Hill Skills course
Our 2-day Hill Skills course will equip you with the skills and knowledge to safely undertake hill walks in the upland areas of the UK. Our experienced trainers will put you at ease and share their years of knowledge gained from working in the hills and mountains. THIS IS NOT THE HILL AND MOORLAND LEADER SCHEME.
No experience of hill walking or navigation is required prior to coming on one of our hill skills courses.
The Hill Skills course is nationally accredited by Mountain Training and Move2Change are proud to be able to offer these courses to enable people to get outdoors, get active and get connected.
We are pleased to offer this course at a discounted price to encourage more people to get outdoors safely, and to be Adventure Smart.
Course Content
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.
Equipment
A detailed equipment list will be sent in the joining instructions. Ideally, you need to be self sufficient for a day in the mountains but if you feel that you don’t have the correct equipment just let us know, we have a stock of clothing and gear to loan you for the 2 days. We will provide all the group safety equipment and learning materials.
Fitness/Health.
You don’t have to be mountain fit to enjoy this course, and a level of general fitness is quite sufficient. We do need to know of any health issues that may impact upon you during the course but we hold all of these in confidence – we just need to know so that we can take best care of you.
Format
The first part of the day 1 is spent getting to know the other people on the course and gaining an understanding of basic hill walking planning. Your tutor will outline the plans for the course before you head out into the hills nearby. Throughout each day you will gain vital experience in all aspects of hill walking in an engaging and developmental way. The end of each day will usually involve a short session to review the day and plan the following day’s activity.
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.
Up to 8 weeks before start date we require 50% deposit of £25.00, after that the full course fee of £50 needs to be paid – please see terms and conditions during the booking process.
The course includes the following:
- BMC Safety on the Mountains Handbook
- Registration (lifelong) with Mountain Training
- Certificate of attendance upon completion of the course
- Mountain Training Timings Card
- Other resources as available
If you’re not already registered with MTA you do not need to register with them – we will do this on your behalf when you book the course. We need your date of birth to be able to do this. Please email us this upon booking, thank you.
