• Walking up from Corrour Station
    UK Travel Advice

    Explore Picturesque Corrour and Climb One of the Easiest Munros

    Would you like to experience the remoteness of the Scottish Highlands in a day and be able to stand on the top of one of Scotland’s famous munros (a Scottish hill over 3000ft/914m high)? The good news is that if you know where to go, these are very attainable goals. Even if you are not an experienced hillwalker or rambler. Corrour is one of the last strongholds of Scottish wilderness. Not accessible by public roads, the way to reach it is to take a train to the picturesque Corrour station. Just a few stops along from Fort William, heading in to explore Corrour is an excellent way to leave behind…

  • Grid references can be practiced anywhere. Here practicing navigation in the Peak District on a snowy day with a small country lane running to the distance along a fence, framed by snow covered fields.
    Navigation Lessons

    Compass Corner: Lesson 2 – Why are Grid References so Important?

    I have decided to cover this important skill early into the series, as it is so crucial in an emergency situation. Knowing how to find out the grid reference of your location, either using a map or another tool, can make all the difference when things go wrong. It is especially important to know how grid references work, if you ever need to alert the Mountain Rescue, or another rescue service. The brilliant thing about grid references is that they will always accurately describe your location anywhere in the UK. Recently other services, such as the What3Words, have become popularised for the same purpose. However, there are reasons why these…

  • Mountain navigation in Torridon
    Navigation Lessons

    Compass Corner: Lesson 1 – How to Read a Map

    Are you interested in brushing up your navigation skills or learning how to read a map for the first time? This lesson will cover common maps used for outdoor activities in the UK, have a quick look at the common types of map symbols, and explain different map scales. The aim of this lesson is to help you to choose what type of map to use for your adventure and how to start using it for simple navigation and route planning. Learning to navigate in different circumstances will increase your confidence and allow you to move in the outdoors safely and independently! Learning how to read a map does not…

  • Map and compass are the key to learning navigation
    Navigation Lessons

    The Compass Corner – A New Series Of Free Navigation Lessons

    I am very excited to introduce you to my new series on navigation! I am an absolute map geek and love navigation in all its forms. The aim of this series is to teach a comprehensive range of navigation techniques. I firmly believe that anyone can learn navigation and the first 5 lessons are aimed at beginners! They cover how to learn navigation basics and start planning your own walks and hikes. The next 5 lessons build on these techniques and introduce navigating in more challenging terrain away from footpaths. The final 5 lessons cover advanced navigating techniques and navigating in poor visibility and dangerous terrain, as well as navigating…

  • Training for ML assessment in the Scottish Higlands
    Personal Blogs

    From Mountain Leader Training to the Assessment – How to Consolidate

    In mid-August 2020 I finally completed my Summer Mountain Leader training. This was after many years of planning to do it and, for various reasons, never quite getting around to it. In fact, I had booked onto courses a couple of times previously – just for them to be cancelled for different reasons. The latest of them being Covid-19 this spring. Now it has been a couple of months since the training and I have had some time to think and decompress. And with that in mind, it is time to format a plan for the future. It was clear to me already prior to the training that, as I’d…

  • Example of good layers for winter walking.
    Hiking & Camping

    Clothes for Cold: How to Layer for Autumn & Winter Walking

    With the temperatures quickly plummeting as the autumn approaches now is the time to think about your layers. Say goodbye to warm evening walks and no extra layers in your backpack. Instead it is time to prepare for anything the weather might throw at you. At this time of year, you can easily experience hailstorms and beautiful sunshine within the space of an hour. The effect of the wind on you will increase as the temperatures drop and it becomes ever more important to get your layers right. Getting caught out on the hills with the wrong clothing will not only make you have miserable time – it can also…

  • Everyday adventures in the Scottish Highlands
    Personal Blogs

    How to Fit Everyday Adventures into Your Life

    Life has taken a weird turn for a lot of us in the last year. I have found myself re-evaluating the important things in my life. And changing the direction where I am traveling in terms of my career and goals. There has been awfully lot of uncertainty and hesitance. And a few tears here and there. I can’t say I have sussed it all out yet. But I think I have accepted the uncertainty better. The fact that it’s okay to not be sure about things all the time. Instead, I have taken more time to do the things I love. And most of the time that means going…

  • Bouldering at Wimberry Rocks
    Climbing

    Best Places for Low Grade Bouldering in the Peak District

    The Peak District is world renowned for its gritstone climbing and bouldering. However, one thing I noticed when I moved here and started to regularly venture out for bouldering is that many of the most famous crags and the best guidebooks are geared towards harder boulders and more experienced climbers. Bouldering for me is something I do occasionally and quite sporadically – usually opting to go trad climbing instead. Therefore, I have never quite got my head around highballs, gnarly landings and seemingly holdless gritstone problems. Instead, I prefer to go to places where the boulders aren’t too high and owning just one bouldering pad is enough to protect the…

  • Camping on the ML expedition.
    Personal Blogs

    What to Pack for Mountain Leader Training – Essential Gear

    I love planning for trips away and the Mountain Leader Training week was no exception. Making a list of things I needed to bring ensured that everything I had with me was essential and functional. It also made sure I wasn’t one of those people desperately trying to find an open outdoor gear shop before heading out for the second day. If you are interested to read more about my experiences of doing the training, check out this article on My Mountain Leader Training Week in Snowdonia. For more information about the Mountain Leader Scheme check out the Mountain Training website. Or read on for my essential ML kit list!

  • Wild swimming paradise
    Personal Blogs

    Reflections on the Water: Why I Wild Swim

    This is a more personal blog post than many you will find on my website. I struggle to put into words exactly why that might be. The closest to an explanation I have come up with is that, while the hills are close to my heart, the water is close to my soul. In order to explain my relationship to wild swimming here in the UK, I think it is necessary to first have a quick look backwards to my childhood. Where I grew up in rural Finland, we just called it swimming. And people of all ages swim outdoors. There is a strong culture of public beaches on lakes,…