Learn natural navigation

Relying on digital mapping can erode your traditional navigation skills. Could a refresher course be the answer? Alex Roddie joins an Austrian Alpine Club-organised course in Eryri to find out

Autumn is a brilliant time to get outdoors, connect with nature and boost your sense of wellbeing. Tune into meditative forest-bathing, wild swim in the sea and raise your eyes to the mystery of star-studded skies. Or simply walk, reflect and get creative, says Kerry Fowler

You can do it with your eyes shut

The beauty of sky gazing is how simple and adaptable it is. Begin whenever you have some time outside or near a window where you can see the sky, even if it’s just a patch. When you feel emotionally overloaded or flat, try it for a few minutes at a time.

WILL OXLEY ON NAVIGATION FUNDAMENTALS

Norman Hadley shares a tale of youthful misadventure, when a navigational mistake on the Cairngorm plateau seemed to defy all constraints of space and time