These two-day courses, which I offer on behalf of Mountain Training, are designed for everyone from the complete beginner who has never been out in the hills to experienced hill walkers who want to reflect on and improve their skills and practice. They also provide an excellent foundation if you’re interested in finding out what it takes to be a Hill and Moorland Leader or a Mountain Leader.

Both the Hill Skills and Mountain Skills courses include information on how plan a successful hill or mountain walk, clothing and equipment, walking skills, weather, navigation, environmental knowledge, and hazards and emergency procedures. On both days, we’ll spend 4-6 hours in appropriate hill or mountainous terrain (slightly longer each day on the Mountain Skills courses). There will also be a short indoor session at the start of day 1 and the end of day 2 on each course.

The main differences between the two courses are:

• The Hill Skills course is designed to teach you how to move safely on hill and moorland terrain like the Ochil Hills, the Pentland Hills, and the Campsie Fells. The Mountain Skills course will teach you how to be safe in the mountains of the Scottish Highlands.
• The Hill Skills course will be on footpaths and trails that are rough underfoot; the Mountain Skills course will move away from marked paths and will include some steeper, rockier terrain.
• The Mountain Skills course will include training on moving safely on steep ground, including simple scrambling.
• The Mountain Skills course will include training in poor visibility navigation (so, in the event of clear and sunny days, we’ll be doing a short session of night navigation).

In the first instance, I will offer these courses in or close to the Central Belt of Scotland. It is likely that the Hill Skills courses will be held on or near the Ochil Hills, and the Mountain Skills courses will be in the areas of Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn), the Ben Lawers range, or the Munros and Corbetts near Crianlarich and Tyndrum.

I still have some practicalities to deal with before I can offer any courses, especially relating to the set-up and booking systems for the courses. Watch this space for more information. Or use the Contact Form to register your interest and ask any questions.