Navigation Nightmare!

Ive got some new mapping software. Superb value. All Ordnance Survey Landranger maps of each of the 13 UK National Parks for just £20! One of the features is to estimate the time it will take to walk a given route. It does this by applying various walk rates depending on whether the ground is flat, uphill or downhill to the type of ground being walked. It supplies some numbers as a start point but you are supposed to time measured distance on flat, up and downhill to calibrate the system. So I went over to Derbyshire and did a good walk up Winn Hill from Yorkshire Bridge. Steep incline, steep descent and a flat walk around the Ladybower Resevoire.

What a disaster!!!!

To start with, I got the wrong start point. I got onto the right road OK, and found this

The Yorkshire Bridge Inn. Kitted up off I went - on the north facing track and then west through the wood to the hill summit. Hmm No wood and no easily acessible hill!! After half an hour trotting up and down the track I decided something had gone wrong! The Yorkshire Bridge wasnt the name of a pub.... it was the name of ..... a bridge!

This is the view from it!!

So... North up the track then west.... no problem. No problem at all unless you just look up and down the track, spot a westerly track up the hill and take it.... only to find you went south down the track initially rather than north.

So a ridiculously steep 1km to the summit, turned into a gentle(ish) stroll. Almost an hour and a half later and I reached an unexpected wood! So I turned back and tried to get a bearing, figured out what had gone wrong and got myself back on course. Didnt help with my timings though!

Reached the summit - here is the obligatory photograph at the trig point...

Some views en route.....

Thats LadyBower resevoir in the background

Thats the hill I went up.

So I got myself down OK and then needed some timings on the flat. Checked my notes. Walk about 15 mins should get to a stream. Check. Walk 10 mins should get to a bridge. Check. I was a bit surprised to find myself almost back to the bridge about 90 mins early! The features I reached were obviously not the ones I was expecting, but different ones further along the route.

So all in all from a navigation perspective it was a disaster! Oh well - its all a learning experience.

Next week is rest weekend but the weekend after I will be tackling Derbyshire's highest peak on Kinder Scout with the evil Jacobs Ladder ascent!