It’s been a busy year again at Aspen. My time has been split between time in the office organising, guiding walking holidays and hillwalking events, supervising Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions, instructing clients on outdoor training courses and spending time supporting and coaching my team. I love the variety of jobs I get to do. I’m very fortunate to be out so much, relying on my team to keep on top of all the logistics, so thank you Jen and Daisy. Here’s my top ten highlights from this season of guiding, instructing and team building.
1. Winter Skills Dofe Residential, Cairngorm National Park
This is the third year we’ve run our Winter Skills Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award residential. Like previous years, our 2026 residential sold out fast. We had ten participants from all over the UK, eager to experience the Cairngorm mountains in winter. What a fantastic time we had. The participants were keen, enthusiastic, motivated and really appreciative. One of our best days was a sunny cold day on the Cairngorm plateau. My team had planned a journey beginning with Cairngorm before skirting the Coire rim of Sneachda and Coire and Lochain and circuling back to the start. The views across the plateau were stunning: a huge white expanse of mountains, snow and ice, an unforgettable experience for me and the participants. In 2027 we are running two residentials, one in February and another in March. February is full, but there are still places on the March one. Click here for more information and booking.
2. Instructor Winter Residential, Cairngorm National Park
Fresh off the back of the Gold Winter Skills residential, I jumped straight into running our adult winter gathering. We had a great mix of clients, returning faces from last year, and about ten of the Aspen instructor team. While it was the perfect chance to relax, socialise, and learn new skills—like ski-touring, snow-hole building, and navigating the plateau in tough visibility—the real highlight for me was the community. Looking around, I felt incredibly proud and grateful for the amazing community of people that has come together over Aspen’s ten-year history.
If you’d like to learn or improve your winter skills, do get in touch. We have lots of winter skills dates in the diary for 2027. There’s lots of scope for participants to tailor these courses to your particular needs. We can focus navigation, steep ground, snow shelters or provided an introduction to movement skills.
3. Raeburn’s Gully with Saki
An important part of my job, I feel, is supporting members of the team in their journey towards new qualifications. Saki Nakamura, senior instructor at Aspen has set herself the goal of gaining the Winter Mountain Leader Award. Part of that challenge is building up experience in the consolidation period, between training an assessment: accumulating quality mountain days where skills and competence is enhanced. Saki was keen to push her steep ground skills and was looking to do some grade one gullies. I offered to help out and we decided upon two 400m long gullies on Creag Meagaidh: Raeburn’s and Easy gully. The snow conditions were great, really consolidated snow that afforded our ice axes and crampons lots of grip. We ascended Raeburn’s, bagged the summit of Creag Meagaidh, then descended Easy Gully. A brilliant day!
4. Exploring the wild corners of Islay
In May I ran a private tour for one of my favourite group of returning clients, six friends from Texas: David, Mary, David, Maria, Sharon and Robert. They are a really well travelled group, having explored, with me, many many places in Scotland. For this year’s tour I wanted to take them to the Southern Hebrides, visiting Islay, Jura, Gigha, Kintyre and Arran. I had intended to visit Colonsay, but the Cal Mac ferry broke down and we couldn’t go. Pouring over maps for suitable alternatives I decided to explore a new section of Islay’s coastline, west of Sanaigmore. What drew me to this area was an archaeological site hidden in a rugged, inhospitable stretch between a rocky shore and towering cliffs. The site comprises walls, intramural chambers, and beehive cells. It very plausibly represents an early Christian monastic community dating to the seventh or eighth century. At the time, Islay sat squarely within the orbit of proselytizing missionaries like Saint Columba, and remote retreats like this were deeply valued as places of quiet contemplation. We also came upon the most beautiful quiet beach, with pristine sand and a lagoon. I am always thrilled to find new places in Scotland, sites that fill me with wonder and curiosity.
If you’d like us to organise a private tour please get in touch.
5. Sgurr Mor by Canoe
In 2026 I ran our Sgurr Mor by canoe trip four times. It has become a real fixture on our programme of mountain adventures. Something really special happens when experienced hillwalkers approach a mountain from a different mode of travel and perspective. Praise from a client:
Superb trip organised with great skill efficiency and safety. Terrific alternative to doing this Munro from Glen Dessary and should be better known. Magical canoe trip across Loch Quoich. An unforgettable day, thank you very much for all.
Check out our 2027 dates for Sgurr Mor by canoe.
6. Gold expeditions in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway
In 2026, we ran two Gold DofE expeditions in Norway’s stunning Jotunheimen National Park—one for an international school from Barcelona, and an open group for five Scottish participants. Jotunheimen’s dramatic landscapes, wildlife, and mountain culture were awesome, but the participants themselves were the real highlight. It is an incredible privilege to share wild spaces with young people and watch them build lasting friendships, unlock their independence, and develop a deeper curiosity about the natural world. We are going back to Norway in 2027. I August we are running another Open Gold Expedition for young people, and in September we are running a hut-hut trekking tour for adults.
Feedback from a participant:
10 stars!! I absolutely loved my Open Gold DofE Expedition in the Jotunheim, Norway. It was incredible hiking in the “Land of Giants”. We navigated difficult terrain, stayed in a cosy mountain hut, and saw 12 reindeer-several of which were prancing about on the glacier we went up to! Our supervisors were great – they helped us to plan the best, most amazing route, and throughout the expedition I learnt new things from Alastair like how to properly walk on snow and what plants are edible (some lichen was eaten). This was my second Open Qualifying Expedition with Aspen and, although we didn’t all know each other, we got on really well – like the first expedition, it made the experience that much greater. I would definitely recommend Aspen to anyone. Thank you so, so, so much Alastair and Daisy for such an amazing expedition and making it happen!!
7. The Tay Descent
In September Penny and I did the Tay Descent, a four-day adventure that involved sailing across Loch Tay, paddling the river Tay to Perth, then a bold sea crossing to Dundee. We’d hoped for a journey that would challenge us and develop or skills. We weren’t disappointed: exciting rapids, scary seas, solo sailing and cool island camps. The journey had provided everything we’d hoped for: adventure, lots of learning, fun, beautiful landscapes and companionship. I’ve written a blog about the trip where you can read more about it.
8. Vallay, North Uist
In May I was back in the Outer Hebrides running a tour in Barra and North Uist. My favourite day is a walk to the tidal island of Vallay. Getting the tides right is critical. One walks out as the tide is ebbing, giving you about four hours to explore, returning before the flood tide rushes in. The crossing is really special, three kilometres of walking barefoot across the tidal sands. This intertidal crossing is a humbling contemplative experience: a liminal space with bare-ribbed, furrowed sands; glinting pools of seawater; and, big skies. Once across and onto this uninhabited island we become explorers: searching out wildflowers and beautiful disseated beaches. Visit Vallay on our Barra and the Uists Walking tour in 2027. We have two dates, in May and July.
9. Our annual Instructor CPD Day, Torphechin
Every year I organise an CPD team for employees and the wider free-lance pool of instructors. It’s a tradition we’ve maintained over the ten year history of Aspen. The event is preceded by data gathering: summarising monitoring information from a year’s worth of events, getting feedback from the team, reflecting on what went well and what can be improved. This leads to an agenda filled with policy changes, training priorities, improvement actions. The event also provides a great opportunity to catch up, network and learn from each other. It is a highly valued part of our culture at Aspen. This year we ran the event at Craig Scout camp near Torphechin. After our review meeting we headed out to walk the route of a new Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award route. If you would like to part of the Aspen team do get in touch. You can apply through this link. We are looking for individuals that have a passion for the outdoors, a rapport with young people and a technical outdoor qualification (trekking or canoeing).
10. Gold Multi-activity Residential, Lochearnhead
Another standout event from this year was the Gold Multi-Activity Residential at Lochearnhead Scout Camp. We took a group of seven young people who started the week as strangers but left as close friends. They threw themselves into teamwork right away, taking ownership of the camp cooking and meal prep. They also took part range of outdoor adventures, from canoeing and bushcraft to scrambling and hillwalking. Once again, the real highlight was watching their confidence soar as they learned new skills, formed deep connections, and challenged themselves every day.
We don’t have a summer residential in our programme for 2027, but we are running two Winter Skills Residentials. February is full but there are still spaces on the March one.