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Rock Climbing and ScramblingPeople often forget how lucky we are with our geology in the UK - an exhilarating week on the Welsh sea cliffs or the mountain classics of the Highlands will soon remind you just how good and varied the rock climbing and scrambling in the UK really is. Highland Guides can offer an exciting array of instructed and guided courses throughout Wales and the Highlands. So whether you want to climb Cenotaph Corner, experience the thrill of sea cliff climbing or literally learn the ropes and become a competent climber or mountaineer we have something to offer and inspire you with. The old fashioned British approach to starting your climbing and mountaineering career (particularly in university mountaineering clubs and especially for young men!) was based on a highly experimental and bold learning principle. You threw yourself at the route hard and saw what happened! Indeed many highly talented British climbers have evolved out of this and in a few cases turned into some of the world’s best alpinists. However others weren’t so lucky and fashions have changed in favour of receiving some good quality instruction and guidance early in your mountaineering career. Many of the techniques taught on our rock climbing courses such as anchor selection, sound belaying, rope work, stance management and safe retreating will be equally applicable to winter climbing. You'll have a great time on our summer course. Get some friends involved, book your place on the course and make some nearby hotel reservations then you're good to go! Your climbing skills will improve in leaps and bounds. Good quality instruction in rock climbing and these techniques early in your mountaineering career are highly recommended – it could save you a few epics! Summer Courses back to the topOur summer courses are generally tailor-made and thus far more likely to meet your aspirations than booking on a pre-arranged course. With low ratios we are able to move at exactly your pace and progress through your own climbing apprenticeship at the rate most appropriate for you. In this way you will never feel held back by a less fit and able group member or alternatively never feel pressured into doing something that has your eyes on stalks! Similarly the venues chosen can revolve around your past experience, future aspirations and what 3 star routes you want to tick! From our summer base in Snowdonia we are able to reach a wide variety of venues from the famous mountain Rhyolite of Ogwen and the Llanberis Pass to the traditonal meccas of Tremadog and Cloggy as well as the brilliant steep white walls of Gogarth and Pen Trwyn. That’s a lot of variety in a week’s climbing! As a venue for learning and practising scrambling the mountains of Northern Snowdonia are perhaps second only to the Black Cuillin on Skye where we can also provide mountaineering courses. The courses below are some suggested itineraries. Private bookings, although a little more expensive, are better value for money as the course will revolve entirely around you, or your small group. We can put together a summer climbing or mountaineering package to suit your needs from a single day to a week long course. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements and previous experience.
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Rock Climbing back to the top Instruction & GuidingWe are able to provide instruction in all aspects of learning to rock climb including coaching movement skills, ropework, belaying, lead climbing, anchor selection, abseiling and using guidebooks. Whether you are a complete beginner, have only had experience in indoor climbing walls or are already leading your own rock climbs we can tailor make a programme for your maximum development as a climber. Our ethos means we will try and provide you with positive and educational experiences whilst ensuring we pass on the wisdom of our own hard won experience. The venues below all provide excellent opportunities for both teaching and guided ascents of classic routes. Please get in touch if you wish to arrange a course at an alternative venue. Many gritstone crags in the Peak District and Yorkshire for example are great places to start your climbing career and we can arrange an intro weekend in that area for you. Highland RockLochaber, The Cairngorms and the North West – some of the best rock climbing in the UK. Check out the Scottish section in ‘ Classic’ and ‘ Hard Rock’ for inspiration. Try a week based in Lochaber and visit Glen Coe for the soaring and exposed Agag’s Groove. Enjoy one of the classic, big ridges on Ben Nevis or for something harder the brilliant HVS, ‘Centurion’. Ardvereike Wall on Binnein Shaus is probably the best Hard Severe in the UK and the cragging down Glen Nevis or out at Ardnamurchan is in a similar class. We can arrange 5 day or weekend courses based in Fort William or more mobile week long courses visiting a number of different areas in the North West including the sea stacks such as the Old Man of Stoer and the Old man of Hoy. Get in touch for details. Snowdonia is a national park seemingly designed with rock climbers in mind. It contains a fantastic diversity of rock type and thus climbing style and difficulty. A week based here could involve anything from the brilliant, slabby, 3 star V.Diffs in the Ogwen Valley to steep, modern, sport climbing on the tidal sea cliffs of Pen Trwyn. It has been said the history of British rock climbing is written across the walls of the magnificent and open book like crag, Dinas Cromlech. Come along and see for yourself why routes like Cenotaph Corner, Cemetary Gates and Left Wall are so famous. If the weather is good a day or two can be spent at Cloggy – nestling high on Snowdon’s north face this is one of the best mountain crags in the UK. With less favourable weather almost equally good climbing can be found near the coast at Tremadog or Gogarth. (Further Reading – ‘Rock climbing in Snowdonia’, Paul Williams) Welsh Sea Cliffs North and South, Wales is blessed with simply brilliant rock climbing and, particularly on the coast, the sun often shines too! For intermediate to advanced rock climbers who can second climbs up to HVS and perhaps harder, check out our Welsh Sea Cliffs 6 day course. This aims to spend half the time on the wonderful white walls of Pembroke and the rest on the majestic Craig Gogarth and Rhoscolyn on Anglesey. With a dry week you will certainly be ready for a rest day after this feast of fantastic, steep 3 star rock..
Summer Mountaineering back to the top Highland Guides can cater for the complete spectrum of mountaineering aspirations from introducing complete beginners to tackling more advanced and committing scrambling routes with sections of easy climbing All our instructional courses focus on getting the basics right. This is achieved through incorporating skills sessions into a mountain journey where they are applied and practised in context. We don’t spend the day talking in a static training environment but keep moving, finding new terrain and taking in a scrambling route and summit. We can develop your skills in scrambling and easy climbing, simple and safe ropework, anchor selection, map and guidebook use and route planning. We can incorporate an overnight camp or bivvi to give a real mountaineering feel to a journey through the hills. Perhaps you want the experience of being guided up some of the UK’s finest scrambling and mountaineering routes. We specialise in providing this in the best 3 mountaineering areas in the UK. Snowdonia, Skye and Lochaber…. SkyeSpring is a good time to go north and May and June are often thought to be the best months in the Highlands. Certainly you will beat the midges which is a good start to any trip here! Without doubt Skye represents the best the UK has to offer in summer mountaineering so why not have a week scrambling and climbing amongst the Black Cuillin? We can offer combined scrambling and ridge traverse weeks or ascents of the Skye Munros. (Further Reading – ‘ Skye Scrambles’, Scottish Mountaineering Club) LochaberHome to the mighty ridges of Ben Nevis and Glen Coe. Along with Skye, Lochaber is the mecca for UK summer mountaineering. The big 5 ridges of Ben Nevis provide superb easy climbing or exposed scrambling of a variety of difficulties. Combine an ascent on the North Face of Nevis with a traversing descent of the Carn Mor Dearg Arete for one of the classicdays in UK mountaineering. Glen Coe’s Curved ridge provides a more accessible outing of scrambling excellence whilst the famous Aonach Eagach provides a day of Alpine proportions with fantastic views. For a day away from it all we can cross the Corran Ferry to Ardgour and visit the Pinnacle or Great Ridge on the rough gneiss of Garbh Bheinn. (Further reading – ‘Scrambles in Lochaber’, Noel Williams) SnowdoniaThe successful 1953 Everest first ascent team chose Snowdonia as their training ground for good reason – it’s full of steep, rocky and easily accessible mountains. Snowdon and The Glyders offer the finest mountaineering south of the border and our local knowledge means you can have a busy days scrambling, take in a summit and descend another interesting route. Traverse the Snowdon Horseshoe with a more demanding start – like the ‘Parson’s Nose’ or tackle a classic mountaineering route on the East face of Tryfan via the Tryfan Bach slab – ‘The easiest genuine rock climb in North Wales.’ (Further reading – Steve Ashton’s ‘Scrambles in Snowdonia’)
Please get in touch to discuss your mountaineering aspirations and current experience. Contact us for more details if you have a larger group wanting some skills training or guided days in the hills.
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