Guided Northumberland Walks from £20

Northumberland is a fantastic county for walkers with coasts, castles, pubs and hills to be discovered.

The hills have their own distinctive character.  Often with a remote feel, there are many hidden gems such as waterfalls, local wildlife, stunning views and impressive crags.

I lead walks in a variety of locations in Northumberland in the hills such as:

- Cheviot and Hedgehope Hill from Harthope Valley.
- Comb Fell, Hedgehope Hill and Linhope Spout from Breamish Valley.
- Simonside Hills from Rothbury.

And also along the gorgeous coastline.

- From Berwick to Holy Island.
- From Bamburgh to Craster.

Dates

We guide walks in Northumberland throughout the year. Please get in touch to arrange a location and date that suits you.

Accommodation

If you require guest house, hostel or camping accommodation in the area, I can make appropriate recommendations for your budget.

Prices and booking

£20 per person.
Please get in touch with your preferred dates and which walks you are interested in.

Guided West Highland Way: Day One - Craigallian Fire

West Highland Way Day One: Milngavie to Drymen

Within minutes of starting the West Highland Way you are out of the town and into countryside.  But the crucial part of the first day for me is the first sight of the Campsie Fells. This catches you by surprise as you turn the corner around Scroggy Hill.  Craigallian Loch appears out of nowhere with Dumgoyne in the distance.  It's the first inkling of the mountain scenery to come.

Beside the loch is a memorial to the Craigallian Fire.  The fire was kept alight for many years around the 1920s and 30s and became a meeting point for working class walkers and climbers from Clydeside.  They would sit and brew tea and, most importantly, share ideas.

Many of the firesitters went onto great things. Such as Tom Weir a Scottish climber and writer.  He's best known for his Weir's Way TV show, wearing a bobble hat and his environmental campaigning.  You'll see a statue to him on Day Two by the shore of Loch Lomond.

They talked politics and some would go on to fight in the Spanish Civil War.  They talked mountains and some would go on to explore the Himalayas in the 1950s.  They talked climbing and founded mountaineering clubs.  They defied landowners and opened up the Scottish hills to ordinary people. In doing so they began a campaign for greater access to the countryside that eventually led to the 2003 land reform act.  This effectively gives walkers, climbers, mountain bikers and canoeists free access to any wild places in Scotland so long as they treat them respectfully.

High Level Alternative

Every day of the West Highland Way there are hills above you, teasing you as you plod along the trail below. On day one it is Dumgoyne that does the teasing.

Not to include this shapely 427m hill means missing out on a great viewpoint.  To do so, veer off the West Highland Way after Carbeth Loch and follow quiet roads and tracks to Craigbrock and from here you can follow a track up to the top.

To get back to the West Highland Way from the top, head down the west of the hill to pick up a track to a whisky distillery. From here  you can join a path that intersects with the Way.


If you are looking for a guided walk in Northumberland, the Lake District, Scotland or further afield, with a mountain leader, please get in touch.  I also offer wild camping weekends and navigation courses.  I am planning to offer a Guided "West Highland Way" and "West Highland Way High Level Route" in 2016. Details will follow.  Find out more at exploring-etc.co.uk.

Mountain Navigation Courses

Basic Navigation

Pete’s Basic Navigation course, run over one day, is ideal for beginners to mountain navigation or those looking to build confidence with the basics. We will spend a day practising following large features like paths, walls and rivers. The course is very practical as the best way to learn to read a map is by doing it.

On the day we will cover:
- Orienting the map
- Locating your position by prominent features
- Route planning
- Map scale, symbols and features
- Understanding contours
- Taking and following bearings
- Pacing and timing

Advanced Navigation

Our Advanced Navigation course is also run over one day. It follows on naturally from the Basic Navigation course but this is not a prerequisite. The goal of this course is to help develop the skills needed to navigate confidently off paths and in poor visibility. The course is very practical as the best way to learn map reading is by doing it. We will spend a day practising navigation on pathless terrain.

On the day we will cover:
- Route planning
- Map types
- Contour interpretation
- Using a compass
- Taking and following bearings
- Pacing and timing
- Relocating your position
- Robust strategies

Dates and locations

We run navigation courses throughout the year please contact us for availability. The course can be run in a number of locations in Northumberland, the North Pennines, the Lake District or further afield. Please get in touch to arrange a location and date that suits you.

Prices and booking

£30 per person.
Please get in touch with your preference of basic or advanced course, dates, location and group size.

Wild Camping Adventures

Waking up surrounded by a mountain landscape is a revitalising experience. Wild camping takes you away from everyday life and makes you feel part of the outdoors. It’s also a fantastic way to extend your walking or cycling adventures into more remote wild areas.
As well as being a great experience, the Wild Camping course will help build your skills and confidence. The course is ideal if you want to go on to plan your own wild camping trips and expeditions.
Pete has wild camped over 300 nights often in remote mountainous areas and has a wealth of knowledge to share on the topic. The course is run over two days and will cover the following topics:
- Map reading skills for wild camping.
- Choosing a good site, avoiding environmental damage or disturbing other hill goers.
- Finding water, water purification and avoiding polluting water.
- Sanitation and hygiene.
- Keeping warm and dry.
- Food and drink.
- Things to do in the evening.
- Wild camping and the law.
- Equipment choice.
During the course we will walk for about 4 to 5 hours for two days carrying our overnight gear and food. Our rucksacks are likely to weigh about 15kg. You will need to a good level of fitness and some previous experience hill walking would be very useful.

Dates and locations

We run the Wild Camping courses from March to September. The course can be run in a number of locations in the Lake District or further afield. Pete is particularly keen on wild camping trips in Scotland! Please get in touch to arrange a location and date that suits you.

Prices and booking

£50 per person based on a group of 6
Please get in touch with preferred dates, location and group size.

Doing a number two

If you need to go, you need to go.  If you are in the hills and there's no toilet around what do you do?

Well, first you need to prepare. You need a shit kit.

Ingredients

Bog roll - Take a roll of toilet paper and pull out the cardboard from the middle. Now the paper will pull neatly from the middle. Just like in fancy public toilets! Now pop the whole thing in a plastic sandwich bag.

Something to dig a hole - You can buy an expensive lightweight trowel made from plastic, or titanium. Ice axe will do in winter. I use a spoon. I don't eat with it. Ever.

Cigarette lighter - So, if possible you can burn your paper.

Hand sanitiser - So you don't get ill.

Dry bag - It is nice to have dry paper.

Optional: Screw top plastic jar to carry out sanitary towels/tampons if you are female. Dog poo bags to hang your faeces on a tree. 

Method

You should be at least 50 metres from running water, lakes or paths when you defecate.  

When camping, defecate and urinate downhill from your campsite and collect water uphill. 

Fold back a small amount of turf and dig a 15 cm deep hole. Do your business, wipe your arse, burn the paper. Fill in hole and put the turf back. 

Don't bury sanitary products as animals dig them up. 

In ecologically sensitive areas, such as the Cairngorms plateaux, it is not advisable to bury your shit. You must make the effort to carry out what you brought in.

Also avoid doing it in "popular" wild camping spots, else there'll be loads of the stuff.

When digging a hole is absolutely impossible and you are in a very remote place, spread excrement thinly or arrange rocks such that air can circulate. Avoid just putting a rock on top as it slows decomposition. 

In winter, you need to dig the snow out of the way first. Burying your shit in snow doesn't work as the snow melts.

Now wash your hands.



I'm a mountain leader with considerable experience wild camping in remote mountain areas.  For a wild camping adventure, guided walk or mountain navigation course get in touch at:
exploring-etc.co.uk