From Hill Shepherd to a Multi-Business Outdoor Company
The story of Shepherds Walks began not in an office, but on the hills of Northumberland. What started as a passion for walking, maps, and the countryside gradually grew into a multi-business outdoor company built around walking holidays, GPS training, outdoor events, and UK-made mohair socks.
Finding a Different Path
Before Shepherds Walks was ever a business, it was simply a way of seeing the world.
Growing up in the North West of England, school never quite clicked. Academically, things did not come easily. But put a map in hand and head into the countryside, and everything changed.
Through Cubs, Scouts, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the outdoors became a place of confidence and clarity. Maps made sense. The landscape made sense. Leading groups across hills and countryside felt natural.
Looking back now, that difference shaped everything that followed.
From Shepherding to an Idea
In the late 1990s, life was spent working as a hill shepherd in Northumberland.
It was a solitary job with long days and plenty of time to think. The radio was usually on, and there was growing talk about something new: the internet.
At the same time, friends from urban backgrounds would come walking and ask the same questions:
- What are hefted sheep?
- Why are there sheep stells here?
- How do you know where you are without signs?
What felt completely normal to a shepherd was fascinating to other people.
That was where the idea behind Shepherds Walks first started to form.
Using a second-hand 486 computer bought from the Newcastle Evening Chronicle and a slow dial-up connection, the first walking guides were written, in these walking guides 'I looked at the landscape from a Shepherds perspective'. The original website was built using Microsoft Publisher.
It was basic, slow, and far from polished, but it worked.
The First Break
In the early days, sales were modest. One or two walking guides each week. Enough to keep things ticking over.
Then everything changed.
Orders suddenly jumped from a handful to dozens in a single day after a feature in the Radio Times titled “The Web Was Made for Walking.”
It became the first real lesson in marketing. Every newspaper or magazine feature created another step forward.
Features followed in publications such as The Telegraph, The Guardian (Take a hike, 2002) and The Times, alongside radio and television appearances.
Slowly and steadily, Shepherds Walks began to grow.
Learning the Hard Way
While the website brought customers in, the real education happened face to face.
Country shows, farmers’ markets, and small events became part of everyday life. Walking guides sold for £1.50 each from small stands and market tables.
Customers would say exactly what they thought. What worked. What confused them. What they wanted more of.
Back in 2002 I also wrote a ‘Shepherd’s Diary’ while still shepherding full time, published on a local interest website called Coquetdale.net.
That feedback shaped the guides, routes, and eventually the wider business itself.
Going Full Time
For several years, Shepherds Walks ran alongside full-time shepherding work.
Eventually, a decision had to be made.
The turning point came unexpectedly during a family wedding conversation, where successful people spoke not about what they had done, but about the opportunities they never took.
That moment stayed.
In the early 2000s, the decision was made to go all in.
Shepherds Walks became a full-time business and moved into Kirkharle Courtyard in 2003, selling walking guides, maps, local books, and guided walks.
It was financially uncertain, but necessary.
Building Something Broader
Growth came through a series of opportunities rather than one huge leap.
In 2004, Capricorn Mohair Socks was acquired.
At first glance it seemed unusual, but it solved a major problem. Walking was seasonal. Socks were not.
Summer focused on walking and events. Winter focused on socks. The business now had year-round income.
Events and Outdoor Experiences
The next stage of growth came through organised walking events and challenge walks.
- First Rothbury Walking Festival – 2006
- First Coquet Valley Challenge Walk (originally the Cragside Challenge) – 2007
- First Kielder Challenge Walk – 2010
- First Coastal Challenge Walk – 2011
- First St Cuthbert’s Way Challenge Walk – 2012
- First Northern Pennine Way Challenge Walk – 2023
These events introduced many people to long-distance walking and personal challenges for the very first time.
Today, they remain a major part of what Shepherds Walks is known for across Northumberland and beyond.
Expanding into Walking Holidays
As demand grew, so did the need for something beyond day walks.
Shepherds Walks Holidays was launched in partnership with Saddle Skedaddle, offering guided and self-guided walking holidays across the UK.
Accommodation, luggage transfers, route notes, and local knowledge became part of the service.
In 2015, the holidays business became fully in-house and a core part of Shepherds Walks Ltd.
Since then Shepherds Walks Holidays has grown into one of the largest revenue streams within Shepherds Walks Ltd.
Enter GPS Training
The next major shift came through outdoor GPS technology.
As GPS devices became more common in the hills, customers increasingly asked:
- How do I use it?
- How do I plan a route?
- What happens if it goes wrong?
There was a clear gap between buying a GPS device and confidently using one outdoors.
GPS units were initially added to the business almost out of necessity, but it quickly became obvious that support and training mattered far more than simply selling the hardware.
Working alongside Peter Judd from GPS Training, courses were introduced in Northumberland to help walkers understand GPS navigation properly.
Those early courses changed everything.
People did not just want equipment. They wanted confidence and reassurance.
In 2015, GPS Training was acquired, bringing GPS retail, training, and support together under one roof.
A Time of Reflection and Change
By 2020, the business had grown significantly, but growth had brought pressure.
The COVID lockdown unexpectedly provided time to reflect and restructure.
Investment was made into clearing debt, improving systems, and rebuilding the business around stronger foundations.
- New GPS Training website – 2021
- New Shepherds Walks Holidays website – 2022
- New Shepherds Walks website – 2022
The focus shifted from simply working harder to working smarter.
A New Chapter
In April 2023, the business moved into new premises at Rothbury Industrial Estate.
The new site brought offices, training rooms, and warehouse space together under one roof for the first time.
It marked a completely new chapter for the company.
Where Things Stand Today
Today, Shepherds Walks Ltd includes:
What began with a £120 start-up budget and a second-hand computer has grown into a multi-business outdoor company serving customers across the UK and overseas.
What started as a small local walking business has never really lost its original purpose: helping people feel more confident outdoors.
Looking Back
The journey has never been straightforward.
There have been risks, long hours, and moments when things nearly did not work out.
But one consistent thread runs through the entire story:
- Understanding people
- Adapting to change
- Taking opportunities when they appear
And perhaps most importantly of all: