So Aspen is 10 years old this month! Running Aspen has been fantastic experience. It’s been a dream of mine, since I was a young man, to share outdoor adventure with others. I had a go at running my own business back in 1996, with a company called Northern Prospects. I didn’t make enough money to sustain it but learnt a huge amount. After 20 years in local government, whilst working part time as a guide, it was time to try again and Aspen was set up in October 2016.
Over the last 10 years the business has grown from a small affair, run by me and Magnus, my son, from my flat in Partick to what feels like quite a mature business with premises, vehicles and eight employees. Big milestones included:
- Making it through lockdown in 2020;
- Taking on my first employee (and later Director and owner of Aspen) – Jen Brooke;
- Employing senior instructors;
- Moving into our base in Kilsyth;
- Adding canoeing to our offer;
- Taking over Frieda Bos’s About Argyll Walking Holidays; and,
- Employing Daisy Gribbons as Tour Coordinator last year.
Impact can be communicated in numbers; for example 125 expeditions a year with 2,500 young people, or running 130 navigation courses with 760 participants, but what I think is more meaningful are all the smiling faces of Aspen clients and team members. So to convey that Daisy and I have pulled together lots of photos, from across ten years of delivery.
In there are photos from expeditions, hillwalking trips, canoe adventures, training courses, walking holidays and residentials. Some of the key people in Aspen’s history are in there; returning clients like Carol, Shree, Nick, Gavin, Sharon, Robert, David W, David S, Maria and Mary; and longstanding employees and instructors like Al, Murray, Saki, Penny, Debbie, Alan and Iain.
I’d like to say a big thank you all the free-lance instructors that have worked for us over the years, around 100 I’d say. I couldn’t have run Aspen without their commitment and professionalism. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been a core part of the business from the start and I am very thankful for the support of Viki Williams; and our most longstanding school customers: Brian Henry and Ellen Hall from Notre Dame; and Iain Love from Lochend. The sense of community Aspen has brought to me has been amazing. On behalf of Jen and I I’d like to share my thanks and gratitude to you all.
Sadly, with the challenge of higher overheads, we are going to be cutting back our employees in 2027. It is with great regret that Daisy, Penny, Iain, Alan, Debbie, Alan and Saki will be finishing up at the end of 2026. But they shall remain vital members of our free-lance team, involved in lots of delivery next year.
2027 is shaping up to be an exciting year, with new tours to Mull, Harris and Lewis and Norway. We also have got a really full programme of outdoor adventures and outdoor training courses for the year ahead; for example, a Flora and Fauna workshop, Winter Skills training; Night Navigation training; ML ropework training; Suilven by Canoe; Sgurr Mor by Canoe; the Fisherfield munros; the Torridon munros; Weaving Workshops; and National Navigation Award courses. Hope to see you in 2027!
