Outward Bound: OS Maps in Action

Over the past two years Ordnance Survey have been working with Outward Bound to help support the incredible work they do to inspire young people to believe they can achieve more than they ever thought possible. This storymap celebrates the achievements of Outward Bound since its launch 80 years ago and explores how mapping is used across the charity to plan adventures, keep people safe and enhance an understanding and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Who are Outward Bound?

Outward Bound are an educational charity that helps young people to develop and achieve through learning and adventures in wild locations. By taking young people safely into the outdoors they are enouraged to challenge themselves, helping build qualities such as resilience, courage, confidence and self-belief. During an Outward Bound course, young people push their limits and build confidence by overcoming physical and emotional challenges, and, with the support of trained and highly skilled instructors, leave Outward Bound having learnt a very important lesson: to believe in themselves.

Read more about the impact Outward Bound has had on young people here:  Our Impact in Their Words .

Outward Bound: Defying limitations

In the UK, Outward Bound has 6 residental centres, all located in stunning and remote locations. From these centres, courses are available for schools, colleges and youth groups, as well as offering summer adventures for individuals and apprenticeships and training courses for graduates and future leaders.

1

Aberdovey, Snowdonia

Aberdovey (Aberdyfi) is located on the coast of Snowdonia National Park and was the original Outward Bound centre, welcoming young people since 1941!

Outward Bound was initially founded to save young lives at sea. The aim was to give young seamen the ability to survive harsh conditions at sea by teaching confidence and perserverance, in addition to boat handling skills.

In 1949, the Moray Sea School at Burghead in Scotland became the Scottish counterpart to the Aberdovey Sea School.

To this day, Aberdovey remains the largest Outward Bound centre in the UK.

2

Eskdale, Lake District

In 1950, after years of focus on the sea, Outward Bound bought the Gatehouse at Eskdale and their first Mountain School was born.

In 1951, Eskdale was the venue for the first 'ladies' course, causing quite a stir in the local press, but, for the first time, giving women the opportunity to explore the outdoors and benefit from the learning afforded by an Outward Bound course.

Today, Eskdale is used mostly by apprentices and graduates, welcoming over 4000 young people in the early stages of their careers each year.

3

Ullswater, Lake District

In 1955, Outward Bound Ullswater opened its doors, offering access to the Lake District fells for climbing, walking and camping in addition to having Ullswater on its doorstep for journeys by sailing boat, kayak and canoe.

4

Loch Eil, Scottish Highlands

The Loch Eil Trust had been running courses in the outdoors for disadvantaged boys since 1965 but was merged with the Outward Bound Moray Sea School in 1977. Since then, thousands of young people have visited and its location gives access to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands.

5

Howtown, Lake District

During the 1990s, Outward Bound went through a number of challenging times. However, by the 2000s, Outward Bound was going from strength to strengh, working with over 400 schools across the UK and launching Outward Bound International in 2001.

Outward Bound Howtown opened its doors in 2008, offering accommodation, learning opportunities and adventures for 72 young people.

6

Ogwen Cottage, Snowdonia

The most recent addition to the Outward Bound centres was Ogwen Cottage in 2015. Ogwen Cottage has had a long association with mountaineering, having been used in the past as a mountain training school, local authority outdoor education centre and by mountain rescue. The centre is now run in partnership with National Trust Wales.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic forcing all centres to close temporarily, 80 years on from its beginnings, Outward Bound has once again opened its doors and is ready to help young people not just survive the impact of the pandemic, but to thrive.

OS Maps in Action

Every Outward Bound course involves a trip out of the centres to explore the wild environments surrounding them. Fundamental to exploring these wild locations safely are maps. Whether this is simply planning a drop off/collection point for an activity, planning a safe access route to a remote mountain stream to go canyoning or going on a full-on expedition into the mountains.

Through OS Maps, Outward Bound instructors can access digital versions of the OS 1: 25 000 and 1: 50 000 maps for the first time.

We explore the various ways in which OS Maps is being used daily at Outward Bound centres across the UK and how it is having a positive impact on the work Outward Bound do with young people.

"From my persepective, the OS Maps app is transformative. In my UK-wide role I have the confidence to go anywhere knowing that I can access great mapping capability." - Martin Cooper, Director of Learning and Adventure

Route Planning

Careful route planning (and escape route planning) is key to keeping yourselves and others safe in wild environments. Before the advent of online mapping applications, route planning was done by laying out a paper map and leaning over it, drawing routes directly onto the map, manually writing down the coordinates of way-points and calculating distances and elevation profiles for each potential route; a lengthy and painstaking process. With OS Maps, this process has become quick and easy and from an Outward Bound perspective, allows instructors to spend more of their valuable time with their group.

The route planning function of OS Maps (desktop and app) allow routes to be plotted with ease, particularly when using the 'snap to path' functionality within the National Parks. The application also computes distances, times and elevation profiles as the route is plotted, allowing routes to be quickly tailored to the groups' requirements and abilities.

"It's great to plan routes for groups and gives me more details for the route card such as distance and height gain"

Once plotted, the route can be saved and downloaded for use offline or shared with friends and colleagues. The map can also be printed for use with groups as a paper map out in the mountains or left with a friend or collegaue so that they know where you're going - a very important safety step when heading into the mountains.

Group engagement and route visualisation

Being an online application, OS Maps can also be shared on a screen or projector, allowing groups to be fully involved in the route planning process from start to finish; giving them ownership of their journey. Before even stepping foot on the hill, young people will become familiar with key map symbols such as footpaths, streams and contours.

The 3D mapping and 'fly-through' modes can be used to help groups really visualise the route and prepare for the challenge ahead of them, or, reflect on the challenge they have just completed.

"It's great to get up on a projector and show them the route or let them choose the route"

An introduction to maps for primary age children

Navigation

A recent  study by OS  revealed that over three quarters of adults in the UK are unable to read a map. However, knowing just a few basics about how to read maps, such as understanding contours, map symbols and grid references, can transform peoples enjoyment of the outdoors and allow them to enjoy it safely.

Throughout Outward Bound's history, paper maps have been widely used and are still very much in use today. With access to OS Maps, Outward Bound instructors are able to select and print a specific bit of a map (to scale) as many times as they like. These can be laminated for use on courses, allowing map reading skills including the use of a compass to be taught, with each member of the group to have their own map.

"With groups I want to be able to involve groups in planning and nav and easily being able to select and print high quality, correctly scaled maps is brilliant"

Navigation using a map and compass

The OS Maps App is also widely used by instructors both as a navigational aid and as a learning tool whilst in the field. The app allows instructors to quickly check location and progress along a route without having to get out the paper map (although they will always have one in their bag!). It also allows them to quickly communicate a location or drop off/pick-up point to other instructors if requried or plan an alternative route or exit route in the event of an emergency.

The App can also be used to engage groups in their route and teach them how to read a map, particularly when engagement with a paper map is poor.

Using the OS Maps App with groups

"The app is really useful to show young people where we are and where we are going. They love looking at a phone and I think it appears more useable for them and they have a more positive experience of navigation. I regularly hear "Oh I can't read a map" when I get a map out but that's not the case with the app."

OS Maps App being used for staff training

Outward Bound Outreach

Over the past 80 years, Outward Bound has welcomed over 1.2 million young people from a wide range of backgrounds and walks of life.

Each and every young person has their own story to tell about their experience of an Outward Bound course and its impact on their life; no two experiences are the same. Outward Bound courses can have an impact in so many way; helping to increase self-confidence, improve resilience, provide skills such as communication, teamwork and leadership to improve employability, releave stress and equip young people with knowledge that they can overcome more than they thought.

Over the summer of 2022, a total of 1,680 young people took part in Outward Bound's Summer Adventure courses. Participants attended from all over Great Britain, in addition to 185 participants from overseas.

Of the participants from Great Britatin, one third of them came from postcode areas classed as being the most deprived 50% of areas in the UK. This figure rises to almost half of participants for the Greater London area.

Postcode based deprivation levels of Outward Bound Summer Adventure 2022 participants

Outward Bound provide funded and subsidised places on courses to those from deprived areas, giving young people who would not otherwise be able to access such experiences a chance to benefit and develop.

Explore further

  • To find out more about Outward Bound and their courses:
  • Discover OS Maps:
  • Learn more about how to read a map:

Postcode based deprivation levels of Outward Bound Summer Adventure 2022 participants