Twelve weeks from walker to logged hill days

In twelve weeks you will have a logbook of hill days you planned and navigated yourself, and a dated first step towards a leader qualification if you want one. If you are getting going, the same twelve weeks take you from a led walk to a full day in the hills with a map in your hand.

Why this works

Barbara O’Donnell did not become a mountain leader by deciding to. She became one by logging hikes: 40 of them, she told The Echo in Cork, in all weathers, often at night, and never the same route twice. Then came two assessments, and a pass in the month she turned 50.

The leader qualifications are built on a logbook. Mountain Training, which runs the UK scheme, asks for 20 “quality mountain days” before its six-day Mountain Leader training course and 40 before the five-day assessment, with eight nights camping. Mountaineering Ireland’s route starts with a Mountain Skills assessment. So whether or not you ever lead anyone, the useful thing to do is the same: go out, navigate, write it down.

The NHS (the UK health service) lists hiking as moderate activity and recommends at least 150 minutes of that a week.

Before you start

Check with your GP (family doctor) if you have not exercised for some time or have a medical condition or concern.
Kit. O’Donnell’s list: good walking boots and a weatherproof jacket. Add a paper map, a compass, a head torch, food, water and a warm layer.
A logbook. A notebook will do. Mountain Training has its own online one, called DLOG, for people who register.
Company. For first hill days go with a club or a qualified leader. Clubs, O’Donnell says, cater for all levels.
Money. Registration is £69 with Mountain Training and €76 with Mountaineering Ireland (their pages, 9 October 2026). Courses are extra and vary by provider.

The plan

Week	Do this	How often	Notes
1–3 (getting going)	Join a led walk on low hills, 2 to 3 hours.	1 led walk, 2 walks of 30–40 minutes	Ask the leader to show you your position on the map three times.
1–3 (already fit)	Plan and navigate a hill day of 5 hours or more on a route new to you.	1 hill day a fortnight, 2 shorter sessions a week	Start the log. No route twice: that was O’Donnell’s rule.
4–6 (getting going)	Plan a 3-hour route on marked paths and walk it with a friend, following it on your own map.	1 planned walk, 2–3 walks of 40 minutes	Leave your route and return time with someone at home.
4–6 (already fit)	Two more hill days, one in rain or low cloud on ground that is not steep or exposed.	2 hill days	Take a compass bearing at every change of direction. Turn back if it stops being safe.
7–9 (getting going)	A 4-hour hill walk with a club, checking every turn on the map.	1 hill walk, 3 shorter	You are now past 150 minutes a week.
7–9 (already fit)	Finish a familiar route after dark with a head torch and a partner.	1 hill day, 2 strength sessions a week	Night navigation was part of O’Donnell’s logged hikes.
10–12 (getting going)	Lead a friend on a full day you planned, 5 hours.	Once, plus your usual walks	Then choose a next step below.
10–12 (already fit)	A two-day walk with an overnight camp, in a region you have not walked before. That makes six logged days.	Once	Camping nights count towards the assessment total.

If it goes wrong

You are lost. Stop. Go back to the last place you were sure of.
The weather turns. Shorten the route. The hill will be there next week.
Sore knees on descents. Shorten your stride, use poles, and halve the next outing. Pain that is sharp or lasts needs a GP or physiotherapist.
You miss a fortnight. Pick up at the last row you finished.
Chest pain that spreads or does not ease, severe breathlessness or fainting: stop and call 999 (911 in the US).

Track it

One line per outing: date, route, hours, weather, who navigated, one decision you made. Count full hill days, regions and nights camped. If you later register for a qualification, check the scheme’s own definition of a “quality mountain day” in its handbook before you count them.

What next

Ireland: a Mountain Skills course and assessment, the first step Mountaineering Ireland lists towards Mountain Leader.
UK: join a mountaineering council, register with Mountain Training, and book Mountain Leader training once you have 20 days logged.
US: look at a hiking club’s leader path. The Appalachian Mountain Club’s New York–North Jersey chapter asks for membership, two outings, a workshop and co-leading with a mentor.

If you are thinking of charging for it, our guide to starting a business is the place to begin. If you would rather build up the walking first, the walking plan for beginners sets it out week by week.

General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.