On any given weekend between February and November, you will find Cairnvost Howe walk leaders on a dozen different hills across central Scotland. Some will be guiding a First Steps group onto Ben Ledi for the first time, helping people understand how the contours they traced on paper translate into the slope beneath their feet. Others will be running a Navigate Scotland course on the moorland above Crieff, standing in the cold with a group of adults — many of them in their forties, fifties, or sixties — who have finally decided to learn the skill they always meant to acquire. Others still will be walking alongside a Paths to Wellbeing cohort in Clackmannanshire, moving at a pace determined by the group rather than a timetable, pausing to identify a bird or watch weather move across the Ochils. Behind every walk and every course is a structure built on safety, inclusion, and quality. Our walk leaders hold recognised qualifications from Mountain Training, the national awarding body for hillwalking and mountaineering leadership in the UK. Our risk assessments are reviewed annually, our emergency protocols tested, and our safeguarding procedures kept current. We do not cut corners, because the hills do not cut corners either. What we offer is something rarer than adrenaline: the slow, lasting confidence that comes from knowing you can navigate your own way through a complex landscape — and the particular pleasure of doing it in good company.
A structured programme of map-and-compass navigation courses for complete beginners through to those preparing for more serious hill days. Navigate Scotland runs across three progressive levels — Foundations, Progress, and Winter Awareness — delivered on weekends between March and November. All courses are led by Mountain Training-qualified instructors and cover terrain assessment, route planning, grid references, contour interpretation, and emergency procedures. Participants leave each level with a completed route card, a personal skills logbook, and the confidence to apply what they have learned on their very next day out.
A beginner-friendly walking programme introducing new walkers to low-level Scottish hill and moorland terrain in small, welcoming groups. First Steps runs monthly from February to October, pairing new walkers with experienced leaders for half-day and full-day outings on accessible hill ground within an hour of central Scotland. Routes are chosen for their visual reward, manageable terrain, and good public transport links. Each walk includes a short practical skills segment — reading the landscape, identifying hazards, understanding Scottish weather — woven naturally into the day rather than delivered as a classroom lecture.
A walking and nature-connection programme delivered in partnership with NHS social prescribing networks and community mental health teams. Paths to Wellbeing runs six-week cohorts in spring and autumn, receiving referrals directly from GPs, community link workers, and mental health practitioners. Participants walk together in groups of eight to twelve, following a gentle progression from local greenspace to open moorland over the six weeks. Walk leaders hold mental health first aid certification, and the programme is evaluated each cohort using validated wellbeing measures, with anonymised results shared with our NHS partners to support ongoing development.
A schools and youth outreach programme bringing navigation skills and full hill days to young people aged 11–18 who would otherwise have limited access to the outdoors. Young Explorers works with secondary schools, youth clubs, and community groups in areas of higher deprivation, providing in-school navigation workshops followed by a guided hill day for each cohort. All kit — rucksacks, waterproofs, and walking poles — is loaned at no cost to participants. The programme connects to curriculum subjects including geography, outdoor education, and personal and social development, and every member of our delivery team is fully PVG-registered and experienced in working with young people.
On any given weekend between February and November, you will find Cairnvost Howe walk leaders on a dozen different hills across central Scotland. Some will be guiding a First Steps group onto Ben Ledi for the first time, helping people understand how the contours they traced on paper translate into the slope beneath their feet. Others will be running a Navigate Scotland course on the moorland above Crieff, standing in the cold with a group of adults — many of them in their forties, fifties, or sixties — who have finally decided to learn the skill they always meant to acquire. Others still will be walking alongside a Paths to Wellbeing cohort in Clackmannanshire, moving at a pace determined by the group rather than a timetable, pausing to identify a bird or watch weather move across the Ochils.
Behind every walk and every course is a structure built on safety, inclusion, and quality. Our walk leaders hold recognised qualifications from Mountain Training, the national awarding body for hillwalking and mountaineering leadership in the UK. Our risk assessments are reviewed annually, our emergency protocols tested, and our safeguarding procedures kept current. We do not cut corners, because the hills do not cut corners either. What we offer is something rarer than adrenaline: the slow, lasting confidence that comes from knowing you can navigate your own way through a complex landscape — and the particular pleasure of doing it in good company.
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