Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
hill skills
Our Hill Skills course is your key to getting started in countryside and moorland walking. No previous hill walking experience is required because the content of the course is aimed at beginners. If you do have some experience of hill walking but aren’t confident about planning walks, navigating and understanding the equipment required, then a Hill Skills course is an ideal way to learn.
Course information
Our team will introduce you to the skills and techniques required to enjoy hill walking in your own time. You will have plenty of opportunities to practise these new skills as well as learning more about the environment and how to manage the risks associated with hill walking.
The first part of the course is spent indoors, getting to know the other people on the course and gaining an understanding of basic hill walking planning. Your experienced tutor will outline the plans for the course before you head out into the hills. The end of the day will usually involve a short indoor session to review the day and plan the following day's outing.
You can expect to be out walking each day for around 4-5 hours and generally on Hill Skills courses this will be on footpaths or trails that are rough underfoot. Much of the journey during the course will involve learning opportunities and as such, the pace of the day is friendly and will include plenty of breaks.
This course will cover:
• Planning – how to successfully plan a hill walk in the UK or Ireland.
• Walking skills – what things should you consider while out walking and what can make life easier (pace, nutrition, movement skills etc.).
• Clothing and equipment – being suitably dressed and equipped can make the difference between a great day out and a complete disaster.
• Weather – how it affects the hills and your day out.
• Navigation in the hills – everything from selecting a compass to navigation strategies and an intro to GPS.
• Environmental knowledge – how to minimise your impact on the hill and information on good practice and useful organisations.
• Hazards and emergency procedures in the hills – how to respond to any hazards you encounter and what to do in an emergency.
This course is nationally accredited by Mountain Training and will be delivered by approved experienced Mountain Leaders. A certificate of attendance will be available for completing the course.
The minimum age for this course is 12 years, making it ideal for secondary school pupils, college and University students, youth and community groups, and even corporate teams.
Our Hill Skills programme covers everything from your local hills and countryside to the high mountains of the Scottish Highlands. There is no shortage of stunning hiking spots in the UK such as the Lake District, Snowdonia, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, the Brecon Beacons, and of course the Highlands. Hiking in the hills offers huge health and wellbeing benefits.
Duration
Two days. We run this course as two consecutive full day sessions from 9am to 5pm. For group bookings we can arrange overnight hostel accommodation for you as part of the course package, please get in touch for information.
Venue
We run this course at various locations in Yorkshire, the Peak District, the Lake District, Scotland and North Wales.
