
If you want to learn or improve your map reading skills, we have the course for you. Our practical navigation courses take place in the Forest of Dean, Monmouthshire and the Brecon Beacons National Park, so are accessible from South West England, the West Midlands and South Wales.
We teach from experience of the outdoors so, whether you’re a complete beginner to navigation, brushing up on your map reading skills or heading into wilder country, book now for an enjoyable learning experience.
Nothing beats a face to face map reading course for learning navigation but if you can’t wait to get started, we have a few video tutorials available. Check out our youtube page for bitesize sessions on the fundamentals of navigation.
Our instructors are qualified Mountain Leaders and hold an in-date outdoor first aid qualification.
At Borderlands we take our responsibilities seriously. That’s why we hold public liability insurance to the value of £10m.
Master the basics of navigation with our 1 day course in the woods and valleys of the Forest of Dean. Our training venues are located close to the A40, so people travelling from Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham to learn navigation can be here in an hour or so.
If you think you can’t read a map, you’re probably wrong! We’ll take you through the fundamental skills of orientating the map, feature recognition and using timing to help you to stay on track. We aim to give you the tools to explore the great outdoors with increased confidence.
This course is based around our 2 day Introduction to Navigation course and covers a number of the basic techniques taught on the longer course. If you don’t have 2 days to learn and consolidate, this could be the course for you. Although you won’t leave the course as an expert, you should gain the skills and confidence to explore with greater independence.
Your training course will be delivered by an experienced Mountain Leader. We believe in practical training for practical subjects, so you can be assured of an active and engaging day. If you’d like to learn more, contact us or book your place now.
Our popular Wye Valley and Forest of Dean map reading courses are ideal for navigation beginners. Over 2 days of map + compass training we’ll lead you through the fundamentals of navigation. We’re passionate about teaching so that you gain the confidence to explore your own routes independently. Our navigation courses are only an hour or so from Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham with plenty of fantastic woodland and scenic terrain to explore and practice.
Learning how to navigate using just the map alone is a key skill, so we make it our starting point. We begin with the fundamentals of orientating the map, recognising a range of map symbols, route planning and timing. Once you’re comfortable with these techniques, we show you how to use a compass. We teach navigation in stages so that you have time to master each skill before moving on to something new.
Our introduction to navigation courses take place in the beautiful Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. We want to challenge you, so we use varied terrain including woodland and farmland on our beginners navigation courses.
You’ll receive a download link with all of the pre-course information when you book a place on any of our navigation courses. If you need to check details beforehand, you can do so here.
If you’re already proficient at navigation but want to develop your skills further, take a look at our Next Step Navigation course. If you have specific areas you’d like to work on or can’t make our open course dates we’d be happy to do a bespoke course for you. Get in touch for a chat.
Improve your navigation skills on our 2 day course in the Brecon Beacons National Park. This course is the ideal next step for anyone who’s completed our Introduction to Navigation course. Even if you haven’t completed the introduction course, this could be the course for you if you already have some navigation skills. Our Brecon Beacons next step navigation course takes place only an hour or so from Cardiff, Bristol and Hereford.
Our map reading and navigation courses are practical, so you’ll be out with map and compass in hand for 2 full days. Heading out into the Brecon Beacons, we’ll develop your compass skills to get away from paths and tracks. The open moorland environment also makes an ideal training ground for developing your understanding of contour lines. We aim to take you away from the beaten track. After the course you’ll be navigating by the shape of the land instead.
We believe in quality training, that’s why we use qualified and experienced Mountain Leaders to deliver our courses
Over 2 days (alongside some pre-course learning), you’ll develop your existing navigational skills with a real focus on reading the shape of the land beneath your feet.
The techniques learned from prior courses will help you to pick your way through more complex landscapes, recognising less distinct features and using them to plan safe routes through the terrain. Part of your course will be help in poor visibility, so be prepared for long days with navigation in the dark!
We teach from experience of the outdoors so, whether you’re a complete beginner to navigation, brushing up on your map reading skills or heading into wilder country, we have the course for you.
Qualified Instructors
Our instructors are qualified Mountain Leaders and hold an in-date outdoor first aid qualification.
At Borderlands we take our responsibilities seriously. That’s why we hold public liability insurance to the value of £10m.
Suitable for: 1-6 participants
Families, individuals, groups of friends
Our 1 day taster and 2 day introduction to navigation courses take place in Monmouth, the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. You’ll receive full information once booked onto the course.
Our 2 day Next Step Navigation and Advanced Navigation courses take place in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Exact locations are determined by group needs and forecast weather conditions.
What should I bring?
Clothing
We recommend that the clothing you wear whilst walking is synthetic or wool, not cotton. This is because cotton absorbs both rain and sweat and quickly saps heat from the body,
Other Equipment
We will provide any maps required for the course but if you would prefer to use your own you are welcome to do so. If you are missing any other items of equipment, please contact us as we may be able to lend these to you.
Start: 09/06/26
End date: 10/06/26
Start: 22/10/26
End date: 23/10/26
Start: 28/09/26
End date: 29/09/26
Start: 28/09/26
End date: 28/09/26
Nothing beats a face to face map reading course for learning navigation but if you can’t wait to get started, we have a few video tutorials available. Check out our youtube page for bitesize sessions on the fundamentals of navigation.
If our open dates don’t work for you, or you’d prefer a private course for your group, just get in touch.
