Paul Poole Mountaineering

Get Qualified... I have only 1 Mountain Leader training course with spaces left this year, so don’t leave it until 2019 to start your journey... 17th-22nd Nov - 4 spaces £340 non residential in North Wales For more info visit here https://www.paulpoolemountaineering.co.uk /mountain-leader-a…

Rock Climbing Instructors giving Johnny Dawes a run for his money.....

And that was a lovely days cragging....

Well, that was a lovely stroll today...

Scottish Winter Many believe winter is the best time to be in the mountains, those blue skies with perfect snow and ice or the full "white room" experience. Come and see for yourself in January 2019. This course is based in the Cairngorms and over 4 days I'll cover the winter skills to allow you to have your own adventures in the future. 28th-31st Jan £295 - 4 Days... More details and to reserve your space follow this link https://www.paulpoolemountaineering.co.uk /winter-courses-sc….
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A chilly, but lovely evenings cragging...

Get Qualified... I have several Mountain Leader Assessment courses with spaces this year, so don’t leave it until 2019 to start your journey... 10th-14th Nov 24th-28th Nov 8th-12th Dec... £340 non residential in North Wales For more info visit here https://www.paulpoolemountaineering.co.uk /mountain-leader-a…
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An atmospheric day at the crag! (translates as wet, cold, windy, blue skies, cloud, hail and sunny!) Nice....

After yesterday’s start in the wall all day, it was refreshing to get out on the crag today....

Well the team headed out on their mini break and survived Storm Ali last night! I somehow lucked this one (and avoided it!) and Emma took them out!

Get Qualified... I have only 1 Mountain Leader training course with spaces left this year, so don’t leave it until 2019 to start your journey... 17th-22nd Nov - 4 spaces £340 non residential in North Wales For more info visit here https://www.paulpoolemountaineering.co.uk /mountain-leader-a…

A wild wet and top day out with the ML team!

Well that was a tad moist and windy today! (This might have been yesterday...)

What was an awful morning turned into a stunning afternoon....

Some funky shapes being pulled on this weeks ML training. Looking forward to the tail end of the hurricane later in the week.....

2019 Dates are out.... Dates for 2019 are now out and there are a couple of exciting changes on offer next year. Firstly, I may well visit Spain in Feb / March to run my usual climbing trips, most likely as a long weekend, but Morocco will be a new destination for Feb half term, with plenty of sport & trad climbing and stacks of mint tea to fire us up each morning! There's some exciting developments on the UK climbing side with specific coaching courses being run over the year and lastly I might return to Nepal next Autumn or visit a brand new destination that I've spent a considerable amount of time travelling around. Mountains and deserts could be a clue.....and it's not Morocco! Looking forward to 2019! https://www.paulpoolemountaineering.co.uk /rock-climbing-lla…

Some rain avoidance tactics today....

UBES - University of Bristol Expeditions Society are always excellent fun to spend the week with (and pretty tidy with their navigating too!) and these few minutes capture it just perfectly. Watch it right to the end for the bit about Aliens...but where were the mountain swans Zoe?!! Top video Claire....

Wow! Wonder who the talented photographer is......

Somehow Paul manages to make the process of assessment enjoyable! He naturally put me at ease from the moment the assessment started, and on top of that, sent the entire group away far more prepared for the realities of being a mountain leader. Absolutely fantastic experience. Big thanks Paul

Recently did my ML Assessment with Paul, along with Kate and Pete. It was a fantastic week, and Paul really does put you at ease and supports you fully along the way. Kate and Pete work regularly with Paul for assessments and have the same outlook, are supportive and informative. And to me, one very important part - is to have fun in the mountains...and we definitely did just that. I would highly recommend Paul, and look forward to future learning with him.

Paul & Pete ; perfect hosts; safely guiding us up the hills in Morrocco. Genuinely recommend a trip with these chaps; well organised, great views, great company & a new set of winter skills learnt. Awesome adventure...

Thanks Guys �

Morocco 16th to 23rd December 2017.

Wow! Where do I start. Perhaps by saying please bear with me for the length of this review but it just has to be said.

This was a brilliant trip which exceeded all my expectations. The weather was just brilliant with blue skies and sunshine everyday of the 8 day trip. This was my first trip outside Europe and so I felt a little apprehensive about landing in a different culture. I need not have worried in the slightest. The people in Morocco are so friendly especially the Berber folk who we met on the way and in the mountains. The rest of the group from all walks of life back home in the UK were a great bunch to be with and so many thanks to Paul Poole and Peter Cooper our trip leaders who made us feel so relaxed throughout the trip.

Our first day was the trek from Imlil to the Mouflons Hut making the snow line some way before the hut at 3200m. Next day was a winter skills day in the cwm above the hut to help us acclimatise more before Toubkal (4167m) ascent day on the Tuesday. The views from the final col were just incredible if a little hazy in the distance. Could see the summit mass of Toubkal next to us and then the full length of the Atlas Mountains from NE to SW and further afield south towards the Sahara Desert. The feeling of elation on the summit was incredible especially as all of us on the trip made it to the top where on arrival there was little wind which made taking it all in that much better. The next day was a well deserved rest day in the cwm again with some great short ice climbing on the frozen water courses. The next day followed with another big mountain day on Ras and Timesguida giving more awesome views of Toubkal to the NE and south again towards the desert. Then finally the last day was the return trek down to Imlil and then on to Marrakesh for 24hrs before the flight home after some great exploration of the markets and one of the old palaces.

If there had to be a downside to the trip I would say the Mouflons Hut was a little cold outside the living/dinning area with no heating in the dorms and lights went out by 10pm at night. Washing and showers were also a bit of a challenge at times but all that was easy to live with when the mountain days offered so much and the hut staff were so friendly and fed us so well and watered us with Mint tea!

Overall this was a fantastic trip with such pleasant and friendly folks and leaders and in Paul's own words "we stayed safe, we had a great time and we summited a few mountains"

Morocco has so much to offer the mountain explorer and I look forward to going back one day.

I will be back on future Paul Poole trips and I can definitely recommend him to anyone considering one of his trips or courses in the UK or beyond.

ML (s) Assessment week with Paul. What a great experience. Although apprehensive I was very much looking forward to the week and Paul delivered in spades. Yes there were testing times, but right from the word go Paul sought to relax us as candidates and was keen to ensure we were all still learning throughout the week, which I certainly did alongside being able to demonstrate our skills and knowledge. I cant recommend Paul Poole Mountaineering highly enough.

Just finished ML training with Paul... Its been a fantastic week that has reinforced and refined my knowledge. Paul is a knowledgeable, enthusiastic instructor and he delivers his course in a relaxed but very professional way. All aspects and more were covered on the ML and you always feel comfortable asking questions , getting advice and drawing on his wealth of experience. I will be using Paul for my assessment and future training courses.

Just completed my two day SPA (Single Pitch Award) Training with Paul, and it was great! I've had the pleasure of working with and learning from a wide range of climbing instructors, mountaineers and mountain training trainers - Paul is right up there as one of the best of them. I would 100% recommend his services as a trainer, and I myself will be looking to book my SPA assessment and some personal multi-pitch guiding through Paul Poole Mountaineering. Cheers for everything Paul, really appreciated all your input!



Joel Self

Outdoor Instructor

Just completed my ML assessment was a fantastic week, Paul was really chilled and made you feel relaxed which was good as nervous prior to the week. Learnt a lot along the way and never made you feel you couldn't ask questions, Good laugh defiantly would recommend him.

If you want a positive and supportive experience through your ML journey then I can highly recommend Paul and his team. Assessments can be nerve racking, however I was totally put at ease and encouraged to relax. We had very challenging weather for the whole week but the professionalism, knowledge planning and management of each day by Paul and his team was excellent. I was given encouragement, feedback, and advice along the way which will now help me with my ongoing ML journey. I have done several courses with Paul and I always come away feeling more confident, inspired and excited about being out in the mountains.

I've just come back from a 5 day Mountain Leader assessment with Paul and I can highly recommend him to anyone. Straight away he put the nerves at ease with his humorous and relaxed approach, although this doesn't take away from his technical and local knowledge which are phenomenal! I feel like I've learnt so much even on an assessment - especially to always bring extra chocolate pudding on exped! Thanks again, Mike

I took my ML assessment with Paul and Mo earlier this week and it was a fantastic experience. In addition to the pre-requisites for assessment there was great advice and additional learning opportunities, and all within a very supportive and constructive atmosphere. Shame about the weather but I guess that's what you get if you choose to do it in December! Nice to finish and discover that the sun was indeed still in the sky :)

I had a great day out with Paul for the Hazards of Steep Ground Refresher - it was just what I needed to refresh my memory from ML training and get tons of practice on the ropes. If anyone is looking for a place to sharpen your mountain skills, look no further--Thanks Paul!

I did my SPA training with Paul and he was really engaging and practical with it. I've just come back from a follow up with him and he is brilliant. He rapidly identified areas where I needed help on rigging and set up some great challenges for me which has massively boosted my confidence to get out there and set systems up :-)

Had a great weekend doing my SPA training with Paul! He went over each aspect of the course in great detail over the two days and went over other aspects of climbing that were not necessarily within the scope of the training, but were useful to hear from someone who is an expert. I would definitely recommend him to anyone and I look forward to coming and doing my SPA assessment with Paul in the near future !

Had a great day on the hill with Paul, lots learned, confidence improved and assessment passed/ Blue skies at the end of November and Paul's ability to choose areas for you to navigate to in the sunshine was the icing on the cake!

Had a fantastic weekend in January with ML Navigation and Rope Work CPD. A lot learned, confidence rebuilt and cant wait to get back in the Mountains. Paul is personable, supportive and his years of experience make him in my opinion one of the best coaches in the business. Will be back soon

Did my Summer Mountain Leader training with Paul in May, and would thoroughly recommend it.



Very thorough training with an emphasis on getting the best out of everyone in the group. It was a really inspiring week that has motivated me, and given me lots of ideas for future fun and work.



If you want quality training, in a small group, with a relaxed approach, this is a great option. Just great.

Attended the Contour Masterclass with Paul - great day in the hills learning to navigate using contour only maps - it really is the way forward! A superb days coaching from Paul.

A must do course with a must do provider , if you want to become an ML, paul is a great person who who is at the top of the game in etching M L skills , have learnt so much in last week and great value too. Thank you Paul