Locations - in one fell swoop

QUITE what old Alfred Wainwright would have made of it I just don't know. The image of the great man striding out across the Lakeland fells,

pausing to punch GOTOs and Waypoints into a gadget the size of a mobile phone, does not sit easily.

But 'satnav' for walkers has arrived. And GPS - Global Positioning System - could be about to revolutionise the activity forever.

It has certainly revolutionised the lives of a handful of Lakeland afficionados who set out to help people use the new technology and have found themselves with a hit on their hands.

People are flocking to GPS Training courses. It's even become fun with geo-caching - a new craze which combines walking and satellite technology with the thrill of a treasure hunt. Geo-caching involves use of a handheld GPS to locate hidden caches containing details of clues and small prizes.

GPS Training - run by Peter and Jean Judd and Simon Brown - recently staged their second festival of GPS navigation in the beautiful Borrowdale valley near Keswick. The three-day event was a sell-out, mixing the hunts with workshops to help newcomers decipher the technology and give techno-phobes a taste of traditional navigation such as compass work.

As a fervent fan of fell-walking - who has twice been caught out while trying to descend from peaks in poor weather - I was keen to find out more.

Simon Brown set the scene the evening before the real fun and games started. The national park volunteer ranger told the 50 or 60 people on the course: "We started the business because we were worried about people going out on the fells without GPS, map and compass.

"GPS is a potential life-saver. But it isn't perfect. A lot can go wrong outside the user's control. It can tell you what time you will reach a fell peak; what time sunset is; how much time to arrival and what time you will get back to base.

"But it is not a substitute for map and compass. Ideally, you need all three. It could be dangerous to rely on a GPS if you don't have map and compass skills."

To illustrate his point, he says a GPS told one woman she was in Barcelona when in fact she was here in the UK.

"GPS has no intelligence and will happily navigate you over a cliff. You are the intelligent partner," says Simon."But it can be a good safety tool. Even those familiar with the terrain can get into trouble - even mountain rescue teams. You can end up on the wrong fell."

With comforting honesty, Simon admits: "I couldn't make head nor tail of it at first, I really couldn't. And the manuals are hugely complicated."

Basic GPS models have been around for several years and the entry level is sufficient for most walkers. Prices range from under £100 to around £500. But the technology is advancing all the time and what's around the corner is awesome.

As Simon says: "Many people never thought this kind of thing would happen and the pace of acceleration is amazing. A convergence of mobile phones and GPS is on the way. In a few years time everyone will have a mobile with GPS on it."

Peter Judd says the GPS Training team got to know each other through voluntary work as park rangers. Simon was a university lecturer in Cheshire and Peter had run a business in Manchester. "We escaped to the Lake District," he says.

Peter had been in retailing and joined the outdoor clothing store George Fisher in Keswick. In a corner of the shop was a row of GPS items, but none of the staff knew much about them.

"I learned how to use it and realised the need for training," he says.

Helped by friends, he and Simon run the business from Peter's home near Penrith.

"We never borrowed money to set the business up," he says. "We put our money where our mouths were."

All those involved are in their 60s and enjoying this "second crack at life".

The business is growing hugely. The first year GPS trained 400 people. In 2005, 650 people were trained and the firm started selling GPS equipment and ancillary items.

The first training festival was in May and two are already booked for next year, along with others in places such as the Cotswolds, Sussex and Hampshire

"We never dreamed it would be this big," says Peter.

Most of those taking part in the festival are middle-aged. Peter says such people can afford the technology and, in any case, younger people are more technically minded and can pick it up for themselves.

I asked one man who was digesting the whirl of information over supper why he wanted to learn about GPS. "Because it's there," was the reply.

I muse that most fell-walkers manage quite happily with map and compass. Peter Judd, though, denies the system is a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"Think of it as a tool rather than the be-all-and-end-all and it's there in your backpack if there is a problem," he says.

"It could enhance the joy of fell-walking. If you are from Surbiton, then climbing Helvellyn is an adventure of the highest order. You can plan your walk from your home. It will help many people gain confidence. Very few people know how to use a compass properly - hence the growth in GPS."

He sees geo-caching as a great training tool and a fun way to use GPS. "Kids just love it," he says.

Certainly, many on the course were champing at the bit to get out and tackle a variety of geotrails.

To get us started, there were small trails accompanied by a GPS Training person.

You follow routes keyed into the handset, alert for the hoped-for bleep that indicates you are on the right track.

Now, it might just be me, but there was something rather incongruous about a group of people tramping through glorious scenery on a fabulous day gazing at little but handset screens.

Back at base, there was often a hush as everyone sat and studied the handsets. Oblivious to all else. Like observing a gang of teenagers glued to their mobile phones or Gameboys.

You might reach your destination - but you've missed a lot along the way.

To be fair, though, Peter Judd says people au fait with the equipment attach it to a shoulder strap and, mainly, just listen for the bleeps.

And almost to a man/woman, course members were hugely impressed and keen to put the technology to the test.

GPS Training's Tony Warren is candid: "GPS is not infallible. One threw a wobbler just now. You need to use it with a map and compass and then you are pretty much covered."

Course member Annette Chalk, from Ilkley, agrees.

She took her children up Scafell and ran into thick cloud at the top. The party was well kitted-out but none could map-read."I needed to check directions and luckily a man helped us," she said. "I bought a GPS after that. It gives me peace of mind."

No doubts there, then. But as for Wainwright, I reckon the jury is still out.

* GPS Training can be contacted at www.gpstraining.co.uk, tel 01768-885855

* Eating Owt will be back next week.