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Are you completely confused by your compass? Are maps a mystery? Then this 2 part course is for you.

Part 1 of the course is held in and around the village of Laragh, in the Wicklow mountains. The morning is spent indoors learning the necessary theory, the rest of the day is spent on the tracks and trails around the village.

You should then take a little time to practice and consolidate what you have learned before doing day 2. The two days are designed to be taken separately if required, and can be booked separately, or together.

Meeting point:  Brockagh Resource Centre, Laragh  10.00am

Cost:                      €60.00

We will be using the facilities of the Brockagh Resource Centre for the morning of this course. Mid-morning tea, coffee and biscuits are included in the course fee. Please bring your lunch with you, or buy it in the village.

During the morning we will cover:

• Understanding the nature of the map as a two dimensional plan.
• Use of map symbols and scales on a range of maps, (1:50,000 and 1:30,000).
• Taking a six figure grid reference for a given point on the map and locating a position from a given reference.
• How to interpret simple contour features, summits, saddles, re-entrants and spurs.
• Understanding the parts of a compass.
• An introduction to GPS

After lunch we will head out on to the tracks and paths around the village where we will learn to:

• Orientate the map with and without the compass, then use the orientated map to identify land features and our direction of travel.
• Practice contour interpretation of valleys and hills.
• Choose simple navigation strategies to reach a target.
• Use linear features, (paths and tracks), in simple navigation exercises.
• Estimate distances on the map and on the ground.
• Take a safe and suitable route.

This course is run at a maximum ratio of 1:6 to ensure each client gets the most out of the day.