Fell Running Navigation

A stunning morning to be out running on the fells

This weekend I've been back in the Lakes running a 2 day fell running navigation course for Carl. With big plans for the spring this was an opportunity for him to develop his skills and increase his speed and safety in the mountains. Day two saw us make a planned late start on the featureless terrain to the east of Ullswater. We worked through the basics of orientating the map, thumbing, aiming off, collection features, hand railing, attack points, pacing and timing. The weather was clear and cold which gave perfect conditions for running but not ideal for navigation training. However we had planned to stay out after dark to simulate poor visibility navigation. In the end the weather changed dramatically and a full blizzard blew in giving some very challenging conditions.Day two in the Northern Fells was wintry with plenty of low cloud, perfect for looking at a few more advanced techniques including navigation strategies, slope aspect and relocation strategies. After all that the Bob Graham should be easy in a few months time!

Concentrating hard as the bad weather blows in

Perfect conditions for navigation training!