Testimonials

Here's a post where I put all the nice things people have said about me. Thanks everyone! If you have any feedback you'd like to leave me, please get in touch in the usual ways.

Just wanted to write a quick note after a great wild camping and navigating weekend. I learnt a lot and without doubt feel a lot more confident in the use of a compass. This was in part due to the immersive experience of learning over two days, staying out in the hill and your teaching skill and patience. It has given me a very solid foundation upon which to build. I would happily recommend you to others. Thank you very much. 

John - UK 

I would just like to say "thank you so much" for providing such a memorable and informative experience and for ensuring the trip was hassle free and enjoyable for each and every one of us. I  especially liked how you made a point of chatting with everybody individually at some point en route as a way of getting to know us on a personal level.  You do your job well, you are a born leader, and I have no doubt as to how successful you will be with your future endeavours. I was particularly impressed by your stamped self addressed postcard given to everyone at dinner in RHB.  It is a wonderful and touching gesture offered to the entire group and really topped off what was an amazing and extremely satisfying adventure for me.  

Kitty - Australia

The following stand out for me.Your knowledge and experience of the outdoors.  This gave us confidence in your abilities to get us there.  You took the time to walk along with all of us at different time and imparted this knowledge – names of the mountains (Bens?) that we were passing and it often transpired you had climbed them!  And plants such as wild sorrel growing on the rocks we were passing.Your ability to keep the group together. Although we all had a love if walking, we were a diverse bunch of people with different backgrounds and experiences but with your leadership and guidance, we got to know each other and enjoyed each others company and were  supportive of each other.  You managed this with techniques such as the ‘meet and greet’ at the start of the walk when we shared our own story;  eating together each night of the walk;  spending time with each of us during the walk and getting to know us better.Your respect of us.  This gave us the freedom to walk at our own speed whilst being mindful of the rest of the group.  When certain health issues arose you gave us the space to make a decision regarding what we should do. 

Lynette -Australia

Your company, guidance, knowledge and patience was to be admired.  As my main pursuit in Cyprus is the great outdoors, and having been being involved for 10 years in the organisation of an active vibrant walking group, I know the importance of quality walk leading.  You certainly ticked all the boxes for your relaxed style but clear accepted concern and responsibility for your followers.  Many thanks for making the trip so enjoyable.

Ian - Cyprus

We enjoyed your confident, friendly and relaxed style of guiding. We felt secure in the knowledge that you had a wealth of tracking, climbing and first hand experience.

Klara and Bram - Australia

Pete you were an astonishing leader, full of good cheer and encouragement and support. I felt really safe in your hands which is key to me. A huge thank you for giving us such a great holiday. You are a great and gifted leader - and I would be really happy to go on another of your walks.

Belinda -UK

Wild Camping Course in Langdales

Nice weekend wild camping course. On Saturday we looked at navigating with good linear features like paths, walls and streams. We got the stoves out at lunch for a brew.  Then in the afternoon we practiced some micro navigation using compass bearings and pacing. We selected a spot to camp with a tremendous view Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle.  A heavy rain shower put us off a night walk, so we turned in early. Overnight there was more rain, hail and even snow but we were cosy and warm in our tents.

On Sunday we looked at timing to judge distance using Naismith's rule and headed up High Raise in mist. From there we crossed rougher terrain to Stake Pass and then to Angle Tarn. We refueled with lunch and another brew before following the valley back to the pub and a well earned half pint.

Just wanted to write a quick note after a great wild camping and navigating weekend. I learnt a lot and without doubt feel a lot more confident in the use of a compass. This was in part due to the immersive experience of learning over two days, staying out in the hill and your teaching skill and patience. It has given me a very solid foundation upon which to build. I would happily recommend you to others.

Thank you very much 

John 

Guided Coast to Coast Day 13

Wainwright packs a lot into the last day of the walk. In doing so, we weave about a bit. When you look at a map you can see that if you flew, as the crow flies, due east from Grosmont, you'll hit Robin Hood's Bay in just under eight miles.  But we're walking 15.

At least we start off east.  After watching the steamer steam off, we puff our own way steeply up out of the village. This takes us onto moorland which we follow, passing some standing stones, until starting to drop again. We cross a road and follow a track down to Littlebeck. Across the stream, through a little gate and then we're into a great little woodland path. The wood is packed with interesting things, such as a cave, a hermitage carved into the sandstone, and Falling Foss - a nice shampoo-advert type waterfall. Next to the splashy water is a cafe so we can get a quick cream tea in.

Once out of the wood heading south we turn and head north across one more moor. Once we reach Hawsker it's time to head south again along the dramatic coastal path.  A one-hundred-and-sixty-five year-old dinosaur backbone was found jutting out of the sandstone here in June 2015.

Finally, as you walk along the cliff, you get a view of Robin Hood's Bay. It's a picturesque little place. In an old ballad Robin Hood is getting a bit bored of the woods and decides to become a fisherman. 

"The fisher-man more mony hath
Then any marchant two or three;
Therefore I will to Scarburough go
And there a fisher-man will bee."

When he gets there they end up having a fight with some French pirates. There's an action scene with lots of bow and arrow stuff and the fishermen win thanks to Robin. He donates his share of the spoils to the locals and they call their village after him. 

"And if it chance to bee my lott,
That I shall gett but well to land,
Ile therefore build a chappell good,
And it shall stand on Whitby strand.

"And there Ile keep a preist to sing
The masse untill the day I dye.
If Robin Hood com once on shore,
Hee com no more upon the see."

It makes for a fitting location to finish a walk across the country. So we walk down to the slipway, dip our boot in the sea, skim our pebbles from St Bees into the North Sea and then go for our well earned pint in the Bay Hotel. 

I offer guided walks and walking holidays in Northumberland, the Pennines, the Lake District, Scotland and further afield.

I'm always keen for outdoor adventures to help people learn the skills to explore! My particular focus is mountain skills such as navigating with a map and compass and wild camping for expeditions.

Find out more

Coast to Coast Walk: How not to get lost...

One way of not getting lost would be to do a guided walk.  Then someone like me would look after you, lead the way, point out things of interest and you can just relax and enjoy your walk.  If you prefer to go it alone here's a few tips on guidebooks, maps and some spots to watch out.

Guidebooks


Wainwright's Guide
Alfred Wainwright's masterpiece is a carefully planned walk and his usual painstakingly detailed and
quirky guidebook. The problem with the guidebook is that, for all it's charm and beauty, it's not much good to navigate by.  That said, the mile markers given on the maps are useful for gauging your progress.  Worth getting a copy for nostalgia, nice pictures and to get into the head of the man behind the walk.



Trailblazer Guide
The trailblazer guidebook is incredibly useful. They have hand drawn maps at a scale of 1:20,000 that show exact details of the route.  The maps are also pretty useful for estimating timings.  There are also up to date details of accommodation options, food options and public transport arrangements.

Others
There are other guidebooks available and some of them are better for chat and historical information.  From the perspective of navigation they are not as useful as the mapping tends to be too large a scale (1:50,000 in the Cicerone guide for example) to be much use on this walk, and following a written description of the route is less helpful.

Maps


Harvey 
Harvey maps have pulled off a neat feat by designing maps specifically for walkers.  The C. to C. maps are split in to "east" and "west" sections so you'll end up not getting much change from £30. The map punches above it's scale, 1:40,000, and the cartography is simplified to be clearer and of more use to walkers. Each section of the walk is split into panels so the whole walk is condensed into two lightweight maps.  The maps are also waterproof apparently.


A to Z
A number of year's ago the Ordnance Survey let other people buy the rights to their maps to create unique products. A to Z have been particularly ingenious in creating OS atlas books for interesting places in their "adventure" range. A book is actually a handy form for walking a long distance route and having 1:25,000 OS maps is fantastic. If it's raining it fits neatly into a map case. My only gripe is that the book is a bit flimsy and mine is starting to fall to bits after two C. to C.s. But then it was only about £8. You'd need about eighty quid's worth of Explorer maps (and the added volume) to equate.  With a bit of sticky back plastic this flaw can be rectified. I've also added approximate timings and mile marks to mine to make it all I need to follow the route precisely.

Common spots to go wrong...
Because of the way it was conceived, the C. to C. is not an official long distance trail. As such the signage is inconsistent, poor, or (as in the Lakes) non-existent.  Here's a few places people often walk off in the wrong direction.

Black Sail YHA
You want the faint trail towards Tounge Gill, not the obvious track.

Angle Tarn
After passing Satura Crag you want to follow the wall down to the clear track towards Sulphury Gill. There is an obvious track up Rest Dodd a lot of people follow by mistake.

The Knott
Having made it past Rest Dodd, make sure you make the sharp left hand turn to Kidsty Pike just after the Knott.

I offer guided walks and walking holidays in Northumberland, the Pennines, the Lake District, Scotland and further afield.

I'm always keen for outdoor adventures to help people learn the skills to explore! My particular focus is mountain skills such as navigating with a map and compass and wild camping for expeditions.

Find out more