Richard
4.9
(45)
Mountain Guide
Bethesda, Wales, UK
Certificates
AMI MIC
I hold a Mountaineering Instructor Certificate (MIC). I am fully qualified to guide and instruct all aspects of mountaineering and climbing in the UK throughout the year. Also, I am a full member of the Mountain Training Association (MTA) and the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI).
I love climbing and this passion has taken me all over the world, even to the summit of Mount Everest. I have also climbed in the Andes, as well as in the Alps, Norway and Canada. I reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 2001, as a member of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service Everest North Ridge expedition.
I first started mountaineering in Scotland with the RAF Mountain Rescue Service, over 20 years ago. Since then, I haven't stopped climbing and exploring new mountains in the UK and abroad. I have been a RAF Mountain Rescue Team Leader and also the Chief Instructor for 5 years. I have also climbed all the Munros, the Scottish peaks above 3000 feet.
I love climbing around North Wales and the rest of the UK. We have so many amazing climbing and scrambling spots to discover in this area! I enjoy taking my clients there for rock climbing, scrambling and mountain skills courses or for a guided day out.
We can set up a program according to your level and wishes. Contact me and we can start planning your next mountain adventure right away!
Programs
Reviews
Charlotte Allan
5
September, 2024
Great friendly guides with plenty of knowledge. They offered extra clothing and water, asked and organised several stops, we had several different types of climbers - those who are experiences and those who's this was a first experience, different fitness levels etc so they was able to separate and support the group accordingly. I would highly recommend Derry and Conor to anyone who was asking for a guide.
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Stanley Kaplunov
5
September, 2024
We did our trip with Andy who's one of the guides working with Richard. Andy was fantastic - very knowledgable, experienced and patient. It was 5 of us and we've all had a great time despite different levels of experience. The climb was overlooking the valley which was used for Game of Thrones filming. Highly recommend to anyone looking for North Wales climbs.
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Eleasha Nedrick
5
July, 2024
My partner and I had Gareth as our guide and he was brilliant. His knowledge and history of the mountains made for good conversations and his endurance and patience was greatly appreciated on our climb. We didn't know what to expect but Gareth guided us on the path we were taking going up and the other path we would take descending down. I found it challenging at times but Gareth was always patient and truthfully reassuring on the types of steepness we faced and was able to put time/kilometres on it too, which encouraged me to push myself. He was very welcoming to small breaks and also kindly captured pictures and videos of me and my partner as we climbed, which is nice to look back on. Overall, I highly recommend this service. As first time climbers, the Rhyd Ddu path was challenging but so worth it as it was a beautiful, quieter path to climb. I specifically booked this service as a birthday surprise for my partner and loved the fact we were not part of a group and were able to enjoy the experience together. Keep up the great work and I'll be sure to pass on these details to anyone interested in climbing. Regards, Eleasha.
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Chris Cawthorne
5
July, 2024
We booked with SW&C for the North Ridge on Tryfan, with the goal being to let my 12 year-old daughter climb a mountain in the UK that you can’t walk to the top of. I’m so glad we did. We had the best day out despite the classic Welsh weather, and our guide made the whole thing totally stress-free, including navigating with visibility down to 10 feet or so at some points, taking loads of photos of us, showing the easiest moves for the “crux” and having a generally encyclopaedic knowledge of the mountain and related areas in general. I can’t recommend SW&C highly enough!
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