Hill and Moorland Leader Training

Overview

If you want to learn the skills required for effective group leadership in the hill and moorland areas of the UK and Ireland, this is the ideal qualification. It’s used extensively by many walk leaders and outdoor instructors as well as those involved with delivering the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Hill and Moorland Leaders operate in terrain that’s generally more remote than that covered by Lowland Leaders, and not as steep or rocky as ground covered by Mountain Leaders. It’s based on the Mountain Training syllabus and you’ll get a mix of theory and practical sessions, taking advantage of our excellent classroom facilities and Eryri’s spectacular hills and moorlands.

Our friendly and experienced instructors will cover weather, group leader responsibilities, risk assessment, and dealing with emergencies. Your practical sessions will cover walking, route finding in the hills, navigation, and leadership.

The Objectives

• The Hill and Moorland Leader qualification offers the opportunity to gain experience and demonstrate technical competence in leading groups on hill walks in areas of the UK and Ireland. Such areas may often be subject to hostile weather conditions and require an element of self-sufficiency and this is reflected in the syllabus of this scheme.
• It is the combination of technical competence and leadership skills supported by a wide range of experience that forms the basis for effective group management. The scheme addresses all these elements. However, the employer or operating authority must ultimately decide whether a leader possesses the personal attributes needed to take responsibility for any particular group of people.
• To develop an action plan for your consolidation period and help you to prepare you for your Hill and Moorland Leader assessment.

What to Expect

You’ll spend three days covering a mix of theory and practical skills development which will take in;

• Walking and Route Finding
• Navigation
• Hazards and Emergency Procedures
• Equipment
• Responsibilities of the Leader
• Group Management
• Access, Conservation and Environmental Knowledge
• Weather

There will be theoretical evening sessions between 5:30-6:30pm and also one practical night navigation after dark.

Experience Required

You will need to register with Mountain Training before booking onto this course. To register, you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• have at least a year’s worth experience of hill walking
• have an interest in leading groups in hill and moorlands
• be a member of a mountaineering council: BMC, Mountaineering Scotland or Mountaineering Ireland (you can join one when you register if you’re not already a member) https://www.mountain-training.org/help/faqs/registration

You should have 20 Quality hill or moorland days in your Dlog prior to attending this training course. Take a look at the syllabus for full information on the qualification here.

How Should I Prepare?

You must:

• Be registered for this qualification with Mountain Training and be at least 18 years old
• You should have at least a year’s worth of experience of hill walking
• You should have an interest in leading groups in the hills
• You must be a member of a mountaineering council: BMC, Mountaineering Scotland or Mountaineering Ireland (you can join one when you register if you’re not already a member)
• You should have recorded 20 Quality Hillwalking Days in your Dlog before attending this training course.

Download course handbook here.

Note: Our instructors will assess any safety equipment you bring with you. If they consider it to be below the required standard, you will be asked to use equipment provided free of charge by Plas y Brenin.