In reply to jamieelston:
> Anybody recommend a good course which would cover all the skills and basics?
Yes...
I could easily recommend a dozen or so. I could also recommend at least another twenty companies and individuals (in addition to myself) off the top of my head who could easily deliver that training.
As mentioned in an earlier reply, all full members of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (and any companies displaying the AMI logo) are perfectly placed to deliver that sort of training. That means you are looking at perhaps 200+ individuals, companies and organisations from Cornwall to the Cairngorms.
If you want a specific recommendation you would need to supply far more information:
- what is your existing climbing experience?
- where in the UK do you want a course?
- budget; do you have one? are you more constrained by time or money?
- duration; do you want a 1-day course? a weekend? a week?
- dates; are you flexible or do you have fixed dates?
- do you want/need accommodation and/or catering included?
- is it just for you or do you have a climbing partner/partners who will also want to attend?
To get a rough idea of what sort of thing is available, it is worth looking at the wide range of climbing courses advertised online by Plas y Brenin
http://www.pyb.co.uk/courses-rock-climbing.php - although they all include full board accommodation.
As already mentioned, there is no shortage of other providers and especially if there are two (or more) of you, it is very straight-forward to find another company or individual Mountaineering Instructor to deliver tailored training in another location and/or dates that suit you better.
