Phone batteries die. Signal disappears in the valleys. Mist rolls in faster than the forecast said it would. The walkers who get home safely are the ones who can read a map, take a bearing and make the right call — without an app.
The UK Navigation & Safety Guide is a complete 14-chapter digital field manual written specifically for British terrain. Not a leaflet, not a blog post in PDF form — a fully illustrated, magazine-quality manual you will actually enjoy reading.
What you will learn:
Read any Ordnance Survey map: grid references, contours, rights of way and the OS colour code
Navigate with map and compass — GMA adjustment, resection, back bearings, aiming off and attack points
Find direction by the sun, the stars (Polaris) and nature's signs when instruments fail
Read Met Office and MWIS mountain forecasts — with clear go / caution / turn-back thresholds
Season-by-season clothing and kit checklists built for UK conditions
Trail first aid: DRABC, hypothermia, sprains and bleeding — what to do until Mountain Rescue arrives
The 5 great UK hiking regions: Highlands, Lake District, Snowdonia, Peak District and Dartmoor
Instant download after purchase. Save it to your phone for offline use on the hill, or print it and keep it in your pack. Yours for life.
Prefer the complete setup? This guide is included free with the IronPeak Trail Safety Kit — Pack of 2.
The UK Navigation & Safety Guide — 14-Chapter Digital Field Manual (PDF)
Fourteen chapters that take you from your first grid reference to advanced low-visibility navigation:
1. What is orientation — the 3 pillars: observation, interpretation, decision
2. Navigation with map and compass — OS maps, the three norths, taking a bearing
3. Navigating by the sun — watch method and stick shadow method
4. Night orientation — finding Polaris with the Plough
5. Signs of nature — moss, trees, terrain and their limits
6. Specific UK environments — fells, moorland, coast, fog and when to turn back
7. Safety and checklist — pre-trip planning and emergency procedures
8. UK hiking routes — Highlands, Lake District, Snowdonia, Peak District, Dartmoor
9. OS maps glossary — scales, symbols, contours and access rights decoded
10. Reading the Met Office forecast — warning levels and turn-back thresholds
11. Clothing and kit by season — the 3-layer system, boots and winter kit
12. Basic first aid on the trail — DRABC, hypothermia, sprains, blisters, lightning
13. Navigation apps for UK hiking — OS Maps, what3words, Outdooractive and more
14. Advanced compass techniques — resection, back bearings, aiming off, pace counting
Written for Britain — not translated for it
Most navigation guides are written for American trails or generic wilderness. This one was written for Britain, cover to cover:
Ordnance Survey Explorer and Landranger maps — including Grid Magnetic Angle
Met Office warning levels and the MWIS mountain forecast
999 / 112 and how to call Mountain Rescue, with what3words
Open Access land and rights of way under the CRoW Act
Dartmoor firing ranges, Scottish midges, bog, fog and four seasons in one day
If you walk British hills, every page is relevant. Nothing to skip, nothing to translate in your head.
Instant delivery — how you'll receive it
The guide is a digital PDF, delivered instantly after purchase — no shipping, no waiting.
Works on phone, tablet and computer
Download it before you leave — it works fully offline on the hill
Print any chapter and keep it in a map case or dry bag
Yours to keep, forever
Any problem with your download? Email us and we will sort it straight away.
FAQ
Is this a printed book? No — it is a digital PDF manual, designed page by page like a printed field guide. You can print it at home if you prefer paper.
Do I need experience? No. Chapter 1 starts from the fundamentals; chapters 9 to 14 go deep enough for experienced walkers preparing for the Highlands in winter.
Does it replace a navigation course or GPS? It teaches the same core skills taught on navigation courses, but nothing replaces practice — and the guide itself insists GPS is an aid, never a substitute for map and compass.
Is it included in the Pack of 2? Yes. Every IronPeak Trail Safety Kit — Pack of 2 includes this guide free. Buy the guide alone if you only want the knowledge; choose the Pack if you want the kit in your rucksack too.
Want the kit as well?
Knowledge gets you home. A first aid kit patches you up on the way. The IronPeak Trail Safety Kit — Pack of 2 includes two water-resistant first aid kits (one for the rucksack, one for the car) plus this complete guide — £59.99 with free UK delivery.
Find it in our shop: IronPeak Trail Safety Kit — Pack of 2.
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