We are GRIT Pursuits

Dan Graves & Alex Chant-Stevens

Becoming friends at Torquay Boys' Grammar School and completing the Duke of Edinburgh award and Ten Tors together, we bonded over a shared passion for outdoor pursuits.

GRIT Pursuits is a youth‑focused adventure and resilience company that blends accredited leadership programmes, camps and coaching with authentic, off‑the‑beaten‑path self‑guided training camps and challenges.

In every product, GRIT means Growth, Resilience, Independence and Teamwork. Packs and camps include proper logistics and safety, local culture, history and geography, plus pre‑trip support, resilience prompts and journalling built in – all on routes that have been properly recced.

Our aim is simple: to earn your trust and respect, and to create learning environments where young people feel safe, stretched and genuinely cared for.

We use adventure and the outdoors to help young people build resilience, confidence and real‑world skills, so they leave school healthier, more inspired and more ready for life beyond the classroom

We want to share our passion with you!

Follow our stories at the GRIT Pursuits blog:

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Our Services

Camps, Courses & Coaching

ILM Level 2 Young Leaders and ILM Level 3 Leadership & Management for schools, youth groups, Uni students and young professionals.
Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and preparation, plus National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) courses.
UK‑based outdoor, leadership, resilience, navigation and trail/ultra camps for young people and adults.
Personal coaching.

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Self-Guided GRIT Adventures

Trail and ultra training camps in Madeira and other locations.
Multi‑day hiking and adventure challenges from A‑to‑B or from a base(s) with different daily options, accommodation and add‑ons.
Mystery holidays.
Routes in Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Georgia, Romania, Greece, the Tatras (Poland/Slovakia) and UK areas.
Ski holiday bookings.

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Events

Challenging and original events
Individual and team options
GPS tracking, maps, GPX files and bibs provided
First aid cover and aid stations provided
Different distance options
Welcoming community vibes and support for local services
Medals and refreshments provided
Optional extras available to purchase
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Grit Values

We’ve been hillwalking, adventuring and exploring all our lives, across a wide range of environments and terrains.

The discipline, resilience and commitment needed to train for and complete big challenges directly shapes how we teach and work with young people.

We understand the pressures young people face: screens, comparison culture, anxiety and academic stress. We created GRIT to be a positive, practical response routed in our GRIT values.

We set high standards for ourselves, live our values in and out of the classroom, and consistently show up for the young people and families we serve.

You can trust that we take our responsibility to safeguard anyone in our care extremely seriously. We care about offering challenging experiences, but never at the expense of safety. Our goal is that every young person leaves a GRIT course feeling respected, confident, inspired, challenged, excited and supported.

Our values are the compass for everything we do at GRIT Pursuits. They shape our camps, coaching and self‑guided journeys so young people and ambitious adults can grow, not just complete another trip or course.

Growth

We design experiences that stretch you just beyond comfort, then support you to reflect, learn and come back stronger.

Meet the Team

Co-founders Dan and Alex

Dan Graves

Dan grew up in Devon on Dartmoor and the Jurassic Coast; and has always used the outdoors as a place to learn, push himself and build community.

He brings:

Outdoor and endurance experience
- Hill & Moorland Leader, NNAS Assessor, PTL3, Outdoor and Mental Health First Aid, Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport (Sport Scotland.)
- Multiple ultras and marathons in challenging environments (Sahara (UltraX Morocco), Arctic Circle, Egypt, Brecon @winter, John Muir Way, Liverpool–Manchester, across the UK, and in the States).
- Hiked/ ran many Munros, famous rounds, OMM in UK and Alps, and in every UK national park. Paddleboarded much of the south coast, hiked and road tripped in Africa, Peru (Salkantay, Amazon), Thailand, US and most of Europe.

Youth work, leadership and education
- Undertook teacher training in Scottish secondary schools (Business) through the University of Glasgow, including Masters‑level education coursework, classroom placements, and expert‑led workshops on safeguarding, assessment, social justice, inclusion, policy, relationships, motivation, questioning, and adolescent mental health and development/ ASN.
- Army Reserves for 3 years, Risk & Conflict Management diploma, and Foundations in Sustainable Development (University of Richmond).
- Scout Explorer Leader in District DoE/Hill/Events Teams.
- JROS Orienteering Exec Board member, coach on JROS Deeside camp, former Clyde Orienteering committee member overseeing development of Orienteering in Greater Glasgow, BOF Young Volunteer of the Year and Clyde Chair Award recipient (2 consecutive years). Previously worked as FVO Club Development Officer organising beginner activities.
- Founder of Glasgow Uni Trail Running & Orienteering Club (BOF University Club of the Year). Event organiser for fell series, training camps and local races, including the inaugural Auchengillan Winter Trail Race and Glasgow Uni Sprint and Indoor Orienteering: both ~100 participants. At University, treasurer for several years of the 350 person hiking soc.
- Extensive work with primary schools delivering maps, permanent courses and full‑day orienteering sessions; as well as dev projects with East/West Dunbartonshire councils to get young people outdoors and navigating.
- Camp Wachusett staff (overseeing advanced campcraft/survival course and overnight hikes as well as instructing water sports, and riflery.)
- Volunteering projects in Ghana and Uganda (Anti‑Malaria project, teaching English and Maths, construction, water safety, community development and microfinance), as well as road tripping, hiking, rafting and surfing in Africa.
- Operations volunteering with Invictus Games (Team Bath), BUCS cycling in Glasgow, and several large running events. Strong track record in grant/sponsorship activation and partnership work. Previously worked in operations/ customer relations role at Exeter Airport.

Professionally, Dan has a MA Management & Philosophy from Uni of Glasgow and spent a year in Finance and corporate life (Tax at Morgan Stanley).

He sees adventure as a way of life - a mindset of curiosity, rational risk‑taking, reflection and using the outdoors as green therapy for resilience, confidence and connection.

His purpose at GRIT is: to use hills, trails, maps and journeys as education – helping young people and ambitious adults train their minds like muscles, find clarity in chaos, and build values‑driven lives beyond screens and walls.

Alexander Chant-Stevens, Grit Pursuits co-founder

Alex Chant-Stevens

Alex grew up in Devon, with Dartmoor and the coast as his playground, and has built a life around mountains, skiing and youth adventure.

He is a purpose and results-driven, strategic, and energetic people person who thrives on challenge, variety, and making a difference.

He loves challenging himself, inspiring and developing others and bringing his values, experiences, and passion to the 'classroom'.

He brings:

Ski and mountain experience
- Qualified ski instructor with seasons in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan, teaching a wide range of ages with strong feedback on safety, fun and progression.
- Skilled in coaching tricks and performance, and skied competitively.
- Vast experience and genuine love for hiking and camping across the UK and Europe, including OMM in the Alps, Greek mountains and winter ascents.

Youth leadership and outdoor work
- Experience with PGL (archery, fencing, orienteering etc.).
- Instructor at Torquay Dry Ski Slope.
- Customer‑facing roles alongside construction, and hotel/restaurant cooking in the Scottish Highlands.
- Love for languages, culture and history (German, French), with a strong interest in using language and local knowledge to deepen travel experiences.

Alex heads up marketing and much of the creative side of GRIT: found behind the camera with a passion for photography, working on policy, and designing the feel of the self‑guided packs and future ski/winter bases.

He is super excited to help you plan and book an authentic ambitious and safe trip, perhaps skiing or in the mountains, and make sure you get the most fun from it!

Why Us

We’ve both seen how much young people and adults are being squeezed by screens, comparison culture, pressure and anxiety.

Between us we have extensive experience of risk assessing, coaching and leading safe, and purposeful activities. We are recognised for our initiative, planning and attention to detail.

GRIT Pursuits exists because we believe:

Adventure is education and education is life. Young people need to fall over, get wet, lead, use all their senses and feel connected to their environment, not just sit behind data and tests.

Values – Growth, Resilience, Independence, Teamwork – are a compass that keep you moving forward with purpose, not just chasing the next grade or like.

Green therapy, challenge and community can help turn kids into victors, not victims of the current mental health and confidence crisis.

Our ILM, DoE, NNAS work, camps and self‑guided packs are built to:

Give young people and ambitious adults real experiences - campfires, river crossings, risk, navigation, and cultural empathy – with full safety and logistics.
Build leadership, resilience and communication by putting them just outside their comfort zone with the right mix of challenge and support.
Offer structured, safe ways for people to take rational risks, train their minds and discover their own “why” in life.

We also know that many busy adults don’t have time to cut through the noise and AI to design a great trip – they want independence, flexibility and authentic culture.

GRIT’s self‑guided packs exist for exactly these people (of any age!): you lead your own journey; we do the planning, safety and logistics, and can embed coaching and reflection so it becomes more than just a holiday.