🥾 Hillwalking
From your first walk with a map to leading others through the hills — everything you need to climb the Hillwalking stages.
Hillwalking is one of Scouting Ireland's nine Adventure Skills. As you work through the nine stages you'll learn to read maps and use a compass, plan your own routes, look after yourself and your group in the hills, and finally take others on adventures of their own.
We've grouped the videos below into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced rather than going stage by stage — start at the top and work your way down. For the full details of what each stage involves, check out the Adventure Skills Handbook.
🌱 Basic — Stages 1 to 3
Start here! Learn what to pack, how to read a map, and how to take and follow a compass bearing.
The 4 Ds Navigation Technique
How to Take a Compass Bearing and Follow It
Taking and Using Bearings
How Do Contours Work on a Map?
What's in My Expedition Rucksack?
Top Bits of Kit for Hill Walking and Camping
🧭 Intermediate — Stages 4 to 6
Level up your navigation, learn to plan and time your own routes, and get comfortable spending nights in the hills.
Pacing — How and When to Use It
Naismith's Rule Explained
Mountain Features
Contour Navigation Skills
Navigation Techniques That Work
Glaciation and Glacial Features of the Irish Mountains
Wild Camping Tips
My Expedition Menu
⛰️ Advanced — Stages 7 to 9
For when you're ready to take the lead — navigating in the dark, managing steep ground, and sharing your knowledge of the uplands.
Night Navigation — Top Tips
Steep Ground Rope Work, Part 1 — Belays
Steep Ground, Part 2 — Abseiling
Flora in the Irish Uplands
