Who we are and what we do...
Kevin Walker has been running navigation and hill-skills courses in the Welsh mountains since 1978. His main base is in Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons. London is less than 3 hours away, Birmingham just over 90 minutes. Indeed, it is only 10 minutes from a major dual-carriageway link to both the M4 and M5 corridors, so it is really easy to get here. Despite this, the area is surprisingly quiet, and many first-time visitors are amazed by the wealth of wilderness. As well as high hills and lonely valleys, there are some wonderfully wild tracts of moorland, which make the area ideal for learning navigation and hill-skills.
Kevin offers friendly professionalism, quality training, and individual attention made possible by exceptionally small groups. On scheduled navigation courses he never works with more than 4 clients, often with less. He also offers personal tuition, 1:1 coaching and private guiding throughout Wales and the rest of the British Isles, not just in navigation techniques, but in a whole host of other mountain skills as well.
In overall charge, Kevin Walker is a highly experienced mountain addict who has been running navigation and mountain skills courses for over 30 years. Well known in the business, Kevin ran Mountain Leader training courses for several years, and has written many books including Mountain Navigation Techniques (widely regarded as the standard work), and Learn Rock Climbing in a Weekend (published worldwide). Recent books include The Essential Hillwalkers Guide, published to critical acclaim in 2002, and Navigation - Finding Your Way on Mountain & Moorland, published in 2007. His latest book, Undiscovered Wales, was published by Frances Lincoln (publishers of the Wainwright Guides) in March 2010. A member of the Outdoor Writer & Photographer's Guild, he also writes and publishes guidebooks under the banner Heritage Guides, and is a regular contributor to the outdoor press, particularly TGO magazine.
Although most courses are led by Kevin, he also has a small team of associate instructors. This team has grown slowly over the years, individuals being chosen not only for their technical expertise, but also for their professionalism and friendly approach. You will find their enthusiasm infectious! Needless to say, all possess the relevant National Governing Body qualifications.
Whether you are one of many regular clients or are considering joining for the first time, you will find something here to whet your appetite! You can come hill walking and mountaineering with enthusiastic people who really know the mountains of Wales. You can learn the art of mountain and moorland navigation, hone existing skills and develop some new ones. If you decide you want to take things further, you can opt for personal tuition or 1:1 coaching, and if you are feeling particularly curious about pushing the vertical limits, you can even try your hand at scrambling and rock climbing.
If, having browsed this site, you have any queries, please feel free to get in touch. And if you contact us by telephone and get the dreaded answerphone, please don't hang up! Just leave your name and your daytime and evening telephone numbers, and Kevin will get back to you personally as soon as he can.