to enjoy a family weekend in the countryside whilst learning a valuable new skill.
Find out more about our Bronze NNAS Navigator Award, Silver NNAS Navigator Award or our intensive ‘Straight to Silver’ NNAS Navigator Award weekends in the Peak District.
