Adrian holds the Mountain Leader (summer) award and has completed the training for the winter award. He has been walking on Dartmoor for over 45 years during which time he has enjoyed sharing his enthusiasm for the landscape with scouts, school groups, family and friends. Adrian has been a member of the Dartmoor Rescue Group since 1985 and currently specialises in training navigation with the team. He has been a Dartmoor National Park Guide since 2005 and particularly focuses on longer walks and walks with an archaeological interest. Adrian runs his own hillwalking business “Hillwise”, freelances as an expedition leader in the developing world for World Challenge, and works as a steersman for Canoe Adventures 12 man Voyageur canoes on the tidal … Read More

Amanda was born and grew up in London, but caught the hill walking bug after taking part in Ten Tors in 1977. She then spent the next 12 years escaping whenever possible to the Lake District, Peaks, Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia, whilst trying to find a suitable job in the South West so that she could get back to Dartmoor. In 1989 she finally made the move to South Devon and now lives with her family near Newton Abbot. A career change 15 years ago took Amanda into teaching Geography and Outdoor Education, where she has great fun exploring everywhere from the local area with the youngest children to parts of Africa with the older ones, and all via Dartmoor with as many youngsters as possible. Dartmoor offers a never-ending supply of outdoor experiences and no matter how familiar it is, there is always something new to discover and share. Amanda is also an Assistant Scout Leader with a very active group and helps to run bush-craft activities and frequent hike camps throughout the UK as well as regular trips to the Swiss Alps. Amanda joined Moorland Guides in … Read More

I have been walking the hills and mountains of Britain since the early 80s and have been regularly trekking, climbing and skiing the larger mountains for over 25 years. With almost 28 years active service in Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (Tavistock), I have seen Dartmoor at its best and worst, many times over! I hold the International Mountain Leader Award and write guidebooks for Cicerone Press as well as leading for Explore in Italy. I have trained teams for Ten Tors at all distances and I’m usually on the moors most weeks with my wife Sue, a Hill and Moorland Leader, and Beau Beau, our German … Read More

Chris Bourne has been involved with outdoor activities since a young age when his dad would take the family camping, with open fire cooking, usually in the woodlands or moorland. This then progressed with cubs, scouts, ventures, and as a leader. Many an expedition camping trip was soon to follow and undertaken with his growing family as they came along and now it’s often with his grand children. Chris is married to Brenda and lives in Okehampton Devon. They have four children who are all married and have 9 grand children. He is a Wild Country Assessor for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, (DofE) both here in the UK and Overseas. He is Chairman of the local DofE Committee and runs the Open Award Group with other leaders. He is also a Tutor and Course Director for the Award for Supervisors and Assessors. With the Award he has taken groups regularly to South Africa for their Residential Project and Expedition at Gold Level as well as here in the UK with all three levels of Bronze Silver and Gold participants. He has led and supervised groups on Dartmoor, Exmoor, Bodmin Moor, The Brecon Beacons, The Lake District, The North York Moors, Snowdonia, The Scotland Glens and Mountains, In France on their footpath network and in the Pyrenees, In South Africa in the Baviaanskloof Mega Wilderness Reserve, The Groot Vaders Bosch World Heritage Site, Landeberg Mountains and the Drakenberg Mountains He runs Pegasus Outdoor Ventures, which have been developing and evolving since Oct 2006 where he has become more directly involved with environmental education and awareness. He leases and manages woodlands under a Land Management Plan in conjunction with the Forestry Commission on behalf of the landowners, it is here where the Bushcraft, Woodcraft, Survival Skills, Earth Walk and Environmental events and programmes mainly take place, working with groups, schools, other organisations, families and individuals. He and Pegasus Outdoor Ventures are organisational members of the Institute of Outdoor Learning and Special Interest Group members for Bushcraft and Survival Skills, where he serves on the executive committee he is also a member of the Special Interest Group for Forest Schools. Pegasus Outdoor Ventures are also members of the Council for Learning Outside of the Classroom. He is a qualified assessor and internal verifier for Lantra Awards, Land Based Activities and also deliveries programmes for teachers, care workers and play leaders to help them grow in confidence and safety awareness in the outdoor woodland environment. The woodlands are a designated Learning Destination where children can add to their Passport for learning, see childrensuniversity.co.uk. The Children’s University (CU) Trust offers 7 to 14 year olds (and 5 to 6 year olds with their families) exciting and innovative learning activities and experiences outside normal school hours. If you are a child, parent/carer, school or potentialpartner organisation this is the place to start. Pegasus Outdoor Ventures are an Approved Provider for the John Muir Award. See http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-home.asp The John Muir Award is an environmental award scheme focused on wild places. It encourages awareness and responsibility for the natural environment, in a spirit of fun, adventure and exploration The three Levels of the John Muir Award – Discovery Level, Explorer Level and Conserver Level – encourage a progressive involvement. • Discovery Award (Introductory Level) 4 days (or equivalent) minimum time commitment • Explorer Award (Intermediate Level) 8 days (or equivalent) minimum time commitment • Conserver Award (Advanced Level) 20 days (or equivalent) minimum time commitment, over at least 6 months The same four Challenges are repeated for each Level, with increased involvement in terms of time, activity, responsibility and ownership. These awards are often integrated into the activities offered as a min- series or programme of … Read More

Colin was born in Wales and is a former Royal Marine, Teacher and Expedition Leader with vast experience of leading groups of all ages and ability. During his teaching he was involved in Ten Tors, the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and all forms of outdoor learning. He is a great believer in the outdoor classroom and is passionate about the great … Read More

Walks with David are always both fun and informative. A former primary school head teacher he is an experienced provider of moorland walks and activities for children of all ages. He also takes great pleasure in helping adults, especially those new to Dartmoor, to understand their surroundings and engage with the natural environment. For schools and for families he has developed the concept of ‘Playwalks’ which combine the pleasures of walking and learning about the natural and human history with extended opportunities for games and free play in wild areas. Beyond his work with ‘moorland guides’ David runs Dartmoor residentials for a handful of schools takes class groups for ‘playwalks’ and curriculum-themed walks; and works as a freelance for Devon Discovery residential centres. His latest project involves using Dartmoor and its surrounds for the physical and mental health benefits it can offer to troubled children. You might also spot David singing in ‘The Lost Sound Chorus’, a Dartmoor based Folk … Read More

Dawn was brought up in Somerset and spent many days walking the paths of Somerset and Dorset. She studied geography and also more recently conservation. She had an early career in mapping and remote sending before working in the education departments of two wildlife trusts. It is here that she realised the importance of encouraging people of all ages and children in particular to visit and understand the outdoor world. She is also a qualified Forest schools leader. She has walked in hills and mountains around the world and having recently moved Devon is enjoying walking (and running) on Dartmoor. Dawn has recently gained her Moorland Walking leadership award. She is an guide for … Read More

Debbie Jenkin was born and raised in Yorkshire, moving to Devon in the 1970s where she formed an immediate attachment with Dartmoor, similar in many ways to her native North York Moors. Working as a primary school teacher, she and her husband and children moved to Dartmoor in 1990 when her passion for the moor grew. She began leading groups for walks on the moor and qualified as a Moorland Leader, joining the pool of Dartmoor National Park guides in 2002, where her guiding work included school groups, foreign students, navigation courses and walks for all ages and abilities. She joined “Moorland Guides” from its launch in 2011. She remains fascinated by Dartmoor, its history and archaeology, geology and wildlife, and has a delight in its legends, which, like many folk-lore stories handed down through time, are often woven into factual events. Debbie also loves walking in other wild places in Britain, such as the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, Scotland, Wales and Northumberland. She has written a number of walking guide books for hotels in Devon. Debbie loves Dartmoor in all its moods and in it, finds refreshment of spirit and a place to escape to. She says that, “to be in a position to show this jewel to others, is a huge … Read More

After travelling the world for over 15 years, Gillian finally put down roots in Devon over 17 years ago. She’s always been drawn to the outdoors, noticing the positive effects on mental well-being. A passionate photographer, she can guide you to some of her favourite views and ‘secret’ spots. Immerse yourself in the beauty of Dartmoor, history, myths & legends and connect with nature. Gillian also gives her time to nurture the ‘get outside bug’ in the next generation by training young teams for the Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh awards. She’s a qualified Hill and Moorland Leader (HML), Outdoor First Aider and Mental Health First Aider, so you know you’re in safe … Read More

Ian was born at Hampton Court in Surrey and grew up in west London near Heathrow airport. Whilst at school he started the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, gaining his gold Award in 1969. It was this that started his fondness for Dartmoor as his expeditions were done here. After completing gold Ian went on to become an assessor for the D of E expeditions in 1971. He started teaching in a primary school near Heathrow and moved to Devon to be near Dartmoor in 1976. It wasn’t long before he joined the Rescue Group and the DNP guides – in 1978. He is now semi-retired, enjoying some supply teaching, running his own living history business for schools and guiding. His particular interests are archaeology of all types and legends, but his walks always include flora, fauna and geology- anything to do with the … Read More

Inge has recently joined Moorland Guides and gained her Walk Group Leader qualification. She lives in Ashburton and has spent many years exploring accessible and interesting routes on Dartmoor. She has set up Dartmoor Walks This Way which offers made-to-measure walks for people wanting to explore the quieter and less obvious parts of the moor -www.dartmoorwalksthisway.co.uk. Inge worked for 17 years at Schumacher College in Dartington where she was responsible for planning and managing their renowned short course programme. She developed the Earth Pilgrim courses which took participants out onto Dartmoor in the company of Satish Kumar, one of the College founders, to experience wild nature and reflect on the way our relationship to the natural world affects how we live in these challenging times (http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/earth-pilgrim-2012). Her experiences leading groups during these courses, as well as taking other small groups out on an informal basis, made her realise how few people, even those living quite locally, venture beyond a few obvious areas on Dartmoor and thus miss out on its unique character and beauty. Inge is a fluent German speaker and therefore interested in working with and developing connections with groups from the German-speaking … Read More

Keith has in the region of 35 years of Backpacking and mountaineering experience with over 25 years active service in Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Ashburton. Keith Grew up in Sussex and moved to Dartmoor in 1992.He now leads and guides small groups and individuals on a variety of public and bespoke hikes and walks. Keith is a passionate explorer of the links between history, legend and landscape of the British Isles and Dartmoor in Particular. Keith is fully insured and holds the South West Mountain and Moorland Walking Leader and Camping Leader Award and the National Mountain Training Hill and Moorland Leader … Read More

Born and brought up on Dartmoor Liz became a Dartmoor National Park Guide in 2008. Liz gains great pleasure from sharing every aspect of Dartmoor with visitors, interpreting the landscape, tailoring walks to the wishes of the clients and having a few smiles along the way. Qualifications and experience include Hill & Moorland Leader, South west Mountain and Moorland Leader, Mountain Leader training, walking in Wales and the French … Read More

Mike was born, bred and lives on Dartmoor, he has just retired as a boiler engineer. He holds Walking Group Leader and, National Navigation Bronze Silver and Gold awards Mike has always had a keen interest of Dartmoor and is always willing to share his knowledge with others. His other interests are, bell ringing and miniature engineering He is also a District Councillor and a member of The Dartmoor National Park … Read More

Mike retired from the police service in 2012 and lived in Princetown for many years. He has a long connection with the moor starting with completing the Ten Tors challenge four times in his youth. This continued through his involvement with training police search teams and with his role working closely with the Dartmoor Rescue Group. He continues to walk extensively and explore the moor whenever he can. Mike is now the Chair of a regional search and rescue team and is the programme manager for the rescue and emergency management degree course at Cornwall College where he ensures his students become as enthusiastic about the moors as he … Read More

Nigel Grist is a biologist by training specialising at university in moorland ecology and marine studies. A further research period was spent on the growth of seabird colonies. His interest in flora, especially moorland plants and some of the non-flowering groups such as mosses, liverworts and lichens has been maintained; Dartmoor is a terrific place for these groups. For twenty-five years he was joint owner and co-director of a marine biological survey company specialising in surveys of marine invertebrates as well as in the design and programming of a number of scientific databases. Photography has been important for both work and pleasure for 40+ years and he has worked and printed in both film and digital. For the last five years he has been developing his photography and other artistic ventures including printmaking (especially linocuts and etchings) though exhibitions, and he has an online presence and links with online image agencies. (www.theunseenview.com) His interests are varied but might be grouped under wildlife and landscape in a very broad sense: very keen on the detail of macro images but also in trying to capture some sense of a landscape. Dartmoor and the moor’s multi-layered complexity has figured prominently in recent years and he walks there frequently; the Bronze Age sites being of particular interest. Over eleven months between July 2013 and May 2014 he walked all of the named tors and hills on the moor; 1200km and 370 targets in total. Nigel holds the Mountain Training Association’s WGL award and Bronze and Silver NNAS certificates. He greatly enjoys showing others some of the huge variety of sites and scenes the moor has to offer. He is also very keen on navigation as an enjoyable pursuit for its own sake and enjoys taking small groups on training … Read More

Paul Rendell, also known as ’Dartmoor Paul’, was born in Plymouth and became enthusiastic about Dartmoor from an early age after being taken on numerous outings by his parents. Burrator and Sheepstor were two of the favourite places they went as a family.
Very early he found he was fascinated by the moor’s industrial archaeology and its wildlife. Because he was dyslexic his schooldays were not very easy for him but he struggled on until school leaving age.
After leaving school, Paul trained as a chef and worked in a number of establishments within the Plymouth area, as well as some on Dartmoor.
Later on he became the Head Gardener at Devonport Dockyard and for stayed there several years but his love for Dartmoor led him to look for work away from the city. His boyhood explorations had already provided him with a knowledge of the moor that only a few possess and his interest led to a second job: leading guided walks and giving talks. Through sheer grit and determination he became a full-time professional guide; this in turn has enabled him to introduce countless people to the delights of walking on Dartmoor and throughout the West Country.
As a keen local historian, Paul has written many articles for newspapers and magazines and wrote his first book, called ‘Exploring the Lower Walkham Valley’. In 1991 he founded the ‘Dartmoor News’, a bi monthly magazine which he still edits today.
Paul is frequently out and about gathering information on matters relating to Dartmoor. For a number of years he was the Conservation Officer for the Dartmoor Preservation Association. In 2011 he started working for the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust leading walks and doing conservation work Bellever near Postbridge and Paul is Committee member for the Okehampton and District Branch of the Devonshire Association. Paul has now been a Dartmoor National Park Guide for over 21 years.
He loves taking photographs and many of his pictures can be found on Christmas cards, postcards, calendars and in magazines. In his spare time he collects old picture postcards, listens to music and exploring the countryside. Paul has written three books:
Exploring the Lower Walkham Valley,
Exploring the Burrator Area and
Okehampton Through Time was published in May 2011. He has published a number of books for other authors. Today he lives in Okehampton with his partner Pauline Greenwood. They are working their first book together, Dartmoor Pubs Through … Read More

Peter Challiss is a qualified Mountain Leader since 2002 and this qualification enables him to lead groups over all the UK including camping. He has worked as a Dartmoor National Park guide since 2001 in both summer and winter, covering a wide variety of moorland walks for the public as well as for English and Foreign school groups. He has led groups on the Lych Way walk, the Abbots Way Walk and many six-hour day walks. Peter is also a Ten Tors manager and for the last 16 years running a 35, 45, & 55 mile teams locally in West Devon. Whilst not walking on Dartmoor he enjoys walking in Cornwall, the Brecon Beacons, West Wales and occasionally further afield, on the long distance paths in France. For the last 5 years he has spent a month each summer leading school groups abroad and has visited, Chile, Borneo, Ecuador, India and Madagascar. He is also a member of the Tavistock & District Outdoor Education Forum that provides over 3,000 sessions of outdoor activities for young people. He is also the coordinator for the annual 23 mile Abbots Way Walk from Buckfast Abbey to Tavistock, always held on the 1st Sunday in October which reaches its 50th anniversary on October 7th 2012. He is qualified in outdoor first aid, fully insured and CRB checked. He is, married and has lived near Dartmoor for over 25 … Read More

Phil’s mountain experience began, as did so many others, with the Duke of Edinburgh award schemes. Serving as a musician in the Royal Marines for 33 years gave him many opportunities to develop mountain skills, including the 10 day Unit Expedition Leaders course run by the Army. Phil now likes to walk as much as possible in the Lake District and on Dartmoor, with the occasional sortie to Snowdonia, Scotland or the Brecon Beacons, and delights in introducing people to the great outdoors. A few years ago he underwent his Mountain Leader training, becoming qualified in 2013. Since then he has led many walks and expeditions in the UK, with friends, family and young people groups. He has trained Ten Tors teams for the past 8 years. Phil now lives in Totnes and organises walks under the name of ‘Mustard Seed Walks’, a group started with a few friend from his church, but which has grown in number (see his Facebook site – Mustard Seed Walks). Phil joined the ranks of the Moorland Guides at the end of 2017 and looks forward to sharing walking experiences with others on Britain’s mountains and … Read More

Hi, my name is Richard Gooding and I am both a Moorland Guide and a Dartmoor National Park Guide. I now live in Plymouth with my wife and two children. My wife and daughter have their own businesses and my son is working with the HM Coastguard Agency. I spent 32 years in the Royal Navy as an engineer and then as a project manager with Babcock. Ever since I was a boy my parents used to take me onto the moor and I have always liked to walk and explore. During my time in the forces we were encouraged to get out and compete in Adventure Training to keep us fit and work as a team. As we travelled the world I wanted to visit more remote areas and take like-minded ships’ personnel to experience life away from the vessel. To do this I qualified as a mountain leader (Joint Service Expedition Leader (MLT)) which enabled me to plan my own expeditions and excursions. I completed and attained the Mountain Bike Instructor and Assessor award for wild country terrain to give people who had never tried mountain biking the ability to attain a level where they would feel competent on a bike over rough ground. Since retiring I have enjoyed spending time walking, camping and biking on the moor and decided to use these skills in joining the Dartmoor National Park and Moorland Guides. I love taking people out and being able to show just how interesting and fascinating Dartmoor can be with a sense that I am giving something back to the community. Dartmoor is a unique place on our doorstep with a fantastic history that can be seen and shared. Getting out for a walk with a qualified guide can give all a sense of well-being as well as the knowledge about a place we all need to care for and cherish. All Moorland guides are helpful, informative people who love the moor and are willing to help you in any way possible to make your experience a safe and pleasurable one. I look forward to meeting you … Read More

Richard moved to Tavistock in 1985 from the wilds of North Cornwall and immediately started exploring Dartmoor. The remoter the area the more he wanted to explore and find out all he could about the natural beauty, Wildlife and Cultural Heritage. After 25 busy years as Managing Director of the family Landscape Contracting business he decided to give something back so he became a National Park Guide in 2009. He has enjoyed everything about the job since then and has particularly enjoyed the school walks and walks with families. He believes all walks should be fun and one of the main attributes of a Guide should be a good sense of … Read More

Sue is passionate about bringing people and wildlife closer together for their mutual benefit and has spent many years showing people the delights of Dartmoor’s habitats and species. She is an environmental consultant specialising in conservation policy, environmental assessments and sustainable tourism as well as leading many events for the public and specialist groups.. She worked for the Dartmoor National Park Authority for over 30 years latterly as Director of Conservation and Director of Park Management, heading up a multidisciplinary team working across many disciplines, and formerly as the Park Authority’s ecologist. She is currently the Chair of Natural Devon, the Devon Local Nature Partnership and a trustee of the Devon Wildlife Trust. Sue is a qualified Hill and Moor Leader, a First Aider and experienced navigator. She has trekked and botanised in many mountain ranges including the Himalayas, the Caucasus, and the Tien Shan. She lives on Dartmoor in the Teign … Read More

Sue retired from 30 years of teaching in both primary and secondary schools in 2020. During her teaching career Sue helped students to participate in the Ten Tors Challenge and assisted her husband when he ran a school trip to the Italian Alps. Since retiring from teaching Sue has qualified as a Nordic Walking Instructor with British Nordic Walking, become a Duke of Edinburgh Assessor and a Hill and Moorland Leader. Sue is keen to encourage others to learn to Nordic Walk because of the many benefits that this form of exercise offers including the chance to socialise whilst getting fit. Sue enjoys hill walking, mountaineering and ski touring in various locations including the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, Bolivia, North Wales, the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District, Exmoor and of course … Read More

I have always been attracted to the great outdoors and I am a part time English teacher. Some years ago, as part of the military, I took part in expeditions to Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and Popocatepetl, Mexico; but more recently I’ve spent time on Dartmoor with DofE and Ten Tors through schools. Since we moved to Devon in 2016 I have rambled all over Dartmoor and have taken the opportunity to renew my outdoor leadership qualifications by completing my HML. A perfect day on the moor for me would probably involve a Bronze Age site and a dip in a Moorland … Read More

Willem Montagne was born in the Netherlands and grew up and was educated in England. He has a degree in Geography and trained and worked as a teacher. Willem has worked as Dartmoor National Park Education Officer for 26 years and is now retired. He has an excellent working knowledge of Dartmoor, Devon and beyond. His interests range across all aspects of the landscape including Geology, Geomorphology, Natural History, Archaeology, Environmental Education and the cultural heritage, including folklore and the arts. As an experienced guide he has a passion for exploration and adventure and aims to design and provide walks that entertain, challenge and intrigue participants. He has extensive experience of working with young people and adults and enjoys adapting and providing for very different kinds of audiences. He likes working with all age ranges, from pre-school groups to postgraduate university students and beyond. He has also specialized in groups, with or including, people with learning, behavioral and mental health difficulties. Willem has travelled widely and is very open to working with groups from different cultural back grounds. Although he works mainly in English he is able to communicate well with people with a limited understanding of English and speaks fluent Dutch. Willem’s experience of planning, organizing and leading bespoke walks and educational events is second to none and he would like to use this knowledge to benefit those that wish to understand and enjoy Dartmoor in keeping with the National Park “ethos” and its aims. Guided walks and other events can be designed to include physical challenges, formal field studies, environmental games and arts … Read More