Whether you’re a complete beginner who’d like to learn to successfully navigate the countryside with a compass, a novice with map reading skills looking to boost your confidence or you want to gain an accredited qualification – we have a course for you.

Our Skills Academy has been providing courses for individuals and groups for over nine years. We pride ourselves on providing the very best customer service and individual attention to ensure our guests get the maximum benefit from our courses. We have a huge amount of experience and expertise in providing outdoor skills courses, and we are recognised as one of the leading providers in the region. To ensure that our students get essential personal attention, we have to limit the number of places on a course in order to provide the best instructor to student ratio. Our instructors have many years of outdoor experience including extensive hiking and leading in the UK, the Alps and throughout the world. All our instructors are MTA qualified, are DBS checked and hold a current outdoor first aid certificate.

Enjoy a walking adventure with a difference. Our collection of self-guided walking days and short breaks have been crafted to provide inspirational, quality, sustainable walking experiences where our independent adventurers can escape, reconnect and immerse themselves in the outdoors, while having fun, learning, challenging themselves and creating lifelong memories.

We know first-hand the excitement of an independent adventure, especially the freedom to escape into the countryside post lockdown. Being flexible is really important to us, which is why we will help you tailor your adventure to you and your group’s needs including organising your personalised itinerary, set up your bag transfer, equipment hire, coordinate any accommodation and so much more.

By providing you with our Virtual Guide, it is just like having your own personal expert guide by your side on your walk. You will have the local knowledge of our expert guides, who regularly walk the routes, shared with you via our Virtual Guide where you can access your personal itinerary, trail notes, top sights and your adventure pack via our mobile app.

For added peace of mind you will be able to follow the route via OS Maps on your mobile, plus the luxury of having your Virtual Guide highlighting top sights and nature spotting tips. Should you need any assistance, our team, including one of our Lead Guides, is available 24×7 to support you.

We know how precious your free time is, which is why we believe in offering our clients the choice of how they spend their time outdoors with our range of guided, self-guided and bespoke adventures.

Soak up the beauty and tranquillity of the great outdoors under the expert guidance of our local guides.

Discover the unique flora and fauna of beautiful British landscapes, visit iconic landmarks, fascinating historic sites and majestic castles, explore quintessential villages, discover stunning coastlines – while often sampling delicious renowned local produce along the way.

We are passionate about creating and providing inspirational, quality, sustainable walking experiences where our adventurers can escape, reconnect and immerse themselves in the outdoors, while having fun, learning, challenging themselves and creating lifelong memories.

The day also may include learning some map reading skills or a visit to a local vineyard, brewery, country pub or tea room – the perfect way to end your rural escape. Our lovely outdoor experiences are authentic, relaxing and, with specialist knowledge on hand, can be tailored to you and your wishes.