Awarding Body

Mountain Training

Scheme

Hill & Mountain Skills

Course

Hill Skills

Type

Training

Award Description

The Hill & Mountain Skills scheme is a great way to develop your personal skills and confidence in all elements of hill and mountain walking. From planning a coastal walk to navigating in complex terrain, these courses are an ideal opportunity to learn the basics and enjoy the countryside. THIS IS NOT THE HILL AND MOORLAND LEADER SCHEME.

The aim of this 2 day Hill Skills course is to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to be an independent hillwalker in the hills of the UK and Ireland. We welcome those with all sorts of experience - from people who have little or no experience of hillwalking but want to get out and explore, to those with years of hillwalking experience who want to refresh their understanding.

Although this is not a leadership course, it is an excellent foundation for teachers and youth leaders wishing to support young people on their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions.

On the course you will cover:

• Planning a hillwalk, including where you are allowed to go and how to judge terrain and timing.
• Navigation using a map and compass.
• What to pack when going hillwalking.
• Understanding weather in the hills and coming up with a ‘plan B’.
• Handling emergencies on a hillwalk.
• Nature and the environment in the hills.

How it works:

The course will be 90% outdoors in the hills, covering the skills as we go and allowing you plenty of time for practice. The aim is for the days to be a relaxed, friendly learning environment where you can ask questions of your instructor and fellow participants. 

We will start each day at an indoor venue (unless the weather is exceptionally nice) where we will cover the plan for the day, discuss what kit we are taking, and look at weather forecasts. There will be a variety of maps to look at covering the area, and some group kit to discuss. 

Aside from the course content, we will of course be spending two days on excellent local hill routes, so a fine opportunity to explore if you don’t know the area well.

Your instructor:

Alex is an International Mountain Leader, Summer and Winter ML. He spent many years working solely in the outdoors in the UK and on overseas expeditions, and has either led or done personal walking in (nearly) every hill and mountain region in the UK, in all seasons. He has led groups of adults and children on a variety of trips from mountain challenge days in the UK to month-long expeditions abroad. He is also a qualified secondary school biology teacher and has organised outdoor education for a school for several years.

Refund policy

You can cancel your booking more than 14 days in advance and receive a full refund.

Cancellations between 2 and 14 days will incur a 20% fee to cover administration and planning time, though the full cost can be moved to another date for no extra charge.

Cancellations within 2 days (48 hours) cannot be refunded, though 50% of the cost can be transferred to a separate date.

Start

26/04/2025 09:00

End

27/04/2025 17:00

Total Days

2

Maximum Bookings

8

Venue

Ilkley Moor

Town

Ilkley

County

West Yorkshire

Postcode

LS29 8DE

Country

United Kingdom

Latitude

53.92548

Longitude

-1.82281

Name

Alex Kendall

Phone

07741495828

Email