Spring 2011 Outdoor training courses and guided trips with Kendal Mountaineering Services.

Spring is not far away and we are now looking beyond the winter season to our exciting range of options for outdoor skills training courses, activities and guided trips in 2011.

Kendal Mountaineering Services is offering a two day Mountain Navigation Skills training course over the weekend of April 9th & 10th 2011. There are 8 places at a cost of £75 per person for this non residential navigation skills training course to be run in in the Southern Lake District in the Kentmere area.

The Navigation Skills training course will be run by Iain Gallagher of Kendal Mountaineering Services and will focus on giving you as many skills as possible over the two day course to allow you to confidently venture into the hills with a map and compass in any conditions and be able to navigate around safely. All of our Mountain Navigation skills training courses are run to MLTE standard.

Day one will see us head in to the Skeggles Water/ Green quarter Fell area to begin to put theory in to practise.

Over the course of the day we will look at such techniques as

1. Orientating the map
2. Tick off features
3. Pacing and timing (Naithsmiths rule)
4. Identifying features from map to ground and vice versa
5. Attack points
6. Aiming off
7. resections
8. Walking on a bearing/back bearings
9. following linear features
   

On Day two of this Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course, we will venture further & higher into the mountains to consolidate everything learned on day one and provide further training if necessary.

We will head on to the Kentmere Horseshoe for this day and whilst we seldom get the entire way around, clients do find this a very worthwhile extension of the skills provided on day one.

On both days, we will meet at 09:00 outside of Wilf's Cafe in Staveley prior to travelling to the day's destination.

Our Mountain Navigation skills training courses tend to be popular therefore we would advise early booking to secure a place and you can book by contacting us here.


In May 2011, we are offering our unique Cuillin Ridge traverse week staying in a super little cottage (from where the sunset shot is taken) near Carbost on Skye.

There are six places available on this trip which, for £375 per person, includes 7 nights in a self catering cottage and a guided traverse of the spectacular Cuillin ridge. The Traverse will be done on our flexible itinery of 3 or 4 days with the possibility of a rest day if the group requires this - or if the weather is bad. We return to the cottage each evening.


The opportunity to undertake a Cuillin Ridge Traverse is not one
which should be taken lightly. The days will be long, and physically & mentally demanding - but the rewards are worth it for the views and the exhilaration you will feel travelling along this - the nearest we have to an Alpine ridge here in the UK.

The prerequisites for joining this trip are as follows - you must be a fit, experienced hillgoer with prior experience of scrambling on ground
up to grade three and you must also have a head for hieghts/exposure.

Previous experience or rock climbing and abseiling is also desirable but not essential. Helmets & harnesses can be provided as part of the course fee and all other technical equipment is also included - but not personal equipment/clothing or footwear.

Please note that we strongly advise against the use of any type of approach shoe for this mountaineering challenge. A good stout pair of leather or fabric boots with a solid and cleated sole (eg Vibram or similar) should be worn for sure footed-ness and is what we recommend.

You will also be expected to work as part of a team with Iain on the ridge to help facilitate a successful Cuillin Ridge traverse for all. We also ask for teamwork back at the cottage too as all participants are asked to provide a communal meal for everyone else during one of the 7 nights - so either cooking or washing up will be called for.

No doubt we will call in to the famous Old Inn at Carbost for our final night meal and probably for an end of day beer on our returns from our daily forays on to the Cuillin Ridge.

This trip is about adventure, challenge, exhilaration and above all fun! If you want to book a place - contact us soon! Pictures from the last Cuillin Ridge traverse trip in May 2010 can be viewed here and the photos from last September here.