Nomads x Harveys : A navigational master class

Exciting news from behind the scenes at Nomads!

Whilst out in the mountains, there are a number of ways that we can navigate, epecially in the age of technology. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of technology and its uses is an important part of being independent, but understanding how to use a map and compass are irrevocably some of the most important skils if you want to be an independent mountain lover.

As part of my Mountain Training Hill Skills courses (https://www.nomadsadventure.net/tours), the participant would receive discounts on a number of stores both online and in the high street ton ensure that they are able to get key equipment and the majority of time this would ensure they get the right map for the area.

The UK's national map is the Ordnance Survey (OS) and the history of OS is around 300 years old. Post Jacobite rebellion the British Army decided to map Scotland to ensure quick troop movement and to limit the ability of the Jacobites to hide. This then led to the Armys Ordnance Survey and RGS to combine and map the whole of the UK.

Nomad Adventures runs the Mountain Training Hill Skills Award Scheme, as well as being a member of the MTA, delivering CPD across the Association.

HARVEY Maps began in the 1970s with orienteering clubs and events like the legendary Karrimor International Mountain Marathon (now OMM). Their first special map, of the Howgill Fells, set the standard for clarity and detail—features that remain the hallmark of HARVEY maps today.

From pen-and-ink drawings to digital cartography on an early Mac Plus, HARVEY has embraced new technology while keeping the craft spirit alive in their quirky headquarters—a 17th-century coaching inn affectionately described as “high tech, low beams.”

The 1980s saw the first map jigsaw puzzle, the famous Mazzle, while printing shifted out of house in the ’90s, freeing space for a growing library of titles. Awards soon followed, recognising their design excellence and contribution to the outdoors.

Key innovations include the Superwalker series (1:25,000 scale, waterproof, tearproof, and easy to use), the Trail Map series of National Trails and Long Distance Paths, and the celebrated British Mountain Map, created with the British Mountaineering Council and British Geological Survey. These durable maps have become trusted companions for walkers, climbers, and adventurers at home and abroad.

In 2017, HARVEY entered a new chapter when employees took ownership of the company through an Employee Ownership Trust, ensuring the business continues to thrive with the same passion and dedication that built its reputation.

So why did I partner with Harveys?

I absolutely LOVE navigation. There is something honestly fascinating with being in the middle of nowhere, with just a map and compass watching the weather come in. Being presented with a series of challenges in an environment that would change at the flip of a coin; a stiff south westerly comes in, the low pressure bringing in faster than thought isobars increasing the wind and precipitation; cloud cover increases as the pressure drops and the magic 540 line appears on the surface pressure chart. You wouldn't see this, but you would see the clouds change in front of the incoming storm, the slight pop in your ears and smell of charging. The only thing constant, is the map and compass in your hand as you study, and solve the problems the outdoors will through at you. Being able to navigate in a white out, through curtains of rain or dense fog is something that brings about a incredible sense of achievement, pride and joy; a sense of belonging; of riding the waves as they crash and coming out unscathed; guiding your group through the worst of it, and feeling comfortable in the challenge. I remember climbing along a ridge, the icy snow battering my face and goggles as I led the route, before looking back to see my friends as I smiled and laughed; this is what adventure is. In 'How to Train your Dragon' there is a quote that goes something like 'This is what it means to ride dragons.' Well, that feeling is what it means to be a navigator.

Harveys share the same passion, the same thirst for progression and giving the best quality mapping they can for their customers; listening to advice and ensuring that what they do is the quality expected. Beginning to use Harveys took me some time, but after I had grown familiar, I found that Naismiths rule worked better on their contour system (15m instead of 10m), I foudn that the reduction in features that we didn't need enabled me to focus on what was around me and that the colour gradient system enabled me to build up a stronger understanding of the landscape around me. The waterproof paper and ability to fold it multiple times without it being bulky meant it fit in all my pockets, and not just my map pocket of my Paramo.

It just fit, and felt right.

So, as a proud member of the working together programme, I'll be ensuring that all my groups have access to Harveys maps to compare and contrast; to understand the differences between these two mapping greats and to be able to make a fantastic informed decision on which maps they utilise in the future. Members of my Hill Skills groups will also receive 10% off maps and products bought on the HARVEYS website with a discount code in the joining instructions.

So as we move forwards into the new year, keep an eye out on my Mountain Training courses, but if you did want a 1:1 navigational masterclass to become independent, pop me an email on nomadsadventure@outlook.com

See you out there,

Locryn

HARVEYS maps since 1977