For this year's map reading holiday the sun shone throughout. However, despite having no cloud in which to hone our skills, a great deal was learnt by all!

It was a lovely day as everyone arrived in Grasmere for this first, double group, map reading holiday with myself, Marian, & Sue B.

The plan was that one group would start with map reading and work their way up to compasses; the other would concentrate on mainly compasses throughout.

After dinner we started getting to know each other over coffee, and talked about the options open to women on the holiday.

We followed this with an evening session on basic map work, and discussed women's previous experience with maps and compasses - to help everyone choose the right level.

Today we started after breakfast with a session indoors looking at core concepts in map work and navigation.

It was a beautiful crisp sunny day, so mid morning we set off walking.

Sue's group chose a route that would not go too steeply up, walking through Grasmere village and up the road to the Kelbarrow path that skirts the base of Silver How.

The group learnt about pacing, measuring the distance from the village to the footpath.

The group successfully found the bend in the wall under the path up to Silver How - their first test.

We then walked up to a bit higher to learn how to do compass bearings, finding our way to Megs Gill and up to the little tarns around the base of Lang How.

We climbed the western side of Lang How to get views down into Blind Tarn Moss.

Women had already looked on the map at this area and got a sense of what it should look like, so it was useful to compare how they had imagined it with what it did actually look like.

We descended on not too obvious paths, good test for compass bearings, down to Blindtarn Gill and took the path by the gill down to Easedale and back along to the guest house.

Marian's group had also headed towards Silver How, with pairs of women taking it in turns to lead the group, whilst the others had to keep track of where they were being led.

On arrival at each point, they compared notes.

The weather was more like May than February, and they headed up onto the side of Swinescar Pike, practising their navigation techniques in this area.

They arrived back at Glenthorne to find that we had held the cake trolley back for them, and there was still plenty of cake left!

After dinner we had another short evening navigation session.

In this morning's indoor session we went over a few more advanced navigation techniques.

Then mid morning we set out for the Blind Tarn Moss route up onto Blea Rigg.

On the ridge here there are suitable open spaces for practising use of bearings.

There are also features off the path that one can practice finding - like a sheep fold for shelter in bad weather.

Sue's group had meantime headed up through Redbank Woods to Loughrigg Tarn, using the easy walk to practice using timing as a measure.

They took a lovely path round the back of the Tarn, which rose slightly giving them brilliant views back to the Langdale Pikes and forward to the tarn itself.

They enjoyed elevenses overlooking the tarn, then their next leg took them to the beginning of the path up to the top of Loughrigg.

They used their navigational skills to find obscure points like sheepfolds.

The top gave them glorious views all around, and the group planned a descent, not on the usual tourist path, but aimed at some waterfalls above Jobsons Close.

After much discussion they agreed where the waterfalls should be and climbed up to get a view.

They couldn't actually see them till they descended and looked back up.

The descent took them down to the disused quarry cave over Rydal water.

Time was pressing on, so they gave up navigation training for the day and took a lovely leisurely walk around Grasmere lake back to the hotel.

After dinner, we had an evening session on route planning, giving lots of opportunity to practise taking bearings from the map.

This morning we set off straight after breakfast, and go out to consolidate what we have learnt in the last two days.

Our route takes us to Loughrigg Tarn and then up onto Loughrigg Fell with beautiful views of the high fells all around us.

It is another sunny day though the ground is frozen hard.

The views across Grasmere were absolutely stunning - the water completely still.

After lunch we end up practising the use of escape routes for emergency situations, which we had been discussing during the route planning exercise session.

Everyone did very well, and worked together to put the emergency plan into action.

Sue's group meantime had taken the Allen bank path at the back of the hotel to climb Silver How.

At the summit we used our compasses to pinpoint our location.

Silver How is an excellent place to practice.

We used pacings to get to specific points in the confusing terrain, eventually regaining the path to Lang How we had been on on the first walk.

It was a little test to see if anyone recognised it, and most did. We continued to Swinescar Pike to have lunch.

We then talked about Naismith's rule for estimating the timing of a walk and used it to estimate our time to Easedale Tarn going down via the path just before Blea Rigg.

It was a good test finding the start of this path. We set off down it with views over Easedale tarn.

Our actual time was about 50% more than the Naismith estimate, largely due to the descent being very slow, so that was good learning and we discussed how to adjust for different circumstances and terrain.

At the tarn we took a well earned rest in the sun before returning via Sourmilk Gill to the guest house.

Sue took those who fancied a gentle walk on the last morning up Far Easdale valley, enjoying a sunny stroll by the river which we eventually sat by in a lovely quiet spot.

We returned by the same path as far as the grounds of Lancrigg Hotel, which we entered - going through lovely mixed woodland, hoping to see deer.

We reached the hotel and couldn't resist morning coffee and various cakes, and were even rewarded by siting of a roe deer and beautiful snowdrops.