Straight to Silver (Includes Bronze)

Next Courses:

The next course is:

Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd February 2026

This is part of a Straight to Silver course if you are also interested in Bronze or want a refresh! You can also sign up for just the Silver (Saturday 21st - Sunday 22nd)

Where they are Run:

The courses are run on the magnificent Cleveland Hills on the North York Moors National Park.

We meet at The Kings Head Inn at 0900 in Newton-under-Roseberry at the start of a course. This sits at the bottom of one of the most iconic hills on the North York Moors - Roseberry Topping, or 'The Yorkshire Matterhorn' as it's affectionately named. If you are travelling from afar, I'd recommend staying at the Inn for the duration of the course. There is plenty of other places to stay in nearby Guisborough, Stokesley or Great Ayton.

For day 2 we meet at Clay Bank, higher up on the moors - indeed, one of the north western access points to the Moors! Here we are straight out on the hills.

What the course involves:

There is a very brief indoor introduction to the course indoors over a brew on the first morning we meet. But we are mainly out on the hills learning the practical tools and skills in the real environment.

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The instructor:client ratio is 1:8 with a minimum of 3 clients to ensure that everyone gets the most benefit from the course. Peer-experience and sharing is an important aspect.

Building on the skills covered in the Bronze Award course the Silver Navigator Award looks at going cross country using compass bearings and other poor visibility techniques.

There is a very short home paper and route planning exercise that forms part of the course. I've always included it as planning (and confidently following) your own routes is something most people have said they want to get from the course. It is now part of the accreditation.

By the end of the course, you will have a good understanding of:

• Orientating the map using landscape features and the compass needle

• Timing and pacing over flat ground and ascent

• Being able to articulate 'the journey' and break sections down into manageable chunks

• Using finer detail features to orientate the map and navigate

• Using a compass to follow bearings and confirm the route

• More advanced navigation strategies, including coarse and fine navigation

• Recognising dangers and difficult terrain on the map.

• Navigating in poor visibility

• Recognising errors and relocating

• Understanding how route planning is affected by fitness and terrain

• Understand how weather and terrain affect you

• Selecting clothing for the walk

• The countryside code and the walker's responsibility to the environment

You will need to have completed the Silver Navigator Award if you want to go on to do the Gold Award.

Accreditation:

The Courses are developed by the National Navigation Award Scheme. The Awards (Bronze, Silver and Gold) are accredited by the Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at Level 4, 5 and 6 respectively and 2 SCQF credit points are awarded on completion. These have equivalents in England and Wales.

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Tutors:

Fabian is the Course Director for all of our NNAS courses. He has a particular passion for teaching. He's taught outdoor skills over the past 20+ years to a range of audiences. He sat on the NNAS Board of Directors between 2017-2023. He also designs, develops and delivers multi-day practical courses on health innovation for universities and the NHS. He's a very experienced tutor and absolutely loves teaching.

Important and Useful Resources:

Teaching navigation theory online can never replace going out with an instructor however as you can't 'feel' what it is like to walk 100m using pacing when sat at home.

If you decide this course is right for you, please ensure that you have watched the video series. You have access to both the Foundation Beginner Bronze and Competent Outdoor Silver bite-size video series. They are a resource and will never replace being out in the hills with an instructor. If you are pressed for time, we recommend you focus on the Bronze video series.

These cover the syllabus for each course and this will introduce many of the topics we practice outdoors. They also serve as a useful reminder resource for afterwards! . Any problems please get in touch.

Map and Compass:

We can provide you with a map and a compass for the course. If you'd like to buy a brand new industry standard Silva Expedition 4 compass (with a full professional set up as demonstrated in one of the introductory Bronze videos), you can buy one from our shop in advance and we can set it up for you when the course begins.

Sustainability and Accessibility:

The nature of the work we do means we are often heading to remote places with limited parking or public transport. Wherever possible we encourage the use of public transport and / or car sharing to minimise impact. Before the course starts we set up an email group to enable people to share where they are staying and to arrange car sharing where possible.

We do visit a popular area during the Bronze and Silver courses but we strictly avoid the paths and areas that get the most footfall.

The Silver course is primarily on paths and tracks but requires us to go off paths and through the moorland at times. It can be difficult for those with mobility issues. However, we do strive to make these courses as available to as many as possible. We can provide magnifying glasses for those who may struggle seeing map details, all weather note pads and a calculator with large buttons to help any calculations (speed, distance etc). We can also provide larger scale maps in advance if needed.

For those who may be concerned about fitness, we are keen to put on courses specifically for those who may be put off attending open courses and worry about being too slow. Please get in touch as we'll out these on whenever we can.