Hill Skills and Navigation Courses

Plus size people can face a lot of barriers when accessing training and skills in the outdoors, so we’ve put together some courses that are exclusively for plus size folk. So if you’re worried about being slow up hills, needing regular breaks or just feel out of place in outdoors groups, this could be a great opportunity to up-skill, increase your confidence and meet some other lovely larger outdoors lovers.

About the courses

The courses are run by Every Body Outdoors, with teaching provided by Cat Forster from Latitude 534. Cat is a qualified Mountain Leader who has a focus and passion on working with under-represented groups, and we always have a member of Every Body Outdoors present as our Course Leader.

These courses are for plus size people of all genders to create a safe and inclusive space. We do not set a size restriction on this, but if you are smaller than a size 18/2XL we would ask you to consider if there might be other courses that you could attend.

Requirements for the courses:

While we want the course to be as inclusive as possible, there is a requirement to be able to do the following in order to complete the course:

- You need to be able to be on your feet and walking for around 6 hours a day. However, as we are stopping to learn navigation constantly, we don’t cover huge distances (maybe 3-5 miles each day) and there will be plenty of opportunity for breaks and a slow pace both uphill and downhill on steep sections.

- You need to be comfortable with going off path, over rough ground at times in order to carry out some of the aspects of the course. 

The courses

Intro to Hill Skills

Would you like to gain more confidence and skills in the hills and mountains? Not sure what you need to pack, what to wear or what to do in an emergency? Want to feel confident navigating using a map and compass when you’re out on the hills? Would you like to understand how to plan a route and work out how long it might take you? This is the course for you.

Our courses are just for plus size people so it’s a supportive environment for our attendees to get outdoors among people who understand the challenges that we often face in these spaces. We go at a very gentle pace (especially up hills!) and take lots of breaks!

Upcoming courses: 25th - 27th April, Brecon Beacons

  • Location: Course based in the Brecon Beacons at the Star Bunkhouse in Bwlch

  • Timings: Evening session on Friday night starting at 7pm, then all day Saturday and all day Sunday, finishing around 5pm.

  • Cost: Course cost is £140 (not including accommodation, see below). Payment by instalments (over 2 months) is available - please email steph@everybodyoutdoors.co.uk if you would like to do this.

  • Bursaries: We are offering a limited number of bursary tickets that will reduce the course cost to £80. There is no strict criteria for these places, they are available for anyone for whom the cost is prohibitive and you can book a bursary place via the booking link below. If there is not an option for a bursary place, that means there are no spaces left.

  • Accommodation: Accommodation is provided at the Star Bunkhouse, the bunkhouse where we will be based for the course. A bed for Friday and Saturday night in a shared dorm bunk room (with 1-2 other people) is £60, and a single occupancy room with a double bed is £120 (a very limited number are available). The bunkhouse has a kitchen and self catering facilities. WHEN BOOKING, YOU NEED TO SELECT YOUR ACCOMMODATION OPTION IN ADDITION TO YOUR COURSE TICKET.

  • More info: Course information sheet here.

  • BOOK HERE

Improvers Navigation

Do you have basic route planning and navigation skills, but would like to be more confident in your navigation in the hills and mountains? Would you like to learn about bearings and micro-navigation techniques such as pacings and timings. Would you like to learn how to navigate in the dark or in whiteout conditions? Would you like to gain confidence walking on uneven ground and off path?

This course is ideal if you've already done our Intro to Hill Skills course, or are comfortable with basic route planning and navigation already. To join this course you should be familiar with OS maps, how to plan a route and following a map when you are out. 

Upcoming courses: 28th - 30th March, Yorkshire Dales

  • Location: Course based in Malham in the Yorkshire Dales

  • Timings: Evening session on Friday night starting at 7pm, then all day Saturday and all day Sunday, finishing around 5pm.

  • Cost: Course cost is £140 (not including accommodation). Payment by instalments (over 2 months) is available - please email steph@everybodyoutdoors.co.uk if you would like to do this.

  • Accommodation: Accommodation is not included. There are a number of options in Malham, including shared and individual rooms at the YHA, and B&Bs in the area. We can also help put you in touch with other attendees if you wish to share a room.

  • Bursaries: We are offering a limited number of bursary tickets that will reduce the cost to £80. There is no strict criteria for these places, they are available for anyone for whom the cost is prohibitive and you can book a bursary place via the booking link below. If there is not an option for a bursary place, that means there are no spaces left.

  • More info: Course information sheet here.

  • BOOK HERE

Got questions?

We know booking onto these courses can be a big deal for people, and many people have questions or anxieties about it. If you’d like to book a chat with Steph to talk through any concerns you have, work out if the course is right for you, or just meet one of the course leaders in advance, you can book an informal chat via this link here.

You can also email hello@everybodyoutdoors.co.uk and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

Terms and conditions

  • If minimum numbers for the course to run have not been reached 6 weeks in advance of the course taking place, we reserve the right to cancel a course.

  • If you have opted to pay by instalments, these payments are non-refundable.

  • A 50% refund is available if you cancel your place more than 3 weeks in advance.

  • If you have any Covid-19 symptoms, please do a test before attending. If you have to cancel your place due to a positive Covid-19 test within 10 days of the course, we will provide a 50% refund of the course cost.