Training at the School of Adventures

Last week saw me heading to Fort William to spend two days with students of the outdoor leadership course at the UHI. Who wouldn't want to attend courses at a school that sounds like something out of Harry Potter... : The School of Adventures. 

Their lecturer, Eilid Ormiston, invited me along to talk about Customer Care in Adventure Tourism. As with all courses that I deliver, the content was tailored to what would be most relevant to the students. The outline was simple: Customer Care - What, Why, Who and How? We discussed and workshopped our way through the Customer Journey with Moment Mapping and looked at how we can improve the different stages of contact between an organisation and its customers. We could build on the recent experiences of the students who took out some school children to teach them climbing and more about the outdoor environment they are living in. 

On the second day, it was all about Leave No Trace. In the morning we covered the foundation principles of the Leave No Trace Centre for Outdoor Ethics and workshopped a couple of the principles. Before lunch we headed out into Glen Nevis - why not use the outdoor playground you got on your doorstep? It is a great bonus to discuss and show principles like 'Walk & Camp on Durable Ground' in the field, especially if the location is as stunning as the towering mountains of the glen. In a firelighting session, the students learnt more about alternative stoves and how to build a mound fire. Literally, leaving no trace if you do decide to have a camp fire when you are out in the great outdoors. 

All in all, a great couple of days - thank you School of Adventures!