Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m Jonny, I am 25 and based up in Northumberland. I’ve never really been much good at sitting still and so the outdoors has always been my playground! Whether it be walking, climbing or
mountaineering I just love being outside and sharing that passion with others. Alongside running an outdoor adventure company, Wild Mile,
What's your background?
I have always loved taking friends out on the hills, but formally became a Mountain Leader (ML) at the start of 2021. Growing up, I was lucky to have a friend who was an ML, and would often take me away for weekends hiking. This planted the seed that one day I would like to follow in his footsteps. I would recommend the ML qualification to anyone who loves being outside and learning new skills - it is also a great way to meet like minded people and support each other along the way.
I am also training to become a Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI), so that I am able to take people climbing outdoors. I started rock climbing when I was 12 when a friend invited me along to the local climbing wall - since then I have been lucky enough to go on climbing expeditions all over the UK and Europe. Northumberland is a fab place to go climbing with so many great crags, and so few people - it is a climber’s paradise!
What expeditions have you been part of?
Expeditions are great fun - I find being halfway up a mountain more relaxing that sitting in front of the telly! Some of my favourite expeditions were:- Alpine mountaineering trip to climb Poland’s tallest mountain, Rysy.
- Climbing trip to climb a 9 pitch E2 above the sea in the south of Spain.
- Trip to the Dolomites where I managed to climb 12 Alpine summits in 12 days.
- Climbing the 5 highest UK peaks in under 24 hours.
- Learning to ice climb on the North Face of Ben Nevis.
Can you tell us a bit more about Wild Mile?
At Wild Mile our mission is to help people get outside. Simple as that!
We run navigation courses, guided walks and camping expeditions to help people learn the skills they need to be able to plan their own adventures - we often refer to this as giving people their ‘outdoor independence’. Most of our clients we work with already have a passion for the outdoors, but don’t have the skills and the confidence to get out on their own. We love working alongside them to help change that - it’s so rewarding!
What are the most common navigation mistakes you encounter?
Navigation can be a tough one - trust me I’ve been there, worn the t-shirt, made the mistakes and got lost! I think one of the biggest challenges, especially when people are new to navigation, is being able to react to these mistakes and work through how to solve them. Sometimes on our courses, when people make a wrong decision, they feel like they then have to stick with their decision and keep on going. We teach that everyone is going to make mistakes, but often a good navigator is the one who can admit they were wrong and react well.
Can you give some hints and tips of navigation essentials?
On our courses we always start with breaking the route down into smaller chunks, called legs. This way we can just focus on one leg at a time, and the whole task becomes less intimidating. We often find this gives people the confidence and the headspace to be able to enjoy it more.
Once you have done this, we always recommend going through the following steps before you set out on the next leg of the route:
- What will you see on the way?
We always recommend picking 3-5 features that you are going to tick off along the leg. This could be a river, fence, road, building or even something more subtle like a change in direction or change in contour spacing. Then when you start walking, you already have an idea of what you are going to be seeing along the way.
- What will it look like when you get there?
Whenever we are travelling anywhere, it is important to know where we want to end up. It’s the same for navigation - before we set off on a leg, we need to make sure we know what it is going to look like when we get there. For example, if I know that my destination is going to be a bridge, with a woodland on the left, stream on the right and a slope behind me, I am going to have an easier job spotting that I have arrived.
- What will happen if you go too far?
Having said that, it is often easy to miss our destination and go a little to far. Therefore before we set off, we identify something called a ‘catching feature’ - something that will tell us if we go too far (it will literally ‘catch’ us).
If you are new to navigation, one of our tips would be to start walking routes you are familiar with, but take an Ordinance Survey (OS) map with you and follow along on the map!
And lastly, where can people find you online?
The best place to find information on all our courses is our website: www.wildmileadventure.co.uk. To stay up to date with all our day to day adventures, find us on Instagram: @wild.mile.adventure