OUR STORY

George is Perthshire based, and has a lifelong interest in the outdoors . He has been mountaineering for over 20 years, and after training as a Mountain Leader with the Royal Marines, has gained over a decade of experience teaching various aspects of mountaineering, navigating, climbing, ice climbing and cold weather survival skills. George has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to instruct in a variety of inspiring environments, including the Swiss Alps, Albanian Mountains, American Rockies, The United Arab Emirates, Arctic Norway, Cornish sea cliffs, Welsh mountains, and in numerous locations throughout Scotland. Since leaving the Royal Marines George is now working as a mountain guide both in the UK and overseas working in places such as Nepal, Greenland and Sweden.

James has recently retired from teaching after 34 years and now devotes much of his time to helping people young and older enjoy the benefits of the Scottish hills and the outdoors in general, something he has enjoyed doing since the Army in 1979. He is a Mountain Leader, a DofE Assessor and a National Navigation Award Scheme Course Provider. He has taken part in and led on expeditions in South America, Indonesia and South Africa as well as Europe and the British Isles. He has a particular fascination with Gaelic and Welsh mountain names. It helps with navigation!

To pursue a passion for adventure and the outdoors, Edd decided to move to Scotland from an office-based career south of the border, and has never looked back.

He’s always loved the outdoors and travel, spending every waking hour growing up exploring his local area in South East England, this then expanded to hillwalking in the Lake District and Snowdonia and subsequently mountaineering and rock climbing in Scotland and around the world.

He’s a qualified Summer and Winter Mountain Leader, DofE Supervisor/Assessor and NNAS Tutor. He’s led groups as far afield as Borneo, Ecuador, and Nepal although he believes that a day out up his beloved Lochnagar rivals any of these adventures!

Naomi lives in Aberdeenshire and loves spending time running, mountaineering, skiing, biking and drinking hot chocolate in the Scottish hills. She is a Summer, Winter and International Mountain Leader, Duke of Edinburgh Assessor, and National Navigation Award Scheme Tutor. She has been lucky enough to travel the globe leading expeditions over the past 12 years, with the remote arctic mountains of Norway, Greenland and Alaska being her favourite destinations. She is an active member of her local mountain rescue team and a qualified doctor.

John is a qualified Summer and Winter Mountain Leader, passionate about passing on his knowledge and skills, and sharing his enthusiasm for the hills with others. He first developed his love of the outdoors in the Scottish Highlands and has explored many of the wilder and more remote corners of the Highlands, in all seasons. He has built up an intimate knowledge of the Scottish hills and glens as well as a keen interest in the ecology, geology and history of the natural environment. He also enjoys getting his hands on rock and has completed many of the UK’s classic scrambles and is a keen rock climber.

I am a Cairngorms based outdoor enthusiast. I am a fully qualified Summer Mountain Leader as well as a Mountain Bike Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor. My love for the outdoors was first sparked by white water kayaking at university, and I have since had many adventures in the Scottish mountains, and around the rest of the UK. I enjoy sharing my passion with others and showing people the beauty that the mountains of Scotland offer.

Bill is a fully qualified mountain leader and volunteer with Scottish Mountain Rescue and has over 30 years mountaineering experience. Bill has lived in the NE of Scotland since leaving the army but spends as much time in the mountains of Scotland as he does at home. He is a Munro completist and has skied, climbed and walked in many of the high ranges across the globe with multiple visits to the Himalayas and Alps. Bill has a passion for the outdoors and enjoys sharing this with others.

Iain is a Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and a Winter Mountain Leader based in Inverness. This gives him a great base to travel throughout the Highlands for work and play and to get to fully enjoy the remoteness and ruggedness of the many mountainous areas. Whether on the rocky peaks of the Skye Cuillin on a warm sunny day, or the rolling expanse of the Cairngorm plateau in a winter blizzard, Iain has a passion for the mountains and feels privileged to be able to introduce and share these experiences with others.

Graham has been spending time in the outdoors most of his life and comes from a traditional Scottish mountaineering background. Starting the Munros aged 9 he completed them aged 24 on Skye’s Blaven. He’s rock and ice climbed extensively in Scotland as well as on multiple trips to the Alps, Norway and the Karakorum including fast and light ascents of Mont Blanc, The Matterhorn and Spantik. He also served in the RAF Regiment and left the oil and gas industry after 8 years to pursue a career in Scotland's mountains.

Ronnie is a fully qualified Mountain Leader and has a passion for travel, adventure and the outdoors. With both juvenile and adult groups he has led over 25 expeditions all over the world, from 8,000m Himalayan peaks, other mountain ranges, jungles, deserts, cities and islands. Ronnie's other profession and his previous 'proper job' was as Senior HR Manager of a global energy company specialising in Leadership/organisational development, facilitation, diversity and change management. He has over 40 years experience of the Scottish hills and is knowledgeable on their history, culture and flora/fauna. When not on some long distance cycle adventure in some remote corner of the globe he can be found enjoying the hills on his Deeside doorstep.

The great outdoors has always been special to me, ever since I was a child. I am really lucky to be able to spend time in beautiful wild places for both work and leisure - I am a fully qualified Summer Mountain Leader and also a research scientist specialising in upland ecology in my ‘day job’! I have walked/scrambled up many mountains in summer and winter and also walked (cycled/sea-kayaked/canadian-canoed) in lots of coastal areas and islands. I have travelled to around 40 different countries, for short and longer visits, including expeditions and multi-year research projects, e.g. in Western Australia; the Eastern Cape; Hindu-Kush Karakorum region; Chilean Andes. I am also a trained facilitator, presenter and supervisor and I love the joy of outdoor teaching and learning – nothing beats it!

I've been a keen hillwalker and backpacker for over 20 years and enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for the outdoors with other people. I've worked in conservation land management for over 15 years so am able to interpret the landscape through my experience.

Although I've walked all over Scotland, having lived in Braemar since 2008 the Cairngorms are a special place for me and the one I get the most joy from exploring

Alan is a qualified mountain leader, rock climbing instructor and mountain biking leader.

He has over 25 years experience of hiking, climbing and biking the mountains of Scotland and beyond. He has completed all 282 of Scotland's Munro mountains as well as scaling Mont Blanc and the Dent du Geant in the Alps.

Alan lives in Inverness with his young family and he is a Gaelic speaker.

When not guiding you may spot Alan hiking or biking up a Scottish mountain or going on a family walk in the beautiful Highlands and Islands.

Following a short career as an international rower, Lauren swapped life on the water for the wilderness of the Scottish mountains and never looked back. She has walked, run, and climbed extensively across Scotland in both summer and winter and is always on the lookout for a new challenge. As well as being a qualified Summer and Winter Mountain Leader, Lauren has a PhD in Geology - so if you ask her about the rocks while out in the hills, be prepared for a story!

Andrew grew up in Glasgow, although has been living in Aberdeenshire for 30+ years, so knows Scotland well. Although working in the offshore energy industry and traveling the world for most of his working life, he’s spent a lot of time in the hills, on foot and on bikes. He is a Mountain Leader, Mountain Bike Leader, DofE Assessor and NNAS Tutor. Still competing nationally in orienteering, his navigation skills and teaching are well honed, whilst having a passion for all things maps – he studied the making of them at university. He compleated his Munros and is currently ticking the odd Corbett, whilst having experience in walking in the Alps and the High Atlas Mountains more recently.

Gillian is an English and Drama teacher, but her first love is for outdoor activities. As a Summer Mountain Leader, DofE Assessor/Supervisor, NNAS tutor, and Mountain Bike Leader, she particularly enjoys sharing her outdoor experience with people of all ages. Currently, Gillian is a trainer for the International DofE Award, and coordinated the Award at the British School of Paris for 6 years. Whilst there, she had the privilege of leading DofE expeditions to areas of France including the Alps and Les Ecrins National Park. However, she is happy to be back in the Scottish hills!

I’m a Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor with a lot of love for the Scottish mountains, especially in the winter time. Most of my time is now spent guiding and instructing Mountaineering but I also have a history of working with boats and bikes amongst many other outdoor pursuits. I enjoy all things outside and showing people just how amazing Scotland is.

I am an enthusiastic Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor and Winter Mountain Leader based in Fort William with an passion for sharing my love for the highlands and the skills to explore them with others. I'm fortunate to spend most of my time climbing, walking or scrambling (as well as drinking copious amounts of coffee) both in Scotland and abroad enabling me to share and develop others whether walking through the depths of the Cairngorms on a sparkling winters day or rock climbing on the Isles

Jim is a resident of Braemar where he has lived and worked since the late 1980’s. Jim is a winter mountain leader who has been involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for over 30 years, training, leading and assessing groups. Jim is an NNAS Tutor and Course Provider. A keen skier both on and off piste, he is fortunate enough to combine his passion for skiing with his current role as head of ski patrol for Glenshee.

Luna comes with us on some walks. She's multilingual speaking most languages. She can also smell out a sandwich lost on a hill from quite a distance, a unique ability, even in poor visibility she can lead a group to food.

We generally request that dogs do not attend our walks for a variety of reasons such as disturbance to ground nesting birds, fear or allergies from other walkers and potential for issues of the dog gets cold, tired or injured.

My name is Andy and I am a music teacher and experienced outdoor instructor, based in Aberdeenshire. I am a qualified Mountain Leader (Summer and Winter), Rock Climbing Instructor and British Mountain Bike Leader (Level 3). I have a passion for guiding and leading people in the outdoors on foot and bike, and for helping them to achieve their goals. Originally from the North East of England, I moved up to Scotland 10 years ago and never looked back! I love the variety of outdoor experiences which the Cairngorms provide from breath-taking days in the mountains on foot, to exhilarating and varied mountain biking. I’m also a keen skier and qualified ski instructor, and find the mountains in Winter the most magical place to be.

I have been a teacher of Biology and Chemistry for 36 years and during this time I have hugely enjoyed introducing young people to the mountains of Scotland and further afield. It has been great to see students develop their rock climbing and hillwalking skills, building lasting memories and experiences. I hold the Mountain Leader (Summer) and Single Pitch Award(SPA).

I am a keen mountaineer, climbing in summer and winter throughout the UK and in the European Alps. I love the Scottish mountains; easy access to wild country with rich diversity of fauna and flora and landforms makes this country special. Scotland’s north east sea cliffs add an extra dimension to living in this part of the world; they are a fabulous , if not well known, rock climbing venue offering a lifetime of climbing.

Retiring from teaching will allow me more time to spend with my family, enjoying the hills and hopefully also giving me more time to improve my guitar playing!