About Alpine Exploratory

Alpine Exploratory is a system of knowledge on the best mountain trekking in our areas, giving clients superb holidays based on this exploration.

We run everything from our office in Edinburgh, UK. We place great importance on a friendly and positive approach to organising our holidays.

Our ongoing mission is to explore and interpret the Alps, plus the mountainous areas of Scandinavia, the UK and Ireland. We are systematic about our exploration and the result is a thoroughly human service that interprets trekking trails for our experienced clients. We call this The Exploratory System.

The Exploratory System
Our exploration comes first; our trips flow from this research. We explore, interpret and update all our routes ourselves. We explore with a trekker's eye. We produce our own detailed routecards and notes. We update regularly with the aim of giving the foremost service of information on each of our treks.

The Exploratory System

Friendliness
It's a pleasure each year to get to know new clients and to get to know better our returning clients.

We take pride in the friendly relations we've built up with our partners including hoteliers, hut wardens and others who help us run our trips.

Professionalism
We promote good practice in the mountains. This applies to the environment, equipment, technical skills and every other element of our walking holidays, and to both our self-guided and our guided holidays. All of our guided trips are led by our International Mountain Leaders (IMLs) and all of our Routecards are drawn up and checked by our IMLs.

Human, personal interpretation of the trek
Our early contact with most clients involves discussion of the best itinerary. On all of our routes, there are many approaches possible and we apply our knowledge to what will suit each group best. We consider this stage as important as anything we do in the sequence from initial enquiry to finished trek.

Flexible arrangements
Your self-guided trip can start on any date you choose within our season; we don't have set start dates.

Nor do we have set schedules, so we are always pleased to book trips in your chosen style. This could mean shorter or longer, more or less luxurious, or with extra stages or rest days.

For our guided trips, we offer our scheduled trips on fixed dates and with set itineraries that people can join, and also our private guided trips which can start on your choice of date.

Small groups
On our guided walking holidays we take up to 8 trekkers. Added to your 1 leader, this means a group of up to 9 people walking together. We feel that this is large enough; larger groups compromise quality for each client and impose a burden on the trail and accommodation. Smaller groups mean a greater role, better safety and more choice for each client.

Sympathy with the mountains
Our mountains are where we find our enjoyment, our relaxation, our thrills, and some of the best times of our lives. We seek to understand the mountains and protect them. A conscientious approach to the environment is a key part of each of our holidays. Our groups' aims are to travel to and through the mountains causing as little environmental impact as possible; we aim to promote best practice whether through your leader on a guided holiday or through the materials we give you on a self-guided holiday.

Alpine Exploratory Limited is a privately held company, incorporated in July 2005 in England and Wales, with company number 5521173 and VAT number 995904461. UK Exploratory and Exploratory are trading names of Alpine Exploratory Limited. Simon Stevens and Ailsa Gibson were the original Directors, and Simon was the shareholder. Today, Simon is the company's sole Director, and Ailsa is a Special Advisor. We are writing a little about each year:

Alpine Exploratory's History - year by year

In February 2015 we moved our working office from Settle (England) to Edinburgh (Scotland). Please find us at Alpine Exploratory, 34 Rose Street North Lane, Edinburgh, EH2 2NP, United Kingdom. Having incorporated the company in England and Wales, we are obliged to maintain our registered office in that jurisdiction as opposed to Scotland, wherever our working office is. Thus we made our registered office at Alpine Exploratory, Ground Floor, No. 4 Warehouse, The Wharf, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2AG, United Kingdom. This is a business address in Simon's family and is in sunny West Yorkshire, England.

For 5 years based in Settle in the Yorkshire Dales, we certainly were exploring the Yorkshire Dales National Park! Moving to Edinburgh in 2015 has shifted our UK focus to the Scottish Highlands but our roots remain in Yorkshire and the Lake District.

Every Alpine Exploratory guided trip is led by one of our team of International Mountain Leaders (IMLs).

Our Leaders and the IML award

Please don't hesitate to contact us at info@alpineexploratory.com with any questions.

Thank you!

Guided and Self-Guided Holidays - see them all