Hill Skills | Peak District Navigation and Skills Course

Course Info

The Hill Skills course is your key to getting started in countryside and moorland walking. There is no experience of hill walking required to attend a Hill Skills course 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 the Hill Skills course is an ideal way to learn. 

All participants must be aged 18 or over! 16+ are allowed when accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

calendar Dates March - November
Duration Duration 2 Days
Start Location Start Location Hope - Peak District
Instructor Ratio Instructor Ratio 1:6
Book Today Book Today £140 P/Person
What does the Hill Skills course 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. 


During a Hill Skills course, you can expect to start each day at about 9am. 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. 

 

Our Hill Skills course is perfect for beginners or anybody looking to learn all the skills you need to walk outdoors.  You don't need to be super fit, just a reasonable fitness level so you can manage two days walking in the hills.

If you are looking to join us to learn mountain navigation why not check out our Mountain Skills Course in North Wales

H1 Skill Level
Walking and Scrambling Skills

No previous experience walking in the outdoors.

SKILL LEVEL KEY - Click here

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation is not included in the price of this course however, you will find no shortage of places to stay. Our accommodation guide will be issued on request and lists the popular options in the area.

Course Dates
  • COURSE DATE 28-04-2025 DAYS2 COST£150.00 LOCATIONHope - Peak District PLACES6 BOOKING book now
  • COURSE DATE 04-09-2025 DAYS2 COST£150.00 LOCATIONHope - Peak District PLACES6 BOOKING book now
PRIVATE BOOKINGS

Hiring one of our instructors privately is the perfect choice when you’ve got a specific aim in mind, whether it’s to improve your personal skills, have an unforgettable guided experience with a group of friends or tick off an objective you’ve had in your sights for a while.

Click on the link for more details

WHY CHOOSE US?

All of our instructors are highly qualified Mountaineering Instructors or Mountain Leaders who take pride in offering engaging - fun courses that will give you the very best chance of achieving your goals. We are also members of Mountain Training, the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) and the British Mountaineering Council. Why not check out our google reviews and see what our clients think about us

Course Instructors

Matt Cooper
Matt Cooper
Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (MCI) Find Out More
Sam Elliot
Sam Elliot
Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (MCI) Find Out More

Testimonials

I've now been on two courses with The Mountaineering company. Both courses were great, learnt loads and Matt/Sam were brilliant instructors. I would definitely recommend to anyone getting into mountaineering to book onto intro and development courses. I'm looking forward to doing more courses with them in the future. (Google Review)

Alex Heaps

My partner and I booked Matt for two days mountaineering instruction so we could learn how to use ropes on climbs that were out of our comfort zone. We had a fantastic two days and Matts structured approach allowed us to take it all in and practice all the techniques over and over again. We both now feel more confident to take on more adventurous scrambles. Thanks Matt

Andy and karren

Fantastic day on the Back to Basics Navigation course with Matt. Very well organised and learnt a lot. Matt was very professional and great at teaching the skills with lots of patience and encouragement. Really enjoyed it and will definitely be signing up to other courses in future. Highly recommended.

Chontelle Wright

A great day out learning how to use a map and compass with Matt. His teaching style gave us just the right amount of information without feeling overloaded. I would highly recommend Matt !

Chris

Just got back from a fantastic weekend with Matt on the Welsh 3k and couldn't have asked for a better time. We had blue skies and cool air so it wasn't too hot and the views were simply incredible. Matt set a great pace allowing us to push our limits but never going beyond what we were capable of and we finished in 18 hours 32 mins. Hes a top bloke and I would certainly recommend him and The Mountaineering Company to anybody. Thanks again Matt. You will certainly see us again next year no doubt!

Chris Mansell

We attended a navigation course today with Matt. He was fantastic, can’t rate him highly enough! We had no knowledge at all, but have come home feeling confident and ready to tackle our adventure! Thank you Matt for a fabulous, fun day

Claire Black

I thoroughly recommend Matt as a leader & guide. I experienced an exhilarating & fun day with a super group doing Matt's Ogwen Classics day. Matt managed our mixed levels of ability & confidence with a calm, encouraging, alert & purposeful manner. He inspired confidence through recognition of our efforts & shared his knowledge & experience to support our skill development. The day passed all too quickly!

Ferne Davies

Awesome day with Matt teaching my 11yr old son and I the basics of climbing. Very patient and approachable would highly recommend Matt to anyone with an interest in rock climbing. Really fun day enjoyed by all!

Ian Roberts

Wow ! Where do I start, the best walking/climbing day of my life. Matt you were fantastic with all the members of our group. (Google Review)

Johnny Jones

All I can say is amazing!! Never scrambled before Matt looked after us supported us though the scary bits and made the whole day brilliant.

Karen Williams

Had a fantastic weekend with Matt on the mountain skills course - he is really friendly + approachable, and tailored the two days to what we enjoyed + wanted to learn. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to build their confidence with mountain hiking + navigation!

Kirsty

Well. What can I say - one of the best adventure weekends my friend and I have ever had and absolutely 10/10 instruction from Matt training us for our first OMM (Google Review)

Luke Whipps

Recently attended an intermediate rock skills course in the Peak District. Really great weekend and excellent fun. Matt is a top bloke; very knowledgeable and just the right amount of laid back. Allows all the information to really sink in - effective teaching!

Matt Pomfrett

Excellent day out with Matt on my first ever Scramble. I found it pretty tough in places but Matt was always there to put me at ease, offer instruction and with his support I made it to the top. Would highly recommend to others.

Polly Hornby

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