NNAS Silver (Intermediate) two-day navigation course

NNAS Silver (Intermediate) two-day navigation course

Take your navigation to the next level. Understand the jump from macro navigation to fine navigation, off the beaten track, and the tools you need while on and off trail on slightly technical terrain. Understand navigation in poor weather conditions and hours of darkness.

Supported by Silva

Gain a deeper understanding of how to use a map and compass in order to navigate a chosen route in difficult conditions, across different scales of maps, while encountering difficult terrain either on or off the beaten track.

Use this course to help you gain your walking leader qualification, such as Hill and Moorland leader, or Mountain Leader.

You will be crossing open fell for short durations, albeit moving very slowly over this ground to ensure your safety. We will encounter grassy tussocks, boggy areas and occasional rocky sections which will not be technical, but will be off the paths.

What you will learn on this course:

• How to utilise the skills and techniques of the Bronze Award in the context of Silver Award navigation strategies
  
• How to relate small hills, small valleys, prominent re-entrants and prominent spurs to their corresponding map contours
  
• How to use prominent hills, ridges, spurs and valleys as a means of navigation in good visibility
  
• How to use landforms and point features to orientate the map and as collecting and catching features
  
• How to use a compass to accurately follow a bearing; aim off; check the direction of handrails and other linear features
  
• How to deviate briefly from a compass bearing to avoid obstacles or difficult terrain and accurately regain the original line
  
• How to use back bearings to check route following accuracy
  
• How to measure distance on the ground in varied, open terrain using timing and pacing, making practical allowances for any discrepancies
  
• How to simplify legs using coarse navigation, attack points and fine navigation
  
• How to recognise dangerous or difficult terrain on maps and the ground
  
• How to plan and implement navigational strategies based on the above skills
  
• How to maintain route-finding accuracy in poor visibility or darkness
  
• How to recognise a navigation error within a few minutes and apply appropriate relocation techniques
  
• Gain an understanding of how personal fitness and the nature of the terrain affect route choice both at the planning stage and on the ground
  
• Learn to understand the potential consequences of fatigue and physical discomfort in demanding terrain and/or extreme weather conditions
  
• How to select appropriate clothing, equipment and first aid items for walking in open country in all weather conditions
  
• Understand the Countryside Code, current access legislation and the environmental impact of walkers on the countryside
  
• Understand walkers' responsibility towards other countryside interests such as farming, forestry and conservation
  

If you demonstrate the correct understanding after two days of intensive training and assessment, then you will walk away with a NNAS Silver certificate and will be able to use this to either gain your Gold Award or put it towards a Mountain Leader training course.

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Two-day course: £155

If you haven't yet done the Bronze with us and you wish to go straight to Silver, we offer a 90-minute Bronze Refresher Course for only £20.

It is not required to have the NNAS Bronze certificate before signing up for the Silver level course, BUT we prefer you to have an equivalent understanding to the Bronze level.

If you have previous navigation experience, please contact us so we can discuss which course(s) you might benefit most from. It may be that you can go straight to the Silver course, or you may benefit from the fast-track, pre-Silver one-day course.

Book 7/8 November 2025 – Ullswater (Now full!)Book 14/15 November 2025 – Coniston Contact us to discuss / book

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