My Mountain Leader Assessment

By Hamish Carrick, Farming and Nature Trainee

Hamish Carrick, Farming and Nature Trainee on the Tees Swale: naturally connected programme recently undertook a five-day Mountain Leader Assessment. Successfully passing the assessment would ensure that he could safely lead groups in the UK mountains and hills. Hamish described the feat as a “plunge into unchartered waters which turned out to be a successful swim with my head well above the water” and has written this blog about his experience.

Growing up exploring the uplands of the UK gave me a desire to protect and restore the habitats of our uplands for biodiversity, the changing environment, and the surrounding communities. Helping people to experience the landscape first-hand is part of that and I wanted to make sure I could do it confidently and safely. I decided the best way to do this was to become a qualified Mountain Leader.

My five-day assessment took place on the Isle of Arran, a landscape not unfamiliar to me having worked in the hills there the previous year. The first two days covered steep ground leadership, ropework and probing questions from the assessor to gauge my knowledge and experience. During the final three days, my navigation skills were put to the test including a daunting but rewarding night navigation.

Although challenging I am pleased to say that I passed my assessment, and I am now a qualified Mountain Leader. Since qualifying I have helped to run a navigation workshop with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Young Rangers group. Setting off from Grinton Youth Hostel, I helped lead a group across the moor equipping them with navigation tools and techniques. It is great to share my knowledge and skills with others and to help develop their confidence in exploring the outdoors.

The assessment has helped to affirm my confidence in hill craft and navigation skills and the nationally recognised qualification adds to my portfolio of qualifications, skills and experience gained through the Tees-Swale traineeship.

Throughout the Tees-Swale programme, we will recruit 16 paid trainees in a variety of roles to support young people to develop careers in the conservation of natural heritage. Our trainees will be offered a range of skills and training including habitat survey and management, GIS and IT, traditional skills, new approaches to High Nature Value farming, community engagement and heritage interpretation.

The North Pennines AONB Partnership and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are working together to deliver ‘Tees-Swale: naturally connected’. This five-year natural heritage programme is funded primarily by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Tees-Swale puts farmers and land managers at the forefront of nature recovery in the nationally important landscapes of Upper Teesdale and Upper Swaledale.