WALKING
LOSE YOURSELF IN NATURE, WITHOUT GETTING LOST… By Rachel Woods
One of the best things I ever did was learn to
navigate. To learn to use a compass properly, plot routes and find my way, should I get a bit turned
I’m a keen walker, but I had to accept I have an uncanny ability to get myself, well, lost. This made me fearful of trying new routes on my own. Now, since my job involves walking with my clients, I wanted to make sure this didn’t happen while I was engrossed in my work with them. All fair and well me turning a 3-mile wander into a 7-mile adventure with nothing more than a spaniel for company. As a service provider, that might not be so good for business. A small downside to remote areas is your phone reception may well disappear. I needed a way to feel safer and actually be safer while out and about. This is where the National Navigation Award Service came in; I’ll stick with the shorter ‘NNAS’ to save the repetitive
strain injury. The NNAS educate complete beginners through to proper mountain walk leaders. I stumbled upon this while mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. I saw an advert from a lady who called herself ‘The Walking Woman’. Bingo – my problem was solved. A wise mentor to take me from curious and hapless bumbler to competent hiker. I got so much more. A weekend course just for ladies. We had lots to chat about, sharing stories from our walks – funny tales of getting lost, all the things that led us to this cosy kitchen in South Somerset. From understanding some of the more obscure symbols on an Ordnance Survey map through to plotting a route and then getting out to put our plans into action. Safely exploring footpaths
and byways in North Dorset. Things to carry in a small back pack and ways to find help if needed. A real boost to confidence. I learned about contour lines and how to tell a ridge from a chasm; they look remarkably similar on a map unless you take note of the little numbers. Practicalities for crossing fences that block a public footpath, getting around boggy ground, safer and easier ways to get up and down steep inclines. It wasn’t about going off-piste as such, but did make exploring new paths less scary. Two ladies that joined us were keen to explore more routes together; they shared my fear of getting lost. Others wanted to find more competence and confidence at getting out and about more, walking for health and being able to go beyond managed estates and local parks. Choosing the summer to learn was a good choice, warmer weather and the right mix of support and challenge.
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Our final ‘test’ were a couple of walks where we planned routes and led each other, with help at hand of course. The instructions had us ending (as all good walks should) at a very specific grid reference which happened to be a pub for a very welcome cool drink. How confident are you to try new routes? I spent a long time only walking well-signposted, and well-trodden routes and staying away from lesser known footpaths. I was missing out on some wonderful experiences and vistas. If it’s confidence to know how to find the right route and find your way back again, why not think about doing a course? For information on the National Navigation Award Scheme, visit www.nnas.org.uk. For South-Somersetbased services, visit www. thewalkingwoman.co.uk.
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