Myles Farnbank

Biography

For 15 years Myles was Head of Guides & Training for one of the UK’s leading adventure travel companies – Wilderness Scotland.  Myles has over 30 years experience of working in the outdoor sector and has personal experience of sea kayaking, canoeing, sailing and mountaineering in many of the worlds wildest places. 

As well as his work in adventure travel, Myles has been a head of an outdoor education centre, Professional Development Coordinator (Scotland) for the Institute for Outdoor Learning, Scotland Manager for the Wilderness Foundation UK, youth development worker, and an adventure & marine tourism lecturer.  He is a Leading Practitioner of The Institute for Outdoor Learning and a Coach & Assessor for the RPIOL, APIOL & LPIOL awards.  In recent years he has become a consultant to adventure travel businesses and DMO’s around the world.

He is very involved in staff training, both bespoke and ‘off the-shelf’ products for practitioner and academic audiences. His main area of current work is in adventure guide training both in the UK and overseas.  This includes creating the UK’s first Adventure Guide training programme.  

He is the UK representative on the executive committee for the Adventure Travel Guide Standard.

He is Vice-Chair of the Scottish Adventure Activities Forum

He was involved in the creation of British Canoeing’s Guide Endorsement scheme and the creation of the Adventure WiSe course for the WiSe Scheme, the UK’s National Training Scheme for minimising disturbance to marine wildlife.

He created a BA(Hons) in Marine & Coastal Tourism and contributed to an MSc Ecotourism while on faculty at the University of the Highlands & Islands.

Qualifications and memberships

Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)

Fellow of The Tourism Society (FTS)

Leading Practitioner of the Institute for Outdoor Learning (LPIOL)

A range of qualifications across various outdoor activities: key focus on Paddlesport esp Sea Kayak and Canoe journeying and leadership.

Provider of a range of Paddle UK leadership, safety and guiding qualifications.

 

Academic and research interests

Adventure & Marine Tourism

Ecotourism

Transformational Travel

Spirituality Outdoors

Awe & Wonder

Place-based Outdoor Experiences

Green & Blue Space

Therapeutic opportunities outdoors

Ecotherapy

Publications

Adventure Travel Guide Standard (2021) 2nd Edition. Adventure Travel Trade Association

Scottish Outdoor Sector Map (2020) online Scottish Adventure Activities Forum 

Adventure Travel Guide Standard (2016) Adventure Travel Trade Association

Adventure Tourism in Scotland - Environmental Issues & Best Practice (2012) Wild Scotland

Watching Wildlife by Sea Kayak (2008) Wild Scotland

 

 

 

Recent external roles

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