Outdoor activities in The Lake District with Kendal Mountaineering Services, Summer 2013.

Last weekend, Iain was once again working for another provider of Lake District based activity sessions with a school group from Cheshire who were staying at one of the areas residential centres.

The weather was sunny and very hot and as this was an older group it was decided to leave the residential centre and go mobile for the day. We decided to take the group to Langdale for an Introductory Rock Climbing Session followed by a ghyll scrambling session in Stickle Ghyll and for this, we based ourselves in the National Trust car park near the Sticklebarn Tavern.

Photo one shows the group enjoying an introductory rock climbing session in the sun at Sticklebarn Crag. Ropes are anchored at the top of the climb and the climber is attached to one end whilst safeguarded by persons at the other end keeping the rope tight. These introductory climbing sessions really are a great way to get people working together and are ideal for people wanting to try out rock climbing for the first time. We offer introductory Lake District climbing sessions & courses for as little as £30 per person for a four hour (half day) session depending on your group size.

Sunday found us enjoying a kayaking session on the Lake near to the centre. Kayaking is a great way to explore the Lake Districts many lakes & rivers - you get your own kayak and a paddle - and off you go! It is however, best to get some instruction in how to use these craft before you do so and we can can provide you with the opportunity to do this for as little as £30 per person for a half day (four hour) session depending on your group size.

In photo two, the guys had been attempting to run around their rafted kayaks (well - two persons attempting to walk around the raft whilst everyone else clung on tightly!) As is often the case people fell in and as can be seen here, one kayaker had his boat sunk! All good fun and despite what you might think - safe too! It was just as well the water was warm though!

As part of this Lake District Kayaking Session, we took a journey up the Lake to a nearby island which is a popular summer spot for canoeing, kayaking, swimming and.......trying a challenge by jumping off rocks in to the water!

As can be seen in photo three our group took to this idea like fishes to water and many different ways of jumping were tried out. What a blast!

Finally, we returned to the centre and  grabbed a bite of lunch before heading down to the beach to build a couple of improvised rafts. All that is supplied for these improvised rafting sessions in The Lake District are plastic barrels,wooden spars and short lengths of climbing rope. The group were expected (with assistance from Iain) to come up with a design for a raft that would work and then build it.                                                              After both rafts were completed to a satisfactory standard ( we always ensure that your raft will not disintegrate in the middle of the lake!) it was off on the lake to test them out with a few competitive tasks thrown in to the mix to add a bit more fun. As always, the session degenerated into the usual waterfight before the group destroyed each others rafts. Boys will be boys!

The group thoroughly enjoyed their weekend activity break in The Lake District and we can provide the same sort of activity weekend for you and your family, your Stag or Hen Party or your corporate event. Contact us to arrange a bespoke package of activities to suit your needs. We look forward to working with you.