Digital Navigation for Walkers
Build the confidence to explore new places using your smartphone
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Build the confidence to explore new places using your smartphone
Ever seen a walking route you’d love to try, but hesitated because you’re worried about getting lost?
You’re not alone.
Knowing how to use digital navigation can open up a whole new world of walking. Instead of sticking to the same familiar paths, you can confidently follow new routes, explore unfamiliar places, walk independently and make your own decisions when things don’t go quite to plan.
This practical, hands-on workshop will show you how.
You’ll learn how to use your smartphone to navigate a walking route, understand what you’re seeing on the map, recognise when you’ve gone off track and make confident route decisions on the ground.
And importantly, you won’t just sit and watch me demonstrate it. You’ll practise it yourself.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll have the practical skills and confidence to:
Learn how to use your smartphone’s GPS location to identify exactly where you are on a map.
Learn how to follow a pre-planned route and use your phone to stay on track.
Understand what the map and your location are telling you, so you can spot a wrong turn before it becomes a problem.
Learn how to use your map to make sensible route choices if a path is blocked, conditions change or you simply decide to go a different way.
Discover what the different colours, lines and symbols actually mean, and how different map types can help you.
Learn how to use the information on your map to estimate how far you have to go and how long different sections of a walk might take.
Learn some simple ways to conserve battery life while navigating outdoors.
Understand how to prepare your maps and routes so that you can continue navigating when you’re somewhere without a phone signal.
Learn what’s available from mobile navigation apps and what additional features you may want to pay for.
The workshop lasts approximately 3 hours and is deliberately kept small, with a maximum of 5 participants.
We’ll start indoors for around 45–60 minutes, where I’ll explain the basics and help you get set up.
Then we’ll head outside for a gentle walk of approximately 2 miles, putting what you’ve learned into practice. There will be plenty of stops along the way to experiment, ask questions and learn how to use your phone in a real walking environment.
You don’t need to be particularly fit and you don’t need any previous experience of digital navigation.
You just need to bring your smartphone and be willing to have a go.
The route includes a mixture of surfaced paths and woodland trails, which can be uneven and muddy.
I’ve been helping people discover and enjoy walking for many years, and I know that technology can sometimes feel like a barrier rather than a help.
That’s why this workshop is deliberately practical, friendly and jargon-free.
You won’t be expected to arrive knowing how digital navigation works.
I’ll guide you through it step by step, answer your questions and give you the opportunity to practise rather than simply watch.
And because there are never more than five people on a public workshop, there’s plenty of opportunity for individual help.
The aim isn’t to turn you into a navigation expert. It’s to leave you thinking: “I can do this.”
"I recently attended Gillian's navigation course which I found really practical and easy to understand. Using the Visorando App and map layers not only gave me confidence to be able to follow a route but also the skills to alter the route should I need to because of diversions or other issues."
"I would have got completely lost without it! I'm so glad I completed the digital navigation course as it has taught me invaluable skills."
"It has given me confidence to plan new walks further afield."
"I now feel much more confident going out on my own."
So if you’ve ever thought “I’m not very good with technology” or “I’d be hopeless at using one of those apps”, don’t let that put you off. Many previous attendees felt exactly the same way.
Around 75% had already put their new navigation skills into practice within six weeks.
One of the things I’m particularly proud of is that people continue using what they’ve learned after the workshop.
Six weeks after attending, around three-quarters of survey respondents had already used their new digital navigation skills.
People have told me they’ve used them to:
That’s the real purpose of the workshop: giving you the freedom to explore.
The practical training uses Visorando, a walking and outdoor navigation app available for smartphones.
I chose Visorando because it provides a straightforward way to find, plan and follow walking routes, while also offering a range of useful mapping and navigation features.
You don’t need to be a Visorando user before attending, and the skills you’ll learn are transferable to other navigation apps too.
Every workshop participant receives:
3 MONTHS OF VISORANDO PREMIUM FREE
You’ll be able to try the Premium features for yourself after the workshop, including additional mapping and navigation functionality.
You’ll also receive:
There is absolutely no obligation to continue with Visorando after your free trial.
The aim of the workshop is to teach you digital navigation skills that you can use with confidence, whatever app you eventually choose.
This workshop could be ideal for you if:
✓ You normally stick to walks you already know.
✓ You’d love to explore new places but worry about getting lost.
✓ You enjoy using Gillian’s Walks route guides but aren’t confident following a digital route.
✓ You’d like to become more independent when walking.
✓ You sometimes walk alone and want the reassurance of knowing where you are.
✓ You’d like to be able to navigate unfamiliar places on walking holidays.
✓ You have a smartphone but aren’t sure how to get the most from it when walking.
✓ You consider yourself a bit of a “technophobe”!
✓ You already use walking apps but aren’t sure you’re using them properly.
✓ You use walking poles, maps or other navigation methods and would like an additional tool to give you confidence.
You don’t need to be technical. You don’t need previous experience. And you don’t need to know anything about Visorando.
The workshop takes place at Dean Castle Country Park, with free parking available on site.
If travelling by public transport, local buses stop on Glasgow Road, approximately a 5-minute walk from the park. Kilmarnock railway station is approximately one mile away.
Cycle parking is also available.
The first 45–60 minutes are indoors, followed by approximately 2 hours outdoors.
Keeping numbers small means you get plenty of individual help and the opportunity to ask questions throughout.
Detailed pre-course instructions will be sent to you after booking, including everything you need to do to get your phone and the app ready before you arrive.
This means we can spend less time setting up and more time learning together.
This workshop is not suitable for dogs.
That’s a morning of practical tuition, outdoor experience, ongoing skills you can use on future walks, plus 3 months of Visorando Premium.
Payment can also be made in 3 instalments via PayPal.
Ready to explore somewhere new?
If you’ve ever thought “I’d love to try that walk, but I’m not confident enough with navigation”, this could be the skill that changes the way you walk.
Join more than 200 walkers who have already taken the workshop and discover how much more freedom digital navigation can give you.
Private workshops are also available for groups of up to 5 people.
These can be particularly useful for:
Private workshops cost £225 for up to 5 participants, with a 10% discount when booking two or more courses.
The location can also be tailored to suit your group.
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