Hi everyone!
Welcome back to Your Adventure Scotland’s blog.
We have been busy over the last few months planning for a fantastic season packed full of various adventures for you to get involved with, when it suddenly dawned on us that we haven’t posted on the blog for a wee while! So, we thought, what better way to get things back up and running, than to tell you a little bit more about the Your Adventure Scotland team.
Rich has answered a few questions below, to help you get to know us better. If you have any questions at all about us, and how you can get involved with our exciting adventures planned for this season, do email YAScotland@gmail.com.
Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves (and Lupin!)?
Sarah and I met whilst doing a traineeship in the Mendips (a long way from Scotland!), whilst there we did a full range of activities from climbing and canoeing to caving, archery and skiing. We had a horrible flat, so rather than spend time in it, we spent time out of it. This put us in a great position for practicing all our new found skills. From the Mendips, we moved to The Outward Bound Trust in Aberdovey, a pretty Welsh coastal village.
This was very different work, working with young people, from mainly inner city Manchester and Birmingham, on 5 day residentials. We taught them to be resilient, and give things a go. We transferred up to The Outward Bound centre in Loch Eil, near Fort William in 2016 and quickly fell in love with the Highlands. We bought a house, with views to Ben Nevis and don’t really plan on leaving!
Lupin came into our lives in April 2019, and has been a furry ball of excitement ever since! He comes with us on most of our adventures, has completed most of the Cuillin ridge, some classic scrambles in Scotland and Wales, and loves a Canoe (or should that read swim!), he is also a very effective Van bed warmer! We love having him on our adventures and he certainly keeps us on our toes.
How did you get into the outdoor industry?
Rich – I was very fortunate to have an outdoorsy family, who loved going on lots of walks and bike rides. In Secondary School, I started Surfing, Canoeing and Kayaking, and absolutely loved it! I was part of a club and started coaching the younger folk coming through, and this ignited a new passion. I had summer jobs working in outdoor activity clubs, running bushcraft and games. I went to University and studied Geography, enjoying learning about the environments I spent time in. After Uni I went on to do a traineeship and the rest, they say, is history!
What motivated you to start your own outdoor adventure business?
I have always loved coaching and introducing people to the wonderful adventures that lie out there, starting YAS seemed like the logical next step to try and get even more people bitten by the adventurous bug!
How long has YAS been operating for?
We started YAS in November 2020 (in hindsight not the best timing!) and have enjoyed helping lots of folk get out and enjoy the spectacular Scottish Highlands. We are a relatively new business but with our years of experience in the outdoors, know we are perfectly placed to help you realise Your Adventure dreams.
What makes YAS different from other adventure companies?
Unlike a lot of other companies we have the pleasure of offering both Mountain and River adventures, or a combination of both! We have extensive experience of the rivers and mountains of the Highlands and truly love calling this place home and sharing it with anyone and everyone.
Our uniquely personal and bespoke touch really means it’s Your Adventure, Your Way and we genuinely love helping with all adventure ideas, be that as a first timer or seasoned pro! YAS was set up to inspire others into the outdoors and both Sarah and I will do our utmost to instil this into every course and day we run.
What is your favourite event to organise?
A very hard question! To be honest I enjoy organising and putting together those events which help people do those things which they could otherwise not do without some support and guidance.
What would you say is the best event/course for someone who is new to outdoor activities?
I think Scrambling and Canoeing are both fantastic ways into the outdoors, and a great way to be introduced into travelling through the amazing and diverse environments we have in the Scottish Highlands.
What is your outdoor adventure sport of choice?
White Water kayaking has always held a special place in my heart as it was the first thing which got me into the outdoors. In recent years however I have had great pleasure in going up as well as down, and now love the mountains in summer and winter. Therefore my (long winded) sport of choice is – whichever one best fits the forecast of the day!
What is your favourite part of running YAS?
The best part is meeting new people every day, and seeing them grow in both the technical and personal skills which the outdoors helps bring out in people. Forming new relationships with clients, that soon become friends, and seeing them develop is by far the most rewarding thing we can ask for!
What advice would you give to someone looking to become an outdoor instructor?
Get out and live and breathe the activities you want to instruct, and give yourself as much opportunity to experience different places and people. We have an excellent blog on this with more detail as well!
What are YAS’ plans for the future – any exciting new adventures planned for 2022?
Plans are always shifting, but we hope to get more and more people to experience the wonderful place that is the Scottish Highlands. We have started up Taster Tuesdays and our exciting Open Group adventures, to hopefully make our wonderful Adventures more accessible to solo adventurers wanting to meet like minded folk. Our webcam is now LIVE, and we are partnering up with Dubh Mor Outdoor to run Canoeing, Walking and Climbing combo adventures – watch this space…
I always have a long list of personal adventures planned for Sarah, Lupin and I, the problem is knowing which one to start with!