The Navigation HUB

The Navigation HUB Home of Hiking in the North of England
Advice on routes
Resource of locations & hikes

📝 FIELD NOTE 009 — The First StepSometimes the hardest part of a hike happens before you’ve even left the car.The doubt....
20/09/2026

📝 FIELD NOTE 009 — The First Step

Sometimes the hardest part of a hike happens before you’ve even left the car.

The doubt. The tiredness. The excuses.

Then you open the door.

And take one step.

Maybe that’s all some things in life really ask of us.

One step.

Collected on route.

—

20.09.2026

MountainMindset

🧭 EVERY JOURNEY CHANGES USThis is what this chapter revealed.Eight weeks ago we began with a simple idea.Presence.Not si...
12/09/2026

🧭 EVERY JOURNEY CHANGES US

This is what this chapter revealed.

Eight weeks ago we began with a simple idea.

Presence.

Not simply being outdoors.

But actually being there.

Over the last eight weeks we’ve reflected on muddy boots.

Looking through a viewfinder.

The pace we keep.

The quiet we’ve forgotten how to enjoy.

Losing signal.

Finding somewhere to recharge.

Filtering our experiences.

Waiting for perfect weather.

On the surface they all seemed like different observations.

Looking back…

They were all asking the same question.

What have I been missing because I wasn’t fully present?

If these reflections encouraged you to slow down…

Look up…

Leave your phone in your pocket a little longer…

Or simply notice something you’d always walked past…

Then they’ve done exactly what I hoped they would.

Every journey continues.

Here’s where we’re heading next.

CHAPTER TWO

The Journey

Because once we begin noticing the trail…

The next question naturally follows.

What does the journey itself teach us?

Over the coming weeks we’ll be exploring…

👣 The First Step

🗺️ Plan B

🌲 Detours

↗️ The Shortcut

🔄 The Turnaround

⛰️ The Summit

🥾 The Descent

🧭 Route Finding

The journey continues this Sunday.

🧭 Chapter Two — The Journey

What walking teaches us along the way.

✖️SEPTEMBER MGH IS LIVE!Our next Community Monthly Group Hike is on Saturday 26th September, heading to the Dark Peak fo...
09/09/2026

✖️SEPTEMBER MGH IS LIVE!

Our next Community Monthly Group Hike is on Saturday 26th September, heading to the Dark Peak for a Bamford & Stanage Edges hike.

As always, the hike is completely FREE, and everyone is welcome! Whether you’re a regular or joining us for the first time get yourself along!

We’re also teaming up with PIONEER CAMP as always who’ll be providing a free gift for everyone attending.

And yes… 🪨🌿Hub will be joining us!
Haven’t met him yet? This is your chance.

Comment “HUB” below to claim your free gift on the day.

Full event details can be found on the events tab on the Hiking Buddies UK facebook group. DM us or join the WhatsApp group via the link in our bio.

Find Your Path. Find Your People. 🧭

📝 FIELD NOTE 008The Weather WindowI’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve looked at a weather forecast and contempla...
06/09/2026

📝 FIELD NOTE 008

The Weather Window

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve looked at a weather forecast and contemplated or decided to stay at home.

“I’ll wait for a better day.”

“I’ll do it when the weather improves.”

Sometimes I was right.

But sometimes…

I missed out on a day that would have been far better than I imagined.

It’s strange how often we wait for perfect conditions before we allow ourselves to experience something.

Blue skies.

Light winds.

Perfect visibility.

The ideal weather window.

Yet hiking has taught me that the forecast rarely tells the whole story.

Some of my favourite photographs have been taken in thick mist. The monolithic kind. A word someone once introduced me too and I’ve used since.

Dark skies.

Heavy cloud.

The kind of weather that gives the mountains character.

The kind of weather I probably wouldn’t have chosen beforehand.

I’ve reached summits where there wasn’t a single view.

Just cloud.

At the time, it felt disappointing.

Yet when I look back…

I rarely remember what I couldn’t see.

I remember the conversations.

The mumbling to myself.

The wrong turns.

The challenge of getting there.

I’ve also noticed something else.

The hikes that went wrong often became the best stories.

The unexpected rain.

The wind that nearly blew us over.

The bog that swallowed a boot.

The soaked waterproofs that clearly weren’t waterproof anymore.

Years later, they’re the moments we laugh about and remember the most.

The mountain never promised perfect weather.

Only an experience.

Nature doesn’t exist to meet our expectations.

Some days it’s sunshine.

Some days it’s sideways rain.

Some days the summit stays hidden all day.

It never apologises for any of it.

It simply is.

Perhaps that’s why I find it so refreshing.

The older I get, the less I chase perfect conditions.

Because I’ve realised that memorable days aren’t created by perfect conditions.

They’re created by being willing to experience whatever the mountain gives you.

Collected on route.

—

06.09.2026

📝 FIELD NOTE 007The FilterI’ve noticed that we don’t just filter our photographs.We filter our experiences too.I’ve done...
30/08/2026

📝 FIELD NOTE 007

The Filter

I’ve noticed that we don’t just filter our photographs.

We filter our experiences too.

I’ve done it myself.

I’ve come home from a hike with hundreds of photos, only to spend far too long choosing the one that tells the best story.

The best light.

The best angle.

The best version of the day.

Sometimes even the best version of myself.

Not because it was the most honest.

Because it looked the best.

Then comes the editing.

Changing the colours.

Increasing the saturation.

Making the sky a little bluer.

The grass a little greener.

The sunset a little more orange.

Almost trying to improve something that was already beautiful.

It makes me wonder…

Did we really need the filter?

Or did the mountain already provide everything we came to see?

Maybe we don’t just filter our photographs.

Maybe we filter the story we tell ourselves about the day as well.

We carefully curate what people see.

The summit.

The sunrise.

The dramatic ridge.

The perfect reflection in the lake.

The golden light breaking through the clouds.

But we rarely share…

The four hours of rain before it cleared.

The wrong turns.

The aching legs.

The self-doubt.

The soaked socks.

The wind that made standing still almost impossible.

The long walk back when the excitement had faded.

Yet those moments are every bit as much a part of the hike.

In fact…

They’re often the parts I remember the most.

The outdoors has never pretended to be perfect.

Some days the summit disappears into cloud.

Some days the views never arrive.

Some days you turn back before reaching the top.

Some days the rain never stops.

Nature doesn’t apologise for any of it.

It simply is.

Maybe that’s why I find it so refreshing.

Perhaps perfection was never the point. Perhaps honesty was.

The older I get, the more I realise that the best hikes aren’t the ones that looked perfect afterwards.

They’re the ones that felt real while I was there.

Collected on route.

—

30.08.2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Moel HebogMeaning of the name: “Hill of the Hawk” or “Hill of the Falcon.” Moel can refer to a bare, rounded or ...
30/08/2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Moel Hebog
Meaning of the name: “Hill of the Hawk” or “Hill of the Falcon.” Moel can refer to a bare, rounded or treeless hill, while hebog means hawk or falcon in Welsh.

⛰️ Moel Hebog — Eryri (Snowdonia), Wales

* Height: 783 m (2,569 ft)
* Prominence: 585 m (1,919 ft)
* Classification: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall, Trail 100
* Trail 100 ranking: #74
* Parent peak: Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
* OS Grid Reference: SH 565469
* Coordinates: 53.0005° N, 4.1399° W
* Mountain range: Moel Hebog Group / Eryri

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Yr AranMeaning of the name: “The Peak” — Yr means “the” and Aran is associated with a height, peak or prominent ...
29/08/2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Yr Aran
Meaning of the name: “The Peak” — Yr means “the” and Aran is associated with a height, peak or prominent elevated place.

⛰️ Yr Aran — Eryri (Snowdonia), Wales
* Height: 747.2 m (2,451 ft)
* Prominence: 235 m (771 ft)
* Classification: Hewitt, Nuttall, Marilyn, Trail 100
* Trail 100 ranking: #79 in Trail magazine’s 100 Greatest Mountains of Britain.
* Parent peak: Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
* OS Grid Reference: SH 604515
* Coordinates: 53.0425° N, 4.0837° W
* Mountain range: Snowdon Massif / Eryri

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Y LliweddMeaning of the name: Lliwedd is generally interpreted as referring to a pale/colourless peak. But this ...
27/08/2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Y Lliwedd
Meaning of the name: Lliwedd is generally interpreted as referring to a pale/colourless peak. But this is not necessarily the exact meaning.

Bagged in vain as it will be forever them mountain I crashed my drone into and lost… however what a mountain and what a feel it has to it. A one I will visit again and I don’t say that s**t many. It’s gritty the way I like it.

⛰️ Y Lliwedd — Snowdonia, Wales
* Height: 898 m (2,946 ft)
* Prominence: 154 m (505 ft)
* Classification: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall, Trail 100
* Parent peak: Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
* OS Grid Reference: SH 622 533
* Coordinates: 53.0595° N, 4.0571° W
* Mountain range: Snowdon Massif / Eryri

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ben More (Isle of Mull)Meaning of the name: Beinn Mhòr translates from Gaelic as “Big Mountain.”No views at the ...
27/08/2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ben More (Isle of Mull)
Meaning of the name: Beinn Mhòr translates from Gaelic as “Big Mountain.”

No views at the top but you can’t be picky when travelling to Scotland to bag, it’s then or never with so many others still left. It’s been a while since I’ve reached a summit with wind force making it difficult to stay standing up.

⛰️ Ben More (Isle of Mull)
* Height: 966 m (3,169 ft)
* Prominence: 966 m (3,169 ft)
* Classification: Munro, Marilyn, Trail 100
* Parent peak: None – it’s the highest point on the Isle of Mull.
* OS Grid Reference: NM 525 330
* Latitude / Longitude: 56.425° N, 6.013° W
* Mountain range: Inner Hebrides – Isle of Mull

Together, we go further. This August, Pioneer Camp joined for a memorable group hike through the stunning landscapes o...
24/08/2026

Together, we go further.

This August, Pioneer Camp joined for a memorable group hike through the stunning landscapes of the Lake District — exploring the Coniston, Brim Fell & Dow Crag route.​

From cool morning starts to warm climbs under the sun, the trail brought changing conditions and new challenges at every turn.​

Designed for adaptable adventures, our Convertible Hiking Pants helped hikers transition effortlessly between full coverage and open-air comfort, while the Training Quick-Dry T-Shirtdelivered breathable comfort through every climb, every step, and every mile.​

But beyond the gear, this day was about something bigger — connecting with nature, meeting fellow explorers, and creating memories along the trail.​

Thank you to The Navigation Hub and everyone who joined this adventure. We’re proud to support communities that inspire more people to step outside and discover their own paths.






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