That night was the most dark and desperate as I’d lived. For three days and nights, my five crewmates and I had suffered. Since capsizing off the Naze of Norway, a terrible gale had driven us across the North Sea to the Shetlands. So here we lay; our ship, The Hermann, wrecked on the rocks, …
Continue reading Wreck of Danish Schooner at Sandwick, Feb 1900
Alan Dorward is a Senior instructor with Aspen Outdoors Ltd. I met up with him mid February 2024 to talk to him about his forthcoming Winter Mountain Leader (WML) assessment, due to take place the following week. The Winter Mountain Leader Award is a professional qualification for leading groups of hillwakers in winter conditions in …
Continue reading Getting ready for your Winter Mountain Leader Assessment!
Earlier this year Aspen became a provider of something called the Mountain Training Hill and Mountain Skills Courses. Mountain Training is the Awarding body for skill courses and qualifications in walking, climbing and mountaineering, that operates across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The Hill and Mountain Skills Courses are two separate courses (16 …
Continue reading Mountain Training Hill and Mountain Skills Courses
This post is based on this blog post written in 2020, with some updates based on changes to the eDofE mapping software introduced in 2023. The first step is to access eDofE Mapping from your eDofE account. If you are a participant, select 'Expedition Section' and look for 'Mapping' at the bottom of the page. …
For the team at Aspen, winter is a time for planning and doing reccies. A reccy (reconnoitre) is my favoured term for the joyous pastime of exploring a new area for the purposes of checking its suitability for clients, customers, and Duke of Edinburgh's Award participants. To this end, foremost in mind are considerations like: …
The Meall nan Tarmachan ridge is a fine venue for a winter's day hill walk. Twice now this season, I've been up there with groups, navigating on its intricate and complex terrain and practicing steep group movement skills, with ice axe and crampons. Being based in Glasgow, finding a good winter venue not too far …
Traigh Mheilein, Huisinis, North Harris I'm not long back from a tour to the Western Isles, guiding for About Argyll Walking Holidays and I've been reminded just how stunningly beautiful the beaches are there. I'm fairly well traveled when it comes to Scotland. Admittedly I've not been to Coll, Tiree or the beaches on Berneray, …
During July's heatwave, me and Jen were running our first Aspen Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award Bushcraft residential at Wiston Lodge in South Lanarkshire. Eight Gold participants, from across the UK, took part, all eager to meet new people and learn new skills. The programme for the five-day residential included learning a wide range of …
Driving north along Loch Lomondside on Friday 25 March 2022, large portions of the hillside on Ben Lomond were blackened. Extensive areas of burning could clearly be seen on the Ptarmigan ridge, across the route of the hill path to the summit, from a wildfire earlier in the week. News reports this week also told …
Last week, on a bright November day, I headed off to Mugdock Country Park, north of Glasgow, to practice making things with natural materials. On almost every visit to the outdoors, I'll end up making something. I'm always on the look out for different materials that I can bend and twist and weave and shape. …
