Hi my names Rose and I’m a UK based hillwalker, Summer Mountain Leader, Navigation instructor and all round outdoor adventure lover. I decided to start this blog as place to share tips, advice and adventures in a more structured way that is accessible and digestible for anyone wanting to inject a little adventure into their lives! I’ll be writing about my mountain days, thru hikes, van trips, wild camps, swims, kayaks and paddle boarding adventures; documenting my high points and low points and sharing advice, knowledge and routes!
So before I get started, a little bit about me…
I was born and raised in north Lancashire and with easy access to the Lake District NP and the Yorkshire Dales NP my childhood was full of camping adventures in the Lakes and Dales. As an adult with children of my own, I soon found my way back to hill walking and outdoor activities, and the more we did the more we wanted to do!
In 2018 I decided to make my hobby a little more of a lifestyle and I traded in my car for an ex-tilers van. I won’t lie, it was atrocious… filthy, I had my work cut out (that’s for another blog though) but in no time at all we had our little adventure bus and we were off!
Over the next few years we had adventures around the Lake District, Peak District, Snowdonia, and the Scottish highlands, Outer Hebrides, the Isle of Skye and the Pembrokeshire coast. Then came Covid… It was a difficult time for many, myself included, but we got through it didn’t we!
In 2020 between lockdowns, tier systems, social distancing and rules of 6 I decided I wanted to start taking people out into the hills to share the joys with those who were perhaps not confident to go it alone. So off I went and I completed my Summer Mountain Leader training and assessment (that’s for another blog though) and I qualified for this Mountain Training award in November of that year.
2020 was also the birth of NavTrek; the brain child of Scott Mcalister and a place for me to channel my passions. Together we raised over £3000 for mental health charities through our voluntary work leading wellbeing walks in the mountains. It was a bumpy Covid start but we were also very busy with our navigation training courses spanning the Lake District, Peak District and the Forest of Bowland.
In May 2021 I became the ‘Nationally Elected Councillor for Hill Walking’ at the British Mountaineers Council (BMC) (more on this in a later blog) and a few months later I also joined the board of directors at the National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) (I’ll also talk more about this later).
I’m incredibly fortunate to be supported in my outdoor pursuits by Salomon (more about my ambassadorship later) who have sponsored my adventures for the past 18 months. I have also been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with various outdoor brands and businesses through my social media platforms which has led me to meet and work alongside some truly wonderful people.
That's enough about me!
I hope you'll find my space welcoming and informative, and if there's anything in particular that you would like to hear about, drop me a message!
Which one is that Rose. It has the impression of Jake's Rake in those crags but a little to high up the grassy slopes to start with, Scafell but the col just a little to far away, though my mental block on Scafell's summit as it is so different to the other highest British national peaks, makes me stay there.¿?¿?