A – We are based at Hedderwick Hill Stables, By Belhaven, Dunbar EH42 1XF. It's really easy to find - just take the turn off to Hedderwick Hill Farm on the A1087. This is 25 miles east of Edinburgh by Dunbar.
There’s changing, coffee and lots of space to hang out. From here you will be driven to spectacular paddle boarding, coasteering and surfing locations around 10 - 20 minutes away.
For our mountain adventures we meet at 6.30am at Ingliston Park and Ride EH28 8LS by Edinburgh Airport. From here you will be driven to your mountain adventure and back. We can also coordinate alternative pick-up locations. Please contact us.
A – We will drive you there and back.
A – Please refer to the specific adventure page on our website. This clearly sets out what you will need, what is provided and what is not provided.
A – Want to experience something unique in a true wilderness setting? There’s not much we can’t do. We can build custom trips suited to your experience, timescales, budget, location and imagination anywhere in Scotland. If you have an idea for an adventure please contact us.
This could be as simple as a one-on-one paddle boarding coaching session focussing on skills and safety in East Lothian to a 3-day mountaineering and surfing trip to the Scottish Highlands.
A – As part of planning our adventures we follow the mountain weather forecasts closely.
If for example, the guides made the decision that the weather in Glen Coe represented an unacceptable level of risk an alternative destination would be decided upon: There are 282 mountains in Scotland over 914m / 3000ft. We are in these mountains year-round exploring and guiding clients to summits in wild and remote locations.
A – Most of our paddle boarding sessions take place in the ocean. However, paddle boarding becomes very challenging in high winds and sea swell. In these conditions, we head inland to a beautiful calm 2km long lake in a forest.
Coasteering can take place in most weather conditions.
A – This is very rare. The decision to cancel an adventure is at the sole discretion of the guide / instructor. These conditions are set out in our Terms and Conditions. If a trip is cancelled by us, an alternative date, voucher or full refund will be offered.
If for example on a paddle boarding trip the ocean is turbulent and there are high winds we will make the decision to head inland to a secluded lake. If there were storms, thunder and lightning and neither the lake nor ocean were suitable the trip would be cancelled by the instructor / guide. An alternative date, voucher or full refund would be offered.
If for example the Glen Coe Winter Ascent trip was considered unsafe by the guide due to avalanche conditions an alternative mountain destination would be decided upon. If all mountain locations were affected by storms, thunder and lightning and considered unsafe by the guide the trip would be cancelled. An alternative date, voucher or full refund would be offered.
A – These are boots designed specifically for mountaineering in snow, rock and ice conditions.
They are also crampon compatible which is required for our winter mountaineering trips. If you are not sure please contact us. We can also provide you with winter mountaineering boots if required.
A – We have an Adventure Activity License and are insured to work with any age group. However, we have set our own age limits to best balance the group on the adventure:
Paddle boarding – age 14
Coasteering – age 14
Climbing – age 14
Mountaineering – age 16
Overnight trips – age 18
If you are interested in a custom adventure for you and your group there is flexibility on age limits. Please contact us.
A – Details of our Public Liability insurance are set out in our Terms and Conditions. We are continually building on our qualifications, which are set out below:
Mountain Leader (Winter)
Mountain Leader (Summer)
ASI SUP Instructor Trainer/Assessor
SLSGB Trainer/Assessor
Single Pitch Award (rock climbing)
Trail Cycle Leader (mountain biking)
SLSGB Surf Lifeguard
SLSGB Coasteering Safety and Rescue
ASI SUP Instructor level 3
ASI Surf Instructor level 2
HSE First Aid Certificate
Scottish Field Archery Association Leader
Neural Linguistic Programming Practitioner Certificate
PDA in Youth Work
Mountain Instructor Award (training)
A - Ocean Vertical holds an Adventure Activity License. This allows participants under the age of 18 to take part in an Ocean Vertical Activity without parent / guardian supervision. Prior to the Activity the parent / guardian must sign the Ocean Vertical Declaration form within Our Terms and Conditions.
The National Coasteering Charter (NCC) is an advisory membership organisation providing coasteering companies and guides with support and advice as well as the benchmark for safety for this activity.
Ocean Vertical guides are highly experienced and run Coasteering Guide Workshops for other providers of coasteering using the NCC guides framework. You can’t find better-skilled or more experienced guides in the area. We are the people the guides come to learn from.
ASI [Academy of Surf Instructors] is the world's leading professional membership organisation and international governing body for instructors, coaches and schools in the outdoor recreation industry for surfing, stand up paddle boarding and body boarding.
Ocean Vertical is an accredited ASI school and instructor training centre, this means Ocean Vertical instructors are of the highest possible professional standards.
ASI creates and sets the international standards and continuously investigates and researches industry practices and liaises with the industry itself and government departments around the world, to ensure we are at the leading edge for the provision of education, accreditation, standards and safe practices, and with respect and harmony with nature.
A – Yes. You can see these along with our Privacy Policy on our website. When booking you will also automatically receive a link to our Terms and Conditions.
A – All our adventures take place in the mountains and ocean so a level of fitness is required. We also like to make our adventures accessible to a wide variety of clients. Our Terms and Conditions set out our parameters on physical fitness.
For all our mountain adventures we use the following grade system:
Easy - Easier treks, mostly on well-defined paths, with no special difficulties.
Easy / Moderate - Slightly harder treks. Paths may be indistinct, navigation skills required.
Moderate - Moderate mountaineering. Terrain will be steep, map reading skills essential. This grade includes the most straightforward and popular Mountains over 3000 feet / 914 meters [Munros].
Challenging - Harder mountaineering. Can include longer treks and pathless sections calling for more careful navigation. There may be scree and minor scrambling. This grade is quite broad and includes the bulk of Mountains over 3000 feet / 914 meters [Munros].
Strenuous - Tough by mountaineering standards; these routes can be very arduous or include trickier scrambling. This grade includes the hardest or most strenuous Mountains over 3000 feet / 914 meters [Munros].
In the ocean clients should be confident in cold water and full immersion – and be able to swim 15m.
A – Details of risk are set out in our Terms and Conditions. In addition, all our adventures are continually risk assessed as part of our planning and professional procedures. This assessment is also integrated into our insurance process.
A – As a responsible and ethical adventure company we are committed to the wild and natural environment we work in. We strive to put the planet first in everything we do.
We recognize that a love for our beautiful wild places demands active participation in the fight to save them. Details of how we achieve this are set out in the About section of our website. This is of course a dynamic process and we are always striving to improve and educate.
A – Payment for Ocean Vertical activities must be made in full at the point of sale on our secure online website booking system.
For Ocean Vertical Custom adventures payment must be received in full 28 days prior to the activity. These are set out in our Terms and Conditions.
Our cancellation policy is 28 days, and is detailed in our Terms and Conditions.
