NNAS | Gold Award
National Navigation Award Scheme
The National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) is a personal performance, non-competitive, incentive scheme for all ages. At Astounding Adventures we specialise in navigation training and are delighted to be registered as approved providers of both NNAS training and assessment courses.
NNAS Gold Award
The NNAS Gold Award builds upon the Bronze Award and Silver Awards, completing the participants apprenticeship in upland navigation. On completion of this award, participants will be able to plan and follow routes in any open countryside, forest, or hill environment.
Syllabus and learning outcomes
- Show confidence in the use of the skills detailed for the Bronze and Silver Awards in open countryside, forests and hill environments
- Demonstrate the use of contours, to identify landforms (e.g. hilltops, valleys, spurs, re-entrants and knolls) and utilise them as the prime method of navigation. Demonstrate use of ridges and valleys as reliable handrails and the size and relationship of contour features (e.g. a series of knolls) and use them for micro navigation to specific locations
- Demonstrate the use of distance judgment, compass skills and continuous contact (by frequent checking) in complicated areas. This involves the use of both map to ground and ground to map techniques, the selection of appropriate techniques for each situation, and the integration of these into a navigation strategy
- Demonstrate the ability to plan a safe walk or route in open country in line with set criteria of duration, difficulty and objectives. This must involve 'Gold' skills and strategies and may be used by the candidate for practice prior to assessment if appropriate
- Demonstrate an understanding of the special physical and navigation demands posed by hill and moorland terrain, poor weather conditions, daylight hours and the effects of fatigue and discomfort on decision making and execution of a selected route. This includes awareness of the effects of heat and cold
Assessment
Assessment of the Gold award is to be taken at a later date than the training, in order for candidates to have sufficient opportunity to practice their skills before presenting themselves for Gold assessment.
Gold assessments are run by a NNAS partner company and not in-house at Astounding Adventures.
In addition to an oral or written examination, the candidate will be assessed on a practical exercise in which the candidate follows a route in terrain with complex contour features.
- The practical assessment duration will be a maximum of 6 hours with a maximum ratio of 1:4
- Candidates will demonstrate the ability to plan a safe walk with flexible options and know how to re-plan en-route
- The assessor will judge whether the routes taken by candidates are the most effective taking into account height gain and loss as well as underfoot physical demands, whether the candidate uses navigation strategies with confidence and skill and how well their level of concentration is adjusted to the difficulty of navigation
- The assessor will make judgments regarding route awareness, checking progress against time, assessing the route ahead and flexibility in changing the route as circumstances such as weather, terrain, time, daylight, ability, fitness etc dictate
- As with Bronze and Silver, the assessment can be used as a teaching basis for future attempts, if the first attempt does not reach the standards required
- Where inclement weather or testing conditions have not been encountered during the practical assessment, candidates should be questioned to judge their awareness of safety and physical factors involved in remote navigation with special attention to clothing, equipment, basic first aid, flexible decision making, escape route, shortening a route, emergency procedures etc
- The length of the practical assessment will depend on the type of map and terrain, but candidates at this level are expected to be appropriately fit to cope with the demands of the terrain and duration of the day. The distance will normally be between 6-10 km in suitable forest, fell or moorland that has no major terrain hazards en route
Fits in with your Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award programme
NNAS awards make the perfect introduction to compass and map navigation prior to DofE training and expeditions. NNAS awards can also be used to complete the students Skill Section of their DofE Awards.
Typical training programme
Although the course is flexible it will usually keep to the following programme:
- Day one 9:00-9:30 Arrival at course venue
- Day one 9:30-10:00 Course commences, introductions and equipment check
- Day one 10:00-13.00 Navigation training
- Day one 13:00-14:00 Lunch
- Day one 14:00-17:00 Navigation training
- Day one 17:00 Day ends
- Day two 9:00-9:30 Recap and review of previous day
- Day two 9:30-13.00 Navigation training
- Day two 12:00-13:00 Lunch
- Day two 13:00-16:00 Navigation training
- Day two 16:00-16:30 Results and feedback
- Day two 16:00-16:30 Course ends
Booking information
Training Pricing
- Prices are for 1-6 people
- £420 (Monday - Thursday)
- £660 (Friday)
- £700 (Weekends & Bank Holidays)
Please add £70 per additional person.
Assessment Pricing
- Prices are for 1-6 people
- £210 (Monday - Thursday)
- £230 (Friday)
- £350 (Weekends & Bank Holidays)
Please add £35 per additional person.
Available venues
Our NNAS courses are available in the following locations between April and October:
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- The Brecon Beacons
- Dartmoor & Exmoor
- The Lake District
- The Peak District
- Snowdonia
- Yorkshire Dales
- Yorkshire Moors
Please contact us if you wish to discuss other locations or wish to run the courses in your locality.
Duration
Two days training
One day assessment
Teaching ratio
1-6 students per coach
1-4 ratio for assessment
Previous experience
Students should already be a relatively experienced lowland navigator. They will get the most out of the course if they have already attended our Navigation Skills: Forests & Features course or are a NNAS Silver Award holder, although this is not mandatory.
Can I start at the Gold level?
We will ask you about your previous experience and abilities to determine whether the course would be appropriate for you, but yes this is possible.
Preparation and fitness
The good news is that your students don't have to be ultra-fit to get the most out of the course.
We will be walking a lot through steep terrain, though not constantly and at an easy pace.
Accommodation
We do not include meals and accommodation as part of the course price.
However, we are more than happy to help arrange camping, youth hostels or other accommodation if required.
Equipment required
Please refer to our equipment page for a complete list.
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