Whether you’re a complete beginner who’d like to learn to successfully navigate the countryside with a compass, a novice with map reading skills looking to boost your confidence or you want to gain an accredited qualification – we have a course for you.
Our Skills Academy has been providing courses for individuals and groups for over ten years. We pride ourselves on providing the very best customer service and individual attention to ensure our guests get the maximum benefit from our courses. We have a huge amount of experience and expertise in providing outdoor skills courses, and we are recognised as one of the leading providers in the region. To ensure that our students get essential personal attention, we have to limit the number of places on a course in order to provide the best instructor to student ratio. Courses are always led by instructors who have many years of outdoor experience including extensive hiking and leading in the UK and throughout the world. All our instructors are MTA qualified, are DBS checked and hold a current outdoor first aid certificate. We use lovely countryside locations in Sussex and Surrey – including the South Downs and Surrey Hills. The places we use are easily accessible from London and are convenient for public transport if required.
To help you choose the right course for you, please use the range of filters such as region, terrain, difficulty grade and suitability. Please click here to learn more about our adventure grading. If you require assistance with choosing the right level for you, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you.
As well as our regular scheduled courses, we also offer bespoke courses and workshops to individuals and other groups so the training can be tailored to your specific objectives. For many of our courses we make full use of the stunning countryside surrounding the South Downs National Park and the Surrey Hills but we do also use other National Parks and AONB. However, we are always open to requests for customised courses and a location convenient and relevant for you.
1:1 private instructing £275 per day (7 hours)
1:1 private instructing £175 per half day (3.5 hours)
There is a supplemental fee for each additional person of £35 up to a maximum group size of 4. Larger groups can be accommodated on request.
Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
A one day introductory course to navigation skills aimed at those who wish to improve their competence in using a map and compass.
Suitable for both beginners and intermediates, this two-day course covers the principles of navigation in more detail than our one-day course and leads to a nationally recognised qualification worth 2 SCQF points.
Suitable for intermediates and for those wishing to fast track, this course combines the Bronze and Silver Awards over three days and is worth 2 SCQF points.
This intermediate navigation course covers the principles of navigation in more detail than the Bronze Award and leads to a nationally recognised qualification in navigation worth 2 SCQF points.
A Hill Skills course is your key to getting started in countryside and moorland walking. A 2 day navigation course which is accredited by Mountain Training and suitable for beginners/ intermediates.
The Mountain Skills course is an ideal choice for walkers interested in transferring their walking skills to steep, remote or more mountainous terrain and is accredited by Mountain Training
Complete the NNAS Gold Award in 2 days with our course which covers both the training and assessment in one weekend.
A fun, practical and challenging course which addresses the essential and often neglected skills of navigating in the dark or poor visibility, and provides a great opportunity to explore and appreciate the countryside in darkness.
Fun, relaxed navigation courses aimed at young adventurers with a passion for exploring the outdoors.