UKH

I am looking for ideas for where to take young people to practice micro navigation which is feature rich within an hours drive from Bristol.  We normally go to Llangattock Plateau but I fancy a change.

Beacon Batch? Lots of tumuli and streams

Cotswolds

Surely if you want to do micro nav you don't really want any features?  Find a playing field or park and stick plant pot markers in the ground.

Or do you want them to go to features on a map i.e. corners of fields, individual rocks etc.?

Any where in specific?

Yeah chartist cave area is ok, but once you've been a few times it loses value. Further away but arguably better is the black mountain, above Dan Yr Ogof and the opposite side of the valley behind the caving club. 

Alternatively start orienteering, it isn't like fine open mountain navigation, but it will improve ground feature identification(very small spurs, re entrants etc) and moving a bearing. 

Looking for a mixture of easy and hard features to find.
i.e. boundary posts, cairns, contours (e.g. depressions, inlets etc), enclosures

Depends what the OP means by 'micronavigation'...

I think of it as using small features, or simply careful attention to all features in order to assist navigation. Break each leg into microlegs, between features. Aka 'ticking' or 'collecting' features, thumbing the map, etc. All means to track your progress accurately, by using identifiable features to snap back the errors that accumulate in dead reckoning (direction & distance).

Good shout, just a bit to far.

Around Birdlip and Cooper's hill and heading South from there you'll find a lot of woodland paths and ridges that all look kinda the same. A good place to learn to look at the contours first. Also very easy access from the M5.

If you're ruling out the Black Mountains then you might look at The Forest of Dean or the Wye Valley (Tintern area etc).

There's always the Mendips, but with slim pickings on minor features.

I was on a similar mission a few years ago and got some genuinely useful practice doing night hikes on the footpaths and fields outside Bristol. It's the perfect time of year for it right now as well. Lots of pacing/timing and compass bearings.

Areas like The Mendips, Quantocks and Cotswolds are marginally nearer but they won't provide that feeling of remoteness and certainly can't compete as a 'featureless' terrain.

If you're looking for Ten Tors training areas then I think Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) will take some beating. You can look at other areas on the eastern side of the Black Mountains - Waun Fach, Bal Mawr etc. Even Sugarloaf and Blorenge can yield some decent micro features.

Have a look to see if these can offer any sourtions for you

https://www.goorienteering.org.uk/permanent-orienteering-courses 

I've looked on their behalf, there are a few, plus an app called usynligo has courses put on there by the bristol club.

Op, you don't need to use the app, which if you follow the course it will tell if you are there (note there's nothing physical to find, you really need to be stood on the spot), or just use it as a means to obtain different maps around the area.

https://usynligo.no/filter?category=BristolOrienteeringKlub 

There's another called maprun too.

Or go for a jog/walk out, enter light green or easier for your first go.

https://bristolorienteering.org.uk/index.php/events/bok-local-event-oldbury...

If you are restricted to an hours drive, I'd say you're already using the best area around Llangatock.  There are other places like Coity mountain above Blaenavon, the Blorenge and the old mines to the NW of Blaenavon but they have a less remote feel.

Black Down (Mendips) does have some interesting features, here is the map from BOK event from this year, might give you something to go at https://www.bok.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#251&course=1.  I always found that getting to the Mendips was rather tedious if you live in North or East Bristol though so would stick with South Wales.

I'm a member of Bristol Orienteering Klub and I'd be happy to meet you (MikeyMouse) and show you how the UsynligO app works. It can also work hand-in-hand with permanent courses such as Blaise Estate etc. Or we could arrange an evening where I meet you and your Scouts for a show-and-tell session.

I guess you meant the reply for the OP, but thanks for the offer.

Curiously looked at some courses on maprun that they might find interesting, but kept hitting a 4 digit pin code which I've not encountered on there before. 

I think usynligo is great, but some clubs won't touch it, seems it's orienteering marmite! 

For scouts Turf might also appeal, although it's not strictly orienteering or navigation, just planning and competitiveness. 

Yes - the OP (You're also welcome)

Me neither, I haven't used it for a year so I may not be as current as I thought.

I was going to mention Turf - I used to use that for working out urban runs when visiting friends in other towns and cities. I can't do it locally any more as I started getting way too competative. It got to the point where I actually waited for another local Turf runner to finish before following him on his round!

https://turfgame.com/

Tell someone about turf and they'll think of the digitised pokemon app, a kids game, however once they've tried it they'll realise why most turfers are competitive adults, turning the app off between points, using map memory, not wanting anyone to see them dash around. 

Ha - that was me!

Everyone does it, you know they are out there, you see someone walk or cycle near a point and you're trying to guess if they've just taken it. 

Tony
Many thanks for the resources and the offer of assistance.
I have had a quick look but will have a proper look when I have more time but it looks really good.
Michael