Looking to take your mountain skills to the next level?

Although we have already started our summer courses, we are very much looking forward to welcoming the summer weather when it arrives too! 

May will kick off with the first of our Mountain Skills weekend courses, being held in the stunning location of Glen Clova. 

This is the perfect opportunity to learn or refresh all the skills needed for safe and successful adventures in the Scottish mountains in a beautiful setting, with two-nights accommodation included at the Carn Dearg Mountaineering Club Hut, Braedownie.

These weekend courses go a step further than the basic navigation skills to introduce valuable skills to members who regularly visit the summer mountains and who wish to develop their abilities to become safer and more proficient. It's also a great chance to make new hill-going friends! 

At the end of May, our ‘Introduction to Scrambling’ courses will be held in Glencoe. These one-day courses are aimed at people who are looking to gain the skills and the confidence to start exploring more adventurous ways up or down the mountains. Maybe some of the Munros you are planning this summer have a few tricky or awkward steps? Or would you like to know how to recognise scrambling and steep ground on the map? This course aims to give you the confidence and skills to start tackling those harder to reach areas, as well as enabling you to know what to do if you end up in that ground by mistake.

Below are a few examples of what previous participants thought of our similar scrambling courses:

“This course was excellent at providing me with a greater level of confidence on tricky steep terrain. I already felt quite comfortable ascending such terrain, including having previously done a bit of scrambling, but I came out of the course with a greater level of confidence descending grass, scree and rock, which is what I was really after.”

“I had previously done some scrambling with a mountain guide and was keen to gain skills to get out on steep ground by myself. This course was excellent for this as it helped me really focus on my movement skills and judge the terrain I was committing to without the direction of a guide. The fact that the practiced on non-consequential ground meant that I could develop my skills in a safe environment and allowed me to really build my confidence.”

June sees more of our One-Day Navigation courses taking place in Braemar and Aviemore, as well as our Women's One-Day Navigation courses taking place in Glencoe.

Navigation is an essential skill for anyone who intends going into the Scottish hills and mountains, whether you enjoy long walks through the glens or getting on the high tops and Munros. 

Mountaineering Scotland runs a number of one-day navigation courses every year to help you learn the skills you need to find your way around the hills with confidence, even in poor visibility. They’re suitable for those both new to the hills and those looking to refresh their skills.