Everything Awesome

Although the title does preclude a gender, i hope the message doesnt. The message being, go prepared. So many problems, just wont become a problem, if you are prepared for them.

The classic “gentleman’s pat-down.” Whether you’re checking your pockets before leaving the house or making sure you haven’t lost your soul (or your keys) at a funeral, this mnemonic has a surprisingly long history.

While most people use it as a quick checklist to ensure they have their essentials, its roots are a bit more “holy.”

The Meaning Behind the Phrase

The phrase is a mnemonic for the Sign of the Cross (the ritual gesture made by Christians, primarily Catholics). The movement of the hand corresponds to the items mentioned:

• Spectacles: Touching the forehead.
• Testicles: Touching the lower abdomen/waist.
• Wallet: Touching the left shoulder (where a man historically kept his wallet in an inside jacket pocket).
• Watch: Touching the right shoulder (referring to a pocket watch kept in the waistcoat).

Historical Context

• The “Pocket” Logic: The order reflects a time when men’s fashion was more formal. Most men were right-handed, so they kept their wallet in the left breast pocket (easy to reach with the right hand) and their pocket watch in the right waistcoat pocket.
• Pop Culture: You might recognize this from movies like Nuns on the Run (1990) or Austin Powers, where it’s used as a joke to help someone “fake” being religious. It also famously appeared in Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino.
• The “Pocket Pat”: Today, it’s mostly used by people who aren’t necessarily religious but want a rhythmic way to ensure they haven’t forgotten their gear.

For me, as an outdoor professional, this tends to mean, phone, keys, penknife and specs. (plus first aid kit as a default)

When working, this could include, compass, or bike pocket multi tool,

Of course, in 2026, the modern version is probably more like: “Phone, Keys, Wallet, Vape”—though that doesn’t quite have the same theological ring to it.

While out with a few clients working on night nav one of them was really struggling, his pacing and timing were very accurate. Accurate, but it appeared that he was unable to reliably follow a bearing across moorland in the dark.

His compass had a couple of bubbles in it so I gave him one of my spares which I knew was accurate and we tried again, this time I walk next to him. Encouraged small sections, encourage rechecking his bearing, etc. He was doing everything right but consistently 20, /30 m away from his destination..

I checked with him, are you carrying your mobile phone close to your compass that will have an effect with the magnetism he reassured me. No, he wasn’t

His eyes then lit up. He was carrying small battery-powered hand warmers which also had quite powerful batteries inside of them. He had them in his chest pocket but when his hands were cold he was sliding them in his gloves and of course he was holding his compass with those same gloves.

Removing those hand warmers and putting them in his bag resolved all the problems and with that one action that man can now navigate accurately.

I learnt a lesson last night.

I had never imagined I needed to check for hand warmers!

Click the Book Now link to contact us about booking one of our awesome night nav sessions

Syllabus: Navigation in a Day

Course Philosophy: Observation first, tools second. We learn to see the landscape before we learn to measure it.

09:30 – 10:00 | The Blind Walk & Observation

• The “No-Map” Start: We begin walking immediately. No maps are opened yet.
• Introductions: Building group rapport while moving.
• Active Observation: Students are prompted to describe every detail of the environment:
  • Underfoot: Heather, marsh, gravel, or rock?
  • Gradient: Are we climbing, descending, or “contouring” (staying level)?
  • Linear Features: Fences, walls, woodland edges, or tracks.
  • The “Micro” View: Distinct rocks or specific types of vegetation.

10:00 – 10:30 | Translating Sight to Paper

• The Chronological Reveal: We open the map at our current location.
• Mapping the Memory: Using the instructor’s observation notes, students match their physical journey to the symbols on the map.
• Symbology: Learning to identify roads, tracks, marshes, and water features based on what we just walked through.

10:30 – 11:00 | Distance & Movement

• The Human Yardstick: Introduction to Pacing (counting steps) and Timing (estimating time based on speed).
• Practical Calibration: Estimating and then measuring the distance to a visible feature.

11:00 – 11:30 | Tools of the Trade

• The Compass: Identifying parts (baseplate, housing, needle) and its primary purpose.
• Map-to-Ground: Using the compass to “orient” the map so it matches the real world.
• Scales: Understanding how 1:25,000 differs from $1:50,000 and how that affects our perception of distance.

11:30 – 12:00 | Interpreting the Shape of the Land

• Introduction to Contours: Understanding height and steepness through line density.
• Identifying Landforms: Visualizing and locating spurs (shoulders) and re-entrants (small valleys/gullies) in the surrounding terrain.

12:00 – 12:30 | Lunch

12:30 – 1:30 | Walking the Needle

• Taking a Bearing: Transitioning from “looking” to “measuring.” How to take a bearing from the map.
• Off-Path Navigation: Following a bearing into open terrain to reach a specific, non-obvious location.
• Group Navigation: Working collectively to stay on a line.

1:30 – 2:30 | Advanced Strategy: “The Navigator’s Toolkit”

• Handrailing: Using linear features (fences, streams) to move quickly and safely.
• Aiming Off: Deliberately aiming to one side of a target to ensure you know which way to turn when you hit a “handrail.”
• Collecting & Catching Features: Identifying “markers” to look for along the way and “stop signs” (catching features) that tell us if we’ve gone too far.

2:30 – 4:00 | Consolidation, Relocation & Journey Back

• The “Lead” Rotation: Students take turns leading legs of the journey back to the start.
• Synthesizing Skills: Combining pacing, observation, and bearings into one fluid process.
• 4:00 PM: Course Finished.

Every mountain height in the UK traces back to a small harbour in Cornwall

That is a fascinating bit of British cartographic history! It sounds like a tall tale, but it’s 100% true. When you see a map that says Ben Nevis is 1,345 metres above sea level, that “level” isn’t an average of the whole coast—it refers to one specific spot in Cornwall.

The Newlyn Datum

The “small harbour” you’re thinking of is Newlyn, near Penzance. Since 1921, Newlyn has been the home of the Ordnance Survey’s Mean Sea Level (MSL) datum.

Before this, the UK used a reference point in Liverpool, but it was found to be inaccurate due to the massive tidal range of the River Mersey. Newlyn was chosen because it sits on stable granite rock and faces the open Atlantic, making its tides more representative of the “true” sea level.

How It Works: The Great Levelling

Between 1915 and 1921, scientists took hourly measurements of the tide at Newlyn. They averaged these readings over six years to find the “mean” (average) sea level.

• The Brass Bolt: Inside a small stone hut at the end of the Newlyn pier, there is a brass bolt. This bolt represents Ordnance Datum Newlyn (ODN).
• The Chain Reaction: From that single bolt, the Ordnance Survey used “levelling” (a process of manual measurement using telescopic sights and rods) to map height across the entire country.
• The Benchmarks: They created a web of roughly 750,000 benchmarks (those little horizontal lines with an arrow ↑ˉ​ carved into old stone buildings and bridges) that all link back, link by link, to that one bolt in Cornwall.

Is it still accurate?

Technically, sea levels have risen by about 20 centimeters since the Newlyn datum was set in 1921. However, the Ordnance Survey continues to use the 1921 Newlyn mark as the “zero” point to maintain consistency. If they changed the starting point now, every map in the country would become “wrong” overnight, and every mountain height would have to be recalculated!

Fun Fact: The “Island” Exception

While every mountain in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) uses Newlyn, the islands often have their own:

• Northern Ireland uses a datum in Belfast.
• The Scilly Isles use a datum at St Mary’s.
• The Outer Hebrides have their own reference point at Stornoway.

How to Tell the Weather from Clouds

High-Level Clouds (Above 20,000 ft)

–

• Cirrus: Thin, wispy “mare’s tails.” Fair now, but rain likely in 24–48 hours.

• Cirrocumulus: “Mackerel scales.” Change in weather coming.

• Cirrostratus: Thin veil, creates a halo around sun/moon. Rain/snow in 12–24 hours.

Mid Level Clouds (6,500 – 20,000 ft)

• Altostratus: Gray sheet. Steady rain/snow arriving in a few hours.

• Altocumulus: Fluffy balls. On warm mornings, signals afternoon thunderstorms.

Low-Level Clouds (Below 6,500 ft)

• Cumulus: “Cotton balls.” Small means fair; vertical growth means storms.

• Stratus: Flat gray blanket. Gloomy with drizzle or mist.

• Stratocumulus: Lumpy and dark. Storm brewing or front passing.

Dan’ger Clouds

• Nimbostratus: Dark and thick. Steady, prolonged rain.

• Cumulonimbus: Towering with anvil top. Heavy rain, lightning, and thunder.

• Wall/Shelf Clouds: Wedge-shaped. Severe winds and potential tornadoes.

Quick Tips

• Vertical Growth: Atmosphere is unstable; expect a storm.

• Dark Color: Cloud is heavy with water; rain is imminent.

“

In Mountain Training terms, “summer conditions” are defined by the absence of winter hazards (snow/ice) rather than by the calendar, usually requiring no crampons or ice axe for safety. These conditions involve navigating, leading groups, and traveling on steep, rocky ground, typically with long daylight hours but potential for heavy rain, strong winds, and high temperatures. 

Today was a stunning day, the skies where blue and the sun had some warmth, the moors where snow covered, but the paths where clear.
Does this constitute summer conditions? who knows, but it was a stunning day to be out working on Navigation skills.

A lichen is a complex life form that is not a single organism, but a symbiotic partnership between at least two different organisms: a fungus (the mycobiont) and a photosynthetic partner (the photobiont), which is usually either green algae or cyanobacteria. 

Key Biological Features

• Symbiotic Relationship: The fungus provides a physical structure that protects the photosynthetic partner from drying out and harsh environmental conditions. In return, the algae or cyanobacteria produce sugars via photosynthesis to feed the fungus.
• Structure: Lichens do not have roots, stems, or leaves like plants. Their main body is called a thallus, which is composed mostly of fungal filaments.
• Nutrient Source: They absorb water and minerals directly from the air and rain rather than from a substrate. 

Three Main Growth Forms

Lichens are typically categorized by their appearance: 

1. Crustose: Crust-like and tightly attached to surfaces like rocks or tree bark, often looking like a splash of paint.
2. Foliose: Leaf-like with distinct upper and lower surfaces, often resembling small pieces of lettuce.
3. Fruticose: Three-dimensional and bushy, appearing like tiny shrubs or hanging threads (e.g., “Old Man’s Beard”). 

Ecological and Human Importance

• Air Quality Indicators: Because they absorb everything from the atmosphere, lichens are highly sensitive to pollution. Their presence or absence is used by scientists to monitor air quality.
• Resilience: They are some of the toughest organisms on Earth, capable of surviving in extreme environments from the Arctic to hot deserts, and even in the vacuum of space.
• Pioneer Species: They are often the first organisms to colonize bare rock, helping to break it down into soil over thousands of years.
• Usage: Humans use lichens for traditional medicines, dyes (such as for Harris Tweed), and as a vegan source of Vitamin D

A question i see asked

Why would anyone pay for guided outdoor activities?

Hiring a professional guide for an outdoor activity—whether it’s mountain biking through rugged terrain, rock climbing a granite face, or navigating a complex backcountry trail—is often viewed by beginners as a luxury. However, the value of a guide extends far beyond simply showing the way. It is an investment in safety, skill acquisition, and the overall quality of the experience.

1. Safety and Risk Management
The most critical value a guide provides is risk mitigation. The outdoors are inherently unpredictable; weather can shift in minutes, trails can be washed out, and equipment can fail. A certified guide is trained to read these variables and make informed decisions that keep participants out of harm’s way.

Beyond environmental awareness, guides are typically trained in First Aid, Typically Advanced Outdoor First Aid. Should an accident occur, having a professional who can stabilize an injury and coordinate an evacuation is the difference between a minor setback and a life-threatening crisis. They carry the heavy first-aid kits, emergency communication devices, and repair tools that the average hobbyist might overlook.

2. Accelerated Learning and Technical Mastery
When you pay for a guide, you are paying for a “fast track” to competence. Trial and error is a slow and sometimes painful way to learn an outdoor sport. A guide provides real-time coaching, correcting your form on a mountain bike or teaching you the most efficient way to plant your trekking poles.

This professional instruction prevents the development of “bad habits” that are difficult to break later. For complex sports like rock climbing or downhill mountain biking, a few hours with a guide can equate to months of self-taught practice. You aren’t just paying for the day; you are paying for a foundation of skills that you will carry into every future adventure.

3. Local Knowledge and Hidden Gems
In the age of digital maps and trail apps, it is easy to think you know a landscape. However, digital data lacks nuance. A guide knows which trails get too muddy after a rain, which viewpoints are best for sunrise, and where the local wildlife is most likely to be spotted without being disturbed.

They provide a layer of interpretive education, sharing stories about the local geology, flora, and history. This transforms a physical workout into a deep, meaningful connection with the environment. You aren’t just passing through the woods; you are understanding the ecosystem you are standing in.

4. Logistics and Peace of Mind
Outdoor adventures require a mountain of logistics: gear rentals, permits, transportation, and meal planning. A guided service often handles these “invisible” tasks. This allows the participant to remain in a state of flow, focusing entirely on the activity rather than worrying about whether they packed enough water or if they are parked in a legal zone.

Conclusion
Ultimately, paying for a guide is about maximizing the “return on adventure.” By offloading the stress of navigation and safety to a professional, you free your mind to fully engage with the beauty of the natural world. Whether you are a novice looking for a safe introduction or an intermediate athlete looking to level up, a guide provides the expertise that turns a good day outside into an unforgettable one.

Learning to navigate at night is one of the most empowering skills an outdoorsperson can master. It transforms a terrifying wall of darkness into a manageable puzzle. Without visual landmarks to guide you, you must rely entirely on trust in your tools and disciplined technique.

Here is a guide to building this skill safely and effectively.

1. The Golden Rule: Micro-Navigation

In daylight, you might walk 2km aiming for a large hill. At night, that hill is invisible. You must break your route down into tiny, manageable “legs” (e.g., 100m–500m).

• Shorten your legs: Never aim for a distant destination. Aim for the next immediate feature you can find (a stream junction, a wall corner).
• Attack Points: If your target is small (like a campsite), find a large, obvious feature nearby (like a lake edge) to navigate to first. This is your “attack point.” Once there, use a precise bearing for the short final distance.

2. Trust Your Compass

At night, your senses will lie to you. You may feel like you are walking straight while actually circling. You must trust the compass needle over your instinct.

• Walk on a Bearing: Take a bearing from your map. Hold the compass flat against your chest and turn your body until the needle lines up. Pick a distinct object in your torch beam (a specific rock or tree), walk to it, then stop and repeat. This “leapfrog” method ensures you walk in a straight line.

3. Count Your Steps (Pacing)

Since you cannot see how far you have travelled, you must measure it.

• Know your count: In daylight, measure how many double paces (every time your right foot hits the ground) it takes you to walk 100 meters. For most people, it is between 60 and 65.
• Beads: Use “pace beads” (or toggles on a lanyard) to count off every 100m. If you need to walk 450m, count 4.5 sets of your 100m pace.

4. Use “Handrails” and “Catching Features”

Make the terrain work for you so you don’t have to be perfect.

• Handrailing: Instead of walking a straight line through a void, follow a linear feature (a “handrail”) like a fence, a stream, or a forest edge. It acts as a guide in the dark.
• Catching Features: Before you start walking, identify a feature beyond your target that will “catch” you if you overshoot. For example, “If I cross the paved road, I have gone too far.”

5. Night Vision and Equipment

• Red Light: Use a headlamp with a red light mode. White light destroys your night vision, blinding you to the subtle shapes of the land. Red light allows you to read the map while still seeing the silhouette of the horizon.
• Luminous Gear: A compass with luminescent markings is essential. Charge it with your torch for a few seconds before checking a bearing.

How to Practice Safely

Start on a familiar path at twilight. As it gets darker, try to locate exactly where you are on the map every 5 minutes. As you gain confidence, try moving offpath in a safe, enclosed area (like a park with clear boundaries) before heading into the wilderness.

We run some awesome introduction to Night navigation evenings

We run some awesome courses teaching how to do this