About Us
Walk This Way began on the trails of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver on a drizzly November afternoon in 2021. Sharing a passion for hiking and travel, a simple vision began to crystalize in the form of a boutique hiking company. Conversation turned into a mutual connection to the UK. Stephen Leckie can trace his family roots to the town of Peebles in Scotland. He also ran hotels in the Cotswolds and has been a frequent visitor and hiker throughout England, including the majestic Yorkshire Dales. Stephen is the CEO of Canada's Great Kitchen Party. Geoffrey Kelly was born in Scotland and emigrated to Canada at the age of 10. It was through Geoffrey's band Spirit of the West that the pair first became acquainted on a Gold Medal Plates trip to Ackergill tower in the north of Scotland.
Further trips ensued, including a memorable week long hike across England on Hadrians Wall, exploring Dartmoor in Devon, hiking in Douro Valley in Portugal, and descending a volcano in Iceland! Stephen was keen to return to the Dales, but this time, the idea of guiding small groups of Canadian hikers to this scenic part of England was hatched, and Walk This Way was born.
Who We Are
Geoffrey Kelly
Co-founder
I was born in the beautiful county of Galloway in southwest Scotland. At the age of 10 our family immigrated to Canada and settled in the city of North Vancouver. Growing up in a musical family, it seemed inevitable that at some point music would become a part of my life. This came to the fore in the eighties and led to the formation of Spirit of the West, my musical home for 33 years. Along the way I also became a full time member of the Paperboys and the legendary Irish Rovers. It was also through music that I first met Stephen and we became fast friends. We were born days apart, and share deep Scottish roots and a love of roaming the hills. Walk This Way embodies our friendship and love of adventure. It affords us time in each other’s company, while sharing our passion with other likeminded folk.
Stephen Leckie
Co-founder
I am a Scottish-Irish Canadian. At the age of 16 I went on my first trans Atlantic flight without my parents and soon after realized that a big part of my life would be, as I dubbed it, being an international citizen. My passion for travel, for hospitality and food, wine and music led to the hotel industry, where I was a manager for many years. I pledged I would step away from the hotel industry when I began a family and stuck to that pledge. Soon after I co-created Gold Medal Plates as a partnership with the Vancouver Olympic Committee, and it continues to this day as Canada’s Great Kitchen Party. If you know it you will know it is all about celebrating a passion for food, drink, music, sport and community. I have been the CEO and CoFounder - since 2004. I view Walk This Way as a gift. It is a superb way to spend time with my buddy Geoff and share the adventure of hiking and walking the beautiful north of the UK with friends.