Ingrid Lohr - Hill Skills to navigation teacher

What skills course did you attend?

The Hills Skills course with Dorian from Trigpoint Adventures in the Brecon Beacons.

Why did you want to attend a Mountain Training skills course?

Because I didn’t feel confident navigating away from paths. I had for years happily done lots of lowland and also some hill and mountain walking, but I had never dared to stray from the paths. Also, I had this weird idea in my head that unless you fiddle with your compass a lot, it is not navigation. So I felt like “I have no idea what navigation is all about”. And I wanted to remedy that.

I love walking the length and breadth of the British Isles, with a special interest in the natural life, the culture and the history of an area - and the context the geology creates for both.

What was the best part of the course?

It gave me an overall impression of where I stood with my knowledge and skills. Also I learned that I knew a lot more about navigation than I had previously thought and that working with a compass is way easier than I had anticipated!

What skills did you improve?

Mostly navigation with compass and map in pathless terrain - which was exactly what I was looking for.

How did the course staff support you?

Dorian was great. He understood what I needed and helped me to reach my goals. He also had chosen the perfect terrain for what he wanted to teach. He was very thorough and patient and made sure I understood everything he was explaining.

What was it like learning alongside others on the course? Were you all at a similar level?

Well, as the other participants dropped out at the very last minute (covid), I ended up being on the course just by myself. I missed out in that regard, but had the advantage that Dorian could focus on my weak points and proceed faster where he realised that I had a lot of knowledge already.

Do you feel more confident in your skills following the course?

Absolutely! He really managed to give me a good understanding of what navigation is all about and that it is not nearly as scary as I thought!

What’s the next adventure you’re planning?

I have (after having completed the Hill and Moorland Leader last year) just taken a couple of courses on how to teach navigation! Hopefully I will be able to help others to realise that navigation is not as complicated as you fear!