About Us

The team of professionals at Scottish Boot Camp is drawn from both the military arena and the fitness industry, and includes the following permanent staff members:

Alistair Duncan

Al was medically retired in December 2010 as a Staff Sergeant from the British Army having served 24 years in the Royal Logistics Corps. His many tours of duty include Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Bosnia. Al also skied competitively at Army level for 12 years. His designated role within the company is within Logistics, Health & Safety, IT administrator, weekly program coordinator and as an on-going Management Consultant. He brings into play a wealth of relevant skills and knowledge from the military, and an obsession with standards and self-discipline!

Sara Dwyer

Sara is qualified to post-graduate degree level, has four school age children, and brings over 10 years experience as an instructor to Scottish Boot Camp.  She has taught a wide variety of fitness disciplines in both the private and public sector including aerobics, step, spinning, gym & circuits, and aqua. She specialises in teaching Core Strength and Stability (Michael King Pilates Institute, London) and was until recently the pilates instructor and personal trainer at Skibo Castle, Sutherland. Sara previously managed a successful ladies-only health club in Chester, and is a fully qualified Swedish Massage Therapist.

Physical Training Instructors ( PTIs )

Alan Esler ( Head Instructor )

AKA Paddy worked as a Royal Navy Physical Trainer for over 20 years. He has prepared and taken fitness sessions around the globe, from ships in the middle of the ocean to far flung destinations such as Madagascar. A passionate sportsman, he has represented the Royal Navy in running, Field Gun Competitions and on the rugby pitch, playing in the Dubai sevens on numerous occasions. Paddy is a REPS Level 3 Advanced Instructor including Indoor Cycling, Circuits and Sports Injury in addition to being a Tri-service Summer Mountain Leader. Paddy recently completed The Iron Monster Challenge in 9 hours. Paddy also runs his own fitness training business based in Inverness called Paddy Esler Fitness 

Matthew Wright

Matt joined the TA in 1997 and went on to join the regulars in 1998, and he remained in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers until 2005 having served in Northern Ireland, Kenya, Canada and Iraq. After leaving in 2005 he joined the TA in Scotland and went on to complete the TA PTI course in 2007. From then on he worked with recruits conducting various types of fitness sessions. In 2008 the signals regiment were mobilised to Cyprus on a 6 month tour where Matthew ran the gym for over 180 soldiers. Upon his return from Cyprus, he went to work at the Army Foundation College at Harrogate working with up to forty five 16-17 yr old recruits per lesson.  

Peter Hawkins

Pete served 6 years in the British Army as an officer in the Royal Engineers, serving in Kosovo and Kenya on operations. He went on to study fitness in Australia for six months before returning to the UK to start a fitness business. He has taught a variety of fitness classes including circuits, boxercise and core stability as well as instructing personal clients to reach their fitness goals. Pete enjoys adventure sports and spends his weekends mountain biking, climbing and kayaking. When the snow is good, he makes the most of Scotland’s ski slopes dodging the snow boarders. Pete is a qualified personal trainer, boxercise instructor and Swedish Massage Therapist.

Peter Thompson 

Peter (aka Tomo) until recently served in the Black Watch infantry battalion as a PTI. He trained soldiers for military operations and day to day combat fitness, and twice a year was involved with training pre Special Forces selection candidates. As an infantry soldier he served on operations in Belfast and in Afghanistan, where he was utilised as one of the Commanding Officer’s body guards. During the tour he also ran the Battalion gym in Kandahar. He is a qualified Personal Training Instructor and regularly takes part in a wide variety of sports and outdoor pursuits including climbing, hiking and football. 

Mark Ball

Mark joined the Army at 16 and worked for 6 years as an aircraft technician, later joining a TA Special Forces Signals Unit. Moving from this he worked for 3 years as a PTI putting recruits through basic training. He currently works as a PTI at Worthy Down, and also has many years experience instructing civilians in outdoor military style fitness sessions. In his spare time Mark enjoys running, and has completed 5 non-stop ultra marathons ranging from 60 to 126 miles. He has recently started training in mixed martial arts, is a keen mountaineer and is currently studying for a degree in Sports & Health Management.

Michael Turner

Michael Turner aka "T" has been in the Royal Logistics Corps since 1998 and is currently serving in 5 Medical Regiment. After joining the Army as a driver, Michael soon developed a love for Physical Training and passed a PTI course in 1999. Since then he has been employed in a number of gyms up and down the country developing soldiers’ fitness goals and operational targets. He has also been deployed to Cyprus, Northern Ireland and Canada. Michael recently started his own fitness training company, and when his Army career ends he will look to expand this further into the field of Personal Training. In his down time he enjoys boxing and playing football.

Jonathan Rees

Jonathan, aka Jim, was a member of the British Army serving in the Royal Corps of Signals for 9 years, working as a PTI for 7 years at various locations in both England and Germany. In Germany he was responsible for the effective running of the whole army camp gymnasium and managing a team of staff. During a short career break, Jim worked as a personal trainer at LA Fitness in Newark and at a fitness centre in Nottingham, where his clients appreciated the disciplined techniques developed during his time in the Army. Jim has now changed uniforms, having re-joined the military, and is now a Mover (logistics) in the RAF.

Linda Bailey

Linda is a skilled, results orientated fitness professional and personal trainer with over 11 years of experience in the industry. In addition, she served 9 years in the Armed Forces for which she joined to be a PTI.  When not on boot camp, her business Bailey's Health & Fitness offers a wide variety of services and personal training for adults and children within the Highland region. As well as training adults, Linda is also a qualified FitKid Coach and works on health related exercises with 4-15 year olds. Qualified to take on clients referred from GPs, Linda also has an EXTEND qualification to teach over 60's and less able people of all ages. Linda is also a qualified Swedish Masseur as well as being qualified in Nutrition & Weight Management and holds an Advanced Instructor Level 3 Membership with the Register of Exercise Professionals.

Camp Chef

Lileen Esler

Lileen began chefing at an early age and joined the Royal Navy when she was eighteen. She served for six and a half years and had the chance to work alongside some of the best chefs in the trade. She cooked for royalty and top government officials all around the world as well as regularly catering for hundreds at a time.  She played sports for the navy and regularly enters competitive events such as the Iron Monster challenge which is a 120km run/bike race taking in a lot of the Great Glen Way.  Lileen recognises the importance of fuelling the body effectively to get the most out of it, and also the importance of finding a happy balance between a healthy lifestyle, and still being able to relax and enjoy the weekends.  She provides healthy but TASTY food on boot camp, and promises you won't be starved!

Guest Gourmet Chef

Ritchie Bebb

Ritchie was born in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales and trained in Cardiff at a Four Star Hotel, until moving to Airth Castle, Falkirk. He currently works as Head Chef at an exclusive Highland members only castle in Sutherland. He provides a spectacular gourmet dinner on one night of your stay using only locally sourced fresh produce, for a never to be forgotten calorie controlled feast.

Complementary Therapist

Claire Hunter

Claire is our Complementary Therapist who is qualified to an advanced level in Swedish, Sports & Remedial Massage, Reflexology and Aromatherapy. Her own business Dornoch Complementary Therapies was establised in 2005 and is a very successful and popular clinic. She previously worked as a therapist in the Spa at the exclusive Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, Sutherland. As an extra to your fitness training for the week, you can choose to have a massage treatment.  A deep tissue sports massage is most effective in preventing and treating muscle injuries, pain, tightness of muscles, and the removal of toxic build-up after exercise and aids a faster recovery from training. Alternatively, choose a more relaxing massage to unwind the body and mind after a long day's training, or a therapeutic Reflexology treatment. As part of your overall well being and detox programme, Claire is available for treatments during the evenings of your stay.

Scottish Boot Camp Mutt
Major Milo

Milo is employed to actively seek and retrieve any contraband smuggled into camp ie chocolate biscuits. He used to be a long haired golden retriever, but Staff Al sent him to the barbers for an Army No 2 all over, and he came out a Labrador. When he feels the cold (he is 8 years old) he feels an unstoppable urge to put on a Scottish Boot Camp T-shirt. During down time in the evenings, he enjoys being pampered by the girls on boot camp and dreaming of leftovers (never gets them though, the girls love the food too much!). I'm also on facebook check it out.
 

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Scottish Boot Camp, Fountain Building, Castle Street, Portmahomack, Ross-Shire, Scotland IV20 1YE Tel: +44 (0)1862 859976 info@scottishbootcamp.com

Scottish Company: SC 366097