Night Navigation Skills

 

Course Title:	Night Navigation Skills
Course Dates:	15 Nov 2008, 7th Feb, 31st Oct 2009
Cost:	£51, then £65 in 2009

Who Is This Course For?
You should have some level of hillwalking experience before coming on this course.  You may be reasonably confident finding your way around the hills in good visibility, but are pretty wary when it comes to navigating in poor visibility.  A basic level of fitness is required.

How do people do it?  How can they confidently navigate from point to point in the mountains with little more than the beam of a headtorch to light up the ground around them?   If you have the basics of navigation sorted, then it is pretty straightforward – believe us!

TO BOOK THIS COURSE, PLEASE CLICK HERE

Course Aims
This course has a number of aims:

-          To develop a level of understanding and independence when navigating in poor visibility.

-          Apply newly learned skills on gentle mountain terrain

-          Provide an individually tailored learning experience with nationally qualified coaches.

Skills Covered
When the staff meet the group and discuss aspirations and previous experience, they will decide on a more accurate structure for the evening.  This will ensure that all participants will have the opportunity to learn new skills at a pace that suits them.  It will also bring course participants into the planning process, looking at the current weather and what is forecast for later in the day. 

A variety of skills will be covered during the course, including:

-  Setting the map

-  The basics of navigation in poor visibility,

-  Pacing and timing

-  Feature recognition

-  Use of the compass,

These are some of the essential skills required to navigate in poor visibility.  These skills are relevant whether you want a one-day experience, or a practical introduction to navigating in poor visibility. These areas will be covered in a practical way during the course of an evening spent in the Mournes, giving you the opportunity to learn from the staff and other course participants alike.

Outline Programme

2.00 p.m.	Arrive at Tollymore, registration and outline for the course from staff.
11.00 p.m.	Return to Centre after an evening ‘on the hill’
	Course End

It is important to note that the above outline programme is a guide.  Times may vary due to weather conditions or other reasons.

Our Staff
The instructor(s) who will work with you are all highly experienced and qualified.  Tollymore prides itself in the knowledge and experience that its full time and part time staff bring to its courses.  Our staff are all keen hillwalkers and mountaineers and know the Mournes very well.  You may well have met them in the hills in the past or will bump into them in the future on days when they are not working!

All are obliged to attend annual staff updates and training courses

What do I need to bring?
The following list is a suggestion of what you should bring.  Waterproofs, walking boots and rucksacks may be borrowed from our extensive stores.  We advise you not to rush out and buy kit for the course, but use it as a chance to find out what would best suit your needs. You should bring the following: 

 

Walking boots	Gaiters
Waterproof jacket	Waterproof trousers
Arm outdoor wear (fleece is ideal)	Hat
Gloves or mitts	1:25000 Map of the Mournes area
Compass (Silvia type 4 or similar)	Headtorch, plus spare battery
Day rucksack	Waterproof rucksack liner (bin liner is ideal)
Small first aid kit	Water bottle
Vacuum flask	Personal medication
Notebook	Pen

Tollymore Information
Tollymore Mountain Centre, on the edge of the Mournes, is Northern Ireland’s National Centre for Mountaineering and Canoeing Activities.  It is funded and managed by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland as a National Centre. The Centre is an attractive, purpose-built facility of log construction with accommodation for 30 people in 2, 4 and 6 berth bedrooms.  Quilts, pillows and bed linen are all provided.  The Centre is well appointed with toilets, showers, modern kitchen, lecture room, workshop and drying room.  Outside there is ample parking space, a ropes course and a floodlit granite-climbing wall.  A modern indoor climbing wall is open year round.  The centre is ideally situated on the edge of the Mournes, with quick and easy access to the hills.

The Central Council for Physical Recreation opened Tollymore Mountain Centre in 1969.  In 1974, it passed to the newly established Sports Council for Northern Ireland Trust.  In 1995, Tollymore achieved the management standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for the quality systems it operates.   However, as part of Sports Council for Northern Ireland’s ongoing commitment to the development of the National Centre, Tollymore will be undergoing a major redevelopment, commencing in 2007.  The facilities will be improved and expanded, to ensure that Tollymore remains as an example of best practice in the provision of mountaineering, hillwalking, climbing and canoeing courses in Northern Ireland.

Accommodation
Your course is a one-day course, however, you are welcome to use our showers and changing rooms after the course ends.  Tollymore has a number of comfortable meeting rooms, where the instructors will meet the group prior to the start of the course.  We will also meet here and discuss the course and what to do next over a cup of tea or coffee.

Catering
Your course is self-catered, so you will need to bring a packed lunch and some spare food.  You can fill a flask with tea or coffee at the centre if required.

What next?
‘Night Navigation’ provides you with an introduction to basic skills required to navigate in poor visibility.  You may choose to develop your skills and broaden you horizons.  The logical courses are Hill and Mountain Skills 1, Hill and Mountain Skills 2, Mountaineering Skills at an intermediate level, or Mountaineering and Rockclimbing courses at more advanced level.

You may choose to join a hillwalking or rambling club, or join the governing body for hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers – the Mountaineering Council of Ireland (MCI).

A full list of clubs is available from the MCI.

Useful Books

Recommended by and available from Tollymore
Hillwalking by Steve Long (published by MLTUK)

Useful contacts:

Mountaineering Council of Ireland,

Sport HQ,

13 Joyce Way,

Parkwest Business Park,

Dublin 12.

Tel +353-1-6251115

Fax +353-1-6251116 

Email mci@eircom.net