07725 806870
mail@unexplored.scot
Unexplored Scotland was founded in 2008 and from the start the mission was to make outdoor trips something special and different. Like everyone who likes the outdoors, we like to have a bit of fun too. Everything we do has safety, fun and learning in it. That order seems a good balance to come back from our trips and want to do more.
Have a look at our ethics and values. We always aim to have as little impact on the environment as we can.
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” –John Muir
We have a great programme of different courses and tours. Have a look and let us know if you don’t find something that tickles your fancy. We can always organise a bespoke trip.
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Don’t just take our word for it. Have a look at our TripAdvisor Reviews.
EXCELLENTVerified Winter Skills in the Cairngorms My partner and I did a two day winter skills course with Andreas in the Cairngorms in January. It was brilliant - informative, really interesting and great fun too. We learned loads of new skills with crampons and ice axes that we will put to good use in the mountains next winter! Thanks Andreas!Verified Winter skills course I did a 2-day Winter Skills course with Andreas a few weeks ago. I learned a lot and enjoyed the whole experience. Highly recommended!Verified Great winter skills course! I did a two day winter skills course with Unexplored Scotland earlier this year with my friend and we really enjoyed it. Andreas was a great instructor with a lot of local knowledge who tailored activities to the abilities and interests of the group. I'd never done anything similar before and he was very patient and clear. Andreas also provides plenty of equipment so that we didn't need to hire much ourselves. Thoroughly recommend!Verified Top Class Winter Skills Booked onto the 5 day winter skills course in February, based out of Fort William, and had a brilliant time!Andreas knew good spots to practice the basics of crampon and ice axe use, and we put these to the test with bigger hills days in the latter half of the week.Unfortunately the weather had slightly different ideas, but our plan was fully adjustable and we made the short trip across to the Cairngorms to ensure good mountain days.Andreas is friendly, approachable and communicative. He has a clear lesson plan and structure and spent time to go into the theory of route planning and avalanche awareness. The peak was digging a massive snow cave on the side of Cairn Gorm!I would absolutely recommend Andreas for anyone wanting to learn the basics of winter mountaineering.Verified 5 day winter skills course Booked a 5 day winter skills course last winter, would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys summer hill walking but who isn't experienced with full winter conditions. Learned a lot of valuable information and skills from the highly knowledgeable Andreas, plus plenty of laughs and stunning scenery thrown in. What's not to like!Verified Winter skills course Fantastic course run by an amazing guide. Andreas taught us all the skills required to tackle the mountains in winter. From navigation, using crampons/ice axe, to building a snow hole. Andreas was friendly and welcoming and i highly recommend booking a course with him.Verified Sea kayaking bliss In Adreas’s words, my husband & I rocked up as a pair of silver foxes, but once we’d completed our training day he was able to take us on an exciting 2 day sea kayaking adventure, with many memorable moments. After 40+ years of mountaineering in Scotland it was fabulous to see the landscape from a different perspective, & enjoy all the wildlife - many seals with pups & many seabirds. A very experienced & highly competent instructor, Andreas gave us the confidence to then participate in another more local expedition, sea kayaking around the Fife coast.Verified Skye by Kayak - Highly recommended! My partner and I had a fantastic 2 days sea kayaking and wild camping with Andreas. The excursion is a super way to see Skye from a different perspective, break from the norm and get fully immersed in the wildlife of Scotland's coast. Andreas was an excellent guide, with vast knowledge he's gathered from his years of Kayaking and outdoor pursuits. I'd highly recommend booking onto a trip with him.After loading up the boats with our kit and provisions for the trip, we had a quick safety briefing. Much needed as it had been a couple of years since we last paddled. Soon though we were pushing off to paddle around the islands and look for birds, seals and other wildlife. The weather was kind and the scenery breathtaking, with views across the water to Raasay and over to Skye and the Cuillin ridge (where we'd been a couple of days before). We stayed overnight near the Uags bothy, enjoyed an excellent Spag Bol cooked on the camping stove, and a beautifully clear night under the stars - only interrupted occasionally by the sound of rutting stags near by!The wind picked up quite considerably on day 2 but Andreas was always there to reassure us and guide us through the choppier sections. After a solid paddle we were rewarded with a Porpoise sighting, perhaps 20 of them calmly cruising past our kayaks.An amazing trip all round, thanks again!Verified A view of Skye from another perspective, in a safe pair of hands My partner and I had a wonderful - and much needed - trip to the Isle of Skye last month. This included signing up for 2 days sea kayaking and wild camping with Andreas. I'd highly recommend the trip; it's a great way to explore the area and see local wildlife. All in the safe hands of Andreas, with his vast knowledge on Isle of Skye, Scotland and everything in between.Andreas met us at Kyleakin with everything prepared for a 2 day sea kayak. From food, to high quality camping equipment, to wellies, Andreas provides everything - all we had to do was turn up. We also appreciated the thorough safety walk-through as it had been a while since our last sea kayak. We kayaked from Kyleakin and explored the Inner Sound / the edge of Loch Carron. During our trip we saw various birds, porposies and curious harbour seals - and the surrounding hills and islands looked beautiful from the sea. Andreas had many stories and information to share along the way too.On the first day the weather was kind and we enjoyed a memorable sunset. The return was a little windier than expected, yes Andreas was always there by our side as we navigated some choppier waters on the headland.Thank you Andreas for a lovely end to September.Verified Fantastic Winter Mountian skills course with Great trainer Hi all adventurersI had a fantastic training weekend doing a Winter Mountain Walking skills training at the Cairngorm Mountains with Unexplored Scotland.Our guide and trainer, Andreas, was highly professional, yet warm and welcoming, making our small group (who turned out to be all women) feel confident and calm at what might have seems a somewhat daunting experience! He really knows these mountains and used his local knowledge to take us to a safe, accessible and sheltered place to learn how to slide and fall down a snowy mountain and to use an ice axe (and other techniques) to stop a fall. This skill is essential for safe winter walking in the mountains! (It was also fun, if a bit scary at first! Andreas was very supportive and gave us confidence try this new skill. While other groups reported nearly being blown off the hills, we were snug in a sheltered valley for our training!He balanced the training with the weather conditions and later in the day when rain approached we took to a cafe and hot food for our technical information on avalanche awareness, also part of the course. The second day was a great (and sunny) walk around the lower reaches of Cairngorm Mountain, and Andreas skilfully incorporated some micro- navigation skills essential if you encounter poor visibility (which we didn't), avalanche risk assessment, as well as putting on crampons while on a slope (a special skill!) and several different techniques for walking up snowy and icy mountains both with and without crampons. He balanced the training with our fitness levels, so at the end of each day we still had energy to go for dinner and local live music in AviemoreAndreas was very patient and very generous with sharing his rich knowledge of both the Caringorms and winter walking/climbing. We ended up have a really strong sense of camaraderie in our small group! It left me much more confident to do more, while also aware of my limitations and the risks involvedGreat course with a terrific trainer!!!He also runs sea kayaking course, so I'll be up in Scotland for that over the summer - lockdown permitting!!!Verified by TrustindexTrustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more
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