By Catriona Ramsay

Morning clouds clung to the Cairngorms as six of us gathered at the Mountain Café, ready for a day of winter navigation skills. Over mugs of coffee, we checked our kit – waterproof map cases, compasses and the all-important OS maps. Brendan, our mountain leader had spares for anyone who needed them and shared tips on map types, de-mystified the jargon and showed us how to line up a compass and take a bearing.

Outside, the snow was hard and compact. We walked along the Northern Corries path, icy snow slippery underfoot until fresher flurries higher up gave us more grip.  We paused to estimate distances and pacing before turning up towards Coire an t-Sneachda. A hidden stream snaked beside us, acting as a natural handrail, a reassuring navigation aid in the whiteness. Brendan showed us how to orientate the map, turning it to match the land, spotting features and using timing and pacing to move with accuracy.  Stopwatch clicks marked our progress across the frozen ground.

By midday, the clouds lifted, revealing a blue-sky day. We sat on the ridge in the sun refuelled by sandwiches, flasks of tea, coffee and banana bread. The sun held for a while before the shade crept over and we set off again, continuing up a steeper ridge to practice measuring distances between points, timing sections and taking compass bearings to confirm direction. 

As the afternoon faded, we navigated onto the summit of Cairngorm. The pearly sky lit the snowy plateau as the sun slipped behind the hills.  On the way down, Santa was spotted posing for a picture at the funicular station – a surreal moment, cementing the start of the winter season.  Darkness began to set in. The bright moon lit our way for a while, silvering the snow before night fully closed in. Headlamps flickered across the hillside as climbers made their pilgrimage down. We practiced the same techniques—map, compass, pacing—but in colder, darker conditions.

With ski season ahead, knowing how to trust a map and compass was a good confidence boost for us all.  In winter when paths vanish and weather shifts in minutes, these skills are essential.  It was a good day on the hill, learning skills and becoming more confident with the tools.  Next time we’ll tackle it all on skis.