Welcome to our Mountain Training FAQ page — your starting point for building confidence, skills, and safety in the mountains. Whether you’re preparing for your first hill walk, developing navigation skills, or working toward advanced alpine objectives, this page answers the most common questions about our courses, qualifications, equipment, fitness requirements, and booking process.
To secure your place on a Lowland Leader or Hill and Moorland course, please use the “Book Now” button on our website. Select your chosen date from the list of available courses and follow the simple online booking process. If you are booking through an organisation, you may request an invoice and provide a valid purchase order number. Please be aware that full payment regardless of the payment method is required to confirm and reserve your place on the course.
At this level it is expected that candidates have most of their own equipment. The following is a list of what you should bring:
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof trousers
- Spare warm layer
- Rucksack 30-40L & Waterproof Liner
- Walking boots
- Warm hat and gloves or sun hat and sun screen for wam weather courses
- Vacuum flask & water bottle
- Personal first aid kit and personal medication
- Group first aid Kit
- Compass – recommend a Silva Type 4
- Group shelter
- Head torch + spare batteries
- Notebook and pen
- Timing Navigation Card – Please click to view
In order to attend a Lowland Leader training course you must meet the following Mountain Training requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old
- You should have an interest in leading groups in lowland countryside
- You must create an account on our system and register for the Lowland Leader qualification (cost: £69)
- You must have recorded a minimum of 10 quality lowland day* walks (ideally these will be recorded on DLOG**) which can have taken place at any point pre- or post-registration
OR - You must have completed a Hill Skills course.
- You must be at least 18 years old
- You should have at least a year’s worth of hill walking experience
- You should have an interest in leading groups in the hills
- You must be a member (club or individual) of a mountaineering council (BMC, Mountaineering Ireland, Mountaineering Scotland). Find out why this is required
- You must create an account on the Mountain Training website and register for the Hill and Moorland Leader qualification (cost: £69)
- You must be registered on the Hill and Moorland Leader scheme (see above)
- You must have recorded a minimum of 20 quality hill days* (ideally these will be recorded on DLOG**) which can have taken place at any point pre- or post-registration
Some answers to frequently asked DLOG questions can be found on the Mountain Training website here.
A ‘Quality Lowland Day’ for the Lowland Leader should take place in lowland terrain in the UK or Ireland.
The quality element lies in such things as the conditions experienced both overhead and underfoot, the exploration of new areas, the terrain covered, the skills deployed and the physical and mental challenge. The experience of a quality day should contribute to knowledge, personal development and associated skill acquisition.
All the following criteria should be fulfilled:
- The individual takes part in the planning and leadership.
- An unfamiliar locality is explored.
- Navigation skills are required.
- Knowledge is increased and relevant skills practised.
- Judgement and decision making is required.
- Four hours or more journey time.
These criteria mean that days as a course member under instruction, a member of a group practising skills, or days spent repeating familiar routes are very unlikely to meet the requirements of a quality day.
A ‘Quality Hill Day’ for the Hill and Moorland Leader should take place in hill and moorland terrain in the UK or Ireland.
The quality element lies in such things as the conditions experienced both overhead and underfoot, the exploration of new areas, the terrain covered, the skills deployed and the physical and mental challenge. The experience of a quality day should contribute to knowledge, personal development and associated skill acquisition.
All the following criteria should be fulfilled:
- The individual takes part in the planning and leadership.
- An unfamiliar locality is explored.
- Navigation skills are required.
- Knowledge is increased and relevant skills practised.
- Judgement and decision making is required.
- Four hours or more journey time.
These criteria mean that days as a course member under instruction, a member of a group practising skills, or days spent repeating familiar routes are very unlikely to meet the requirements of a quality day.
Yes, all your experience counts towards the required minimum. If you cannot remember the exact date then the correct month and the year will do (pick any day that month). Your logbook is a reference for your trainers and assessors, so what is NOT helpful is an entry such as, ‘Done 100s of days over the last 40 years all over the UK.’ This says something about your level of experience but there isn’t enough detail.
You are likely to get the most from your course if you have recent relevant experience.
Once you’ve registered for a qualification you will get access to DLOG, where you can create individual entries or upload files such as a photo/scan of your paper logbook or an excel spreadsheet.
See also: How do I use DLOG?