Taking place in the beautiful Galloway Hills. The Hill Skills course is key to getting started in countryside walking. No previous hill walking experience is required to attend a Hill Skills course, because the content of the course is aimed at beginners. If you do have some experience of hill walking but are not confident about planning walks, navigating, and understanding the equipment required, then the Hill Skills course is an ideal way to learn.

Hill Skills Courses are nationally accredited and developed by Mountain Training, they aim to equip you with basic knowledge and safety skills required to participate in hill walking. During a Hill Skills course, you can expect to start each day at about 9am. The first part of the course is spent indoors or at a base camp, getting to know the other people on the course and gaining an understanding of basic hill walking planning. Your experienced tutor will outline the plans for the course before you head out into the hills. The end of the day will usually involve a short indoor session to review the day and plan the following day's outing.

You can expect to be out walking each day for around 4-5 hours and generally on Hill Skills courses this will be on footpaths or trails that are rough underfoot. Much of the journey during the course will involve learning opportunities and as such, the pace of the day is friendly and will include plenty of breaks.

Courses include:

• A copy of the Safety on Mountains book

• A navigational timing card

• A certificate of attendance for completing each course

• Lifetime use of the Mountain Training Association (DLOG) for recording your walks

Course Content:

• Planning – how to successfully plan a hill walk in the UK or Ireland.

• Walking skills – what things should you consider while out walking and what can make life easier (pace, nutrition, movement skills etc.).

• Clothing and equipment – being suitably dressed and equipped can make the difference between a great day out and a complete disaster.

• Weather – how it affects the hills and your day out.

• Navigation in the hills – everything from selecting a compass to navigation strategies and an intro to GPS.

• Environmental knowledge – how to minimise your impact on the hill and information on good practice and useful organisations.

• Hazards and emergency procedures in the hills – how to respond to any hazards you encounter and what to do in an emergency.