Half-price winter skills courses

What does £25 buy these days? Your half of a cheap meal out with your partner? A Big Mac meal for the family, if you only have a couple of kids. A pair of winter cycling gloves? Four bottles of mediocre wine... And a full day's winter skills tuition in the mountains with Glentrek!

We have cut the price of our day winter skills courses by 50% and it's proving hard for people to resist. Our Glentrek winter skills courses are the perfect introduction to walking in Scotland's winter mountains.

While summer walking still requires a lot of attention to detail, including navigation and weather, when you add in a blanket of snow and below-freezing temperatures in winter, walkers need to know a wider skill set.

Many more people are enjoying the winter mountains

As walking in general grows in popularity, so more people are extending their walking activities into the colder months. But there are obvious dangers and walkers should think about joining a winter skills course, such as the ones run by Glentrek, before setting off for the snow-covered hills.

Winter skills courses with Glentrek

The £25 day course includes skills tuition by a qualified winter mountain leader, as well as all the equipment, including boots, crampons and ice axes, that you might need for a day in the Scottish winter mountains.

These courses are ideal for the walker who has some experience of summer walking but is taking their first steps into the winter mountains. You'll cover such skills as avalanche awareness, crampon use, ice axe arrest and navigation.

The winter skills days take place in the mountains near Glenshee and also offer some fantastic scenic treats. To find out more see Glentrek winter skills

The wonders of winter walking

Bright blue skies, dramatic snow-covered landscapes, sparkling frost and ice on bare trees. Just because it's cold outside it doesn't mean you should stay indoors and put your feet up. A walk in the countryside in winter can be a feast for the eyes - and a great way to boost your mental and physical health.

Unless you are experienced in winter walking, however, we recommend you stick to lower level walks on routes that are clearly waymarked. Alternatively you could sign up to a guided winter walk or hire your own walking guide to take you to a range of more remote locations.

Glentrek offers a programme of guided walks and self-guided walks, or give us a call to arrange for a guide to lead your own group. You might also like to join one of our winter skills courses so that you can learn for yourself how to walk safely in the wintry hills.

This weekend, for a taste of winter walking on an easy to follow, signposted trail, we recommend this delightful riverside route at Edzell in Angus. The route is 10kms and flat.

The start and finish point is the village of Edzell. From here the path heads along the roadside to the Gannochy Bridge. Here you cross the picturesque River North Esk. You'll be stunned by the amazing deep sandstone gorge here. In winter the river is fast flowing and the views are very pretty.

Follow the road on the north side of the Esk until you reach Glenesk where a footpath then follows the river via the gorge and again cross the Gannochy Bridge. Continue on another footpath that heads back to Edzell, this time on the south bank of the Esk.

Where will you be walking this weekend? We would love to hear about your favourite wintry walks.

What to wear for winter walking in Scotland

Just because it's colder, wetter, windier and darker it doesn't mean you should give up on walking in Scotland. As we've been blogging all year, walking is a great form of exercise and a fantastic mood booster so giving up shouldn't be an option. However, winter walking does come with more dangers than in the summer months so it's important that you're prepared for the weather conditions.

Lower-level walking in winter in Scotland

Rain, lighter winds, some ice and perhaps even snow will be the challenges facing the walker in the lower-level hills.

The minimum kit should include: Robust, waterproof walking boots, wick-away base layers, fleece, waterproof jacket, trousers, waterproof overtrousers, warm hat and gloves.

Pack in your rucksack: Extra base layers, an extra fleece, another pair of gloves, water, a flask of hot tea or coffee, food and energy bars or cereal bars, a compass and a map.

High level walking in winter in Scotland

Walking in Scotland's higher hills or mountains in winter is for the experienced only. Alternatively you could hire a guide. Weather conditions can rapidly change and it's vital that you know how to navigate in very low visibility. Expect ice, deep snow, high winds, white outs, heavy snow fall and rain.

Essential kit needs to be carried on your back so you should also be fit.

The minimum kit should include: Four seasons walking boots, wick-away base layers, fleeces, waterproof jacket, trousers, waterproof overtrousers, warm hat and warm gloves.

Pack in your rucksack: Extra base layers, an extra fleece, another pair of gloves, an extra hat, crampons, ice axe, a shelter in case of an accident, mobile phone, water, a flask of hot tea or coffee, food and energy bars or cereal bars, a compass and a map. A GPS gadget is a good idea too but you can't rely on this so a map and compass (and the ability to use them) are vital. A first aid kit would be a wise addition.

Always check the latest weather reports and avalanche warnings before setting out. If in doubt, it's best not to go, instead choosing a lower level alternative.

Scotland for Winter 2010

Glenshee from Glas Maol

Winter skills practice (with a sunbathing twist)

For those of us fortunate enough to have been outdoors in Scotland this weekend, it was a memorable experience. I was with a group from Angus College 'Winter Upward Bound' course and setting off on Saturday morning could hardly believe our good luck. Destination was Glas Maol, Glenshee. Sunglasses were dusted off and firmly in position....not missing this chance to be out for an airing.

Strangely, this was my third trip to the same munro in as many weeks, each time with a different winter skills group. However thanks to the massive mood swings and vagaries of Scottish weather, each weekend has felt like an entirely different venue so no chance of boredom creeping in...

This weekend in comparison to the previous two was like a great celebration of Scottish winter mountain at its best, I'm sure there was fanfare to be heard echoing round the glen as we crunched up the hill. We stopped often, to admire the views and grin at each other like idiots.. Oh the joy of getting great weather when you don't expect it!

On the munro top the experience just got better (note Ian in his T- shirt) There was none of the usual shivering and battling elements, no-one wanted to leave. The view was incredible and mountain leader Mike spent ages pointing out and naming munros for miles around in all directions. We were on top o' the world. Eventually we packed up and began our descent, skipping as much as our crampons would allow, bonded by our enjoyment of a perfect day on a Scottish mountain.

Get kitted out for winter walking

It's one of the best years we've seen for winter walking in Scotland and the snow is unlikely to disappear in the near future. If you're new to this exhilarating activity then the first step is a winter skills course. See previous post.

After that you will want to invest in some new winter walking kit. Mostly the right gear is about staying safe and warm on the hills – but as we all know there is also something mentally uplifting about setting out to try your shiny new gear. (Or is this just a girl thing?!)

Mike McLaggan, a winter mountain leader who runs Highway 2 in the Angus Glens, gives us his essential winter kit guide:

* Good quality winter (four season) walking boots

* A 55 to 60cm ice axe (not too lightweight)

* 10 or 12 point crampons with front points that must fit your boots (take the boots to the shop)

* Really good quality gloves

* High quality shell waterproofs, including jacket and pants, and preferably brightly coloured

* Plenty of decent insulation layers

* Good quality walking socks.

"Good quality" is a bit of a theme here but Mike is insistent that paying more for good quality winter walking kit means you'll stay warm on the hills and therefore you're much more likely to enjoy yourself and want to go out again and again. So your initial investment will be worth it in the long-term.

Another essential clothing tip is how to avoid ripping your waterproof trousers! I kid you not! Many winter walkers find that while using crampons they end up tearing the bottom of their waterproof trousers because the crampon points can catch on clothing. This can be costly and also rather annoying.

Mike says – and he instructs on this very issue on his Highway 2 winter skills courses – "When walking in crampons you need to learn how to keep your feet wider apart and also how to turn. Crossing your legs is a no-no, and instead you must learn how to make your body turn in a circle so as to avoid the crampon points taking chunks out of your trouser legs."

If this sounds like news to you then before going out to walk alone you need to take a winter skills course. Visit Glentrek to find out more about how to book these courses

WINTER BLUES -Avoidance tactics

I've never been sure if I actually suffer from these or not...once went skiing abroad in January and felt abnormally fantastic so that led me to wondering briefly if I did. Sadly there's no annual winter holiday to keep flagging spirits up, so I'm delighted to have stumbled across a foolproof, cheap, winter blues avoidance tactic..... WINTER HILLWALKING in SCOTLAND!

Now don't stop reading..

Never in a million years did I picture a non -athletic, impractical female like myself wielding an ice axe without (yet) doing myself or anyone else an injury... or for that matter wearing crampons over my newly acquired hiking boots. Yes, I too thought crampons were purchased by women on a monthly basis and ice axes were for hairy mountain men of incredible physical strength and ability. My oh my how wrong can you be...here's a photo of me on my first Scottish winter mountain last year (Tarmachan Ridge). Hopefully the distinction's clear between this and my imagined winter mountaineer
Anyway, proud to say that although it didn't last long in the howling gales and snow up there I did start out as usual with nicely washed hair and a full face of make up (no reason to drop the standards of a lifetime) My advice to all women (especially) who have never been particularly athletic but fancy doing something different is WALK to get fit and then LEARN the skills to hill walk in winter. It's FAB and you FEEL GOOD!