Buy the perfect Gift from us this Christmas. Treat your loved one, family member or friend to an amazing adventure or skills training course with us in 2017!

Christmas 2016 is now only a little over four weeks away! 

Are you still trying to decide what you want to buy that loved one, family friend or family member for Christmas? At Kendal Mountaineering Services, we can help!

If any of your family are into the great outdoors, like trying adventurous activities; or have already been introduced to a particular sport such as Mountain Walking, Rock Climbing, Scrambling, Canoeing, Kayaking or Caving and would like to learn the  skills to go off and do these sports for themselves - then you can help them experience these activities or learn those skills by buying them a Kendal Mountaineering Services Gift Certificate for Christmas!

Our Gift Certificates are designed to be flexible. You can check out the different activities and Skill Training Courses we offer by visiting our website and by visiting our Prices page. You do not have to make the full payment for any activity you see if you do not wish to - making a part payment towards someone's Activity Session or Skills Training Course is absolutely fine!

Buying a gift certificate is easy! Having decided what you would like to buy, simply contact us to pay for; and arrange your Christmas Gift Certificate.

Details we will require are who the gift certificate is for so that we can print their name on to it and also which Activity Session or Skills Training Course  you are paying for/towards the cost of. The value of the purchase can  also be entered on to the voucher if required.

Payment for Christmas Gift Certificates can be done either by Cheque made out to Mr I Gallagher and posted to our business address (details on the Contact us page) or by Bank Transfer in which you'll need to contact us to be given the sort code & account number.Ideally, we also need an email address so that we can confirm receipt of your payment and then email you your Christmas Gift Certificate for you to print off and present.

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today or call Iain on 07761483364 to arrange that special gift with a difference for a loved one, friend; or family member this Christmas. They won't be disappointed!

Navigation & Map Reading Skills Training Weekend in The Lake District this coming weekend. Only £80 per person! Grab a last minute bargain.

Want to learn to read a map and navigate safely in the Mountains? We've a course taking place this coming weekend in The Lake District! Short notice, we know - but the forecast is looking exceptionally good!

A two Day Map reading & Navigation Skills Training Courses - for only £80 per person!! Now, that's a bargain.

We've already got four persons booked on to this coming weekend's Map Reading & Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District.

This means that it is definitely going ahead!

There are still six places available at only £80 for the two day course! So, grab a bargain, join us on November 26th & 27th and be prepared early to enjoy a great winter, hill-walking in the UK in confidence whilst using the navigation skills you've learnt with us!

Our Map Reading & Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District represent truly fantastic value. For only £80 per person you get two days of tuition and maps are also provided. All you need to do is to turn up with a compass (we recommend the Silva Type 4 expedition model), everything you would need for two days walking out in the mountains - and plenty of enthusiasm to learn new skills!

Our Map Reading & Navigation Skills Training Courses are run in one of the Lake Districts most peaceful, pleasant and yet most accessible places.

Our meeting point is for these courses outside of Wilfs Cafe in Staveley which is very close to the A591 - one of the main roads into the southern part of The Lake District and very close to Kendal, Windermere and Ambleside. Accommodation options are considerable locally and range from reasonably priced hotels & guest houses through to nearby campsites.

Book a Navigation Skills Training Course with us and we will help you find accommodation of your choice in the area!

Each day, we start at 9am and finish back at Staveley by 5pm giving you plenty of time to relax and enjoy the hospitality that the area has to offer.

Please note that if you do wish to buy provisions for your days out on the hill with us or would just like to grab a takeaway coffee before starting your course, then Staveley Post Office directly opposite the Entrance to Mill Yard (where Wilfs is located) offers far better value than any other cafe of delicatessen in the locality and is open from 07:00 - even on Sunday! Sandwiches can be made to order and pre-ordered by calling 01539 822339.

Here's why you should book on to one of our fantastic value Map Reading & Navigation Skills Training Courses? You'll have a great time in some of the areas most stunning surroundings, learn new skills which will give you the confidence to venture further into the areas mountains and have a great deal of fun.

These courses are suitable for anyone wishing to learn more about Map Reading & Navigation Skills - no matter what you ability might be and are great fun for couples who want to get more out of hill walking and individuals who may be aspiring to undertake Mountain Walking Leader Awards - in which case our courses are excellent as an ML Refresher prior to going for assessment or re-assessment.

If this weekend is no good for you then what about December 10th & 11th? We currently have ten places remaining on the December weekend and we'd be very happy to have you join us.

We do require a minimum of four persons per weekend course in order for them to run. We will shortly be releasing dates for our 2017 Navigation Skills Training Weekends  Details of future course dates can be found by visiting the website here.

For anyone wishing to book on one of our Map Reading & Navigation Skills Training Courses please contact us here or call Iain on 07761 483364. We look forward to working with you.

Navigation Skills Training Day in The Lake District. October 28th 2016.

So, here's a report about our last bit of work in October - right at the end of the October Half Term Holiday.

As you can see from the view in photo one, Shams Khan and his daughter Shania had a very good day for their one day Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District with us. In general, October was a very good month weather-wise and undoubtedly contributed to the amount of work we did during that month

Shams had been looking for a course that would allow him and daughter Shania the opportunity to learn some map reading & navigation skills, but the course needed to fit in with their plans and a one day course was what they wanted. Of course, we were able to fit this in for the pair when it suited them.

We met outside Wilfs Cafe in Staveley - our usual meeting point for our Navigation Skills Training Courses before heading off on to Green Quarter Fell.

There, we started off by discussing the various map scales used by the Ordnance Survey and the detail visible on each scale. We followed this by discussing orientating the map and then measuring distance on the map and pacing it on the ground. We then made our way up Hall Lane identifying "tick off features" on the map and locating them on the ground. Doing this exercise would keep us busy for several hours.

After a lunch stop at a bridleway cross-roads, we moved on to grid references. A grid reference allows one to find a specific location on a map using the grid lines.

Maps are divided up into 1 kilometre grid squares by lines of longitude (Eastings) and lines of Latitude (Northings). A grid reference is a point located in a grid square. A six figure grid reference will put you at the lower left hand corner of a 100 metre square within a 1 kilometre grid square. More accurate is an 8 figure grid reference putting you in the bottom left hand corner of a 10 metre square within a 100 meter square within a 1 kilometre grid square. Sound complicated? Well, it's not really; and Shams soon picked up the skill allowing him & Shania to find this rather small & insignificant pool of water - good skills!

By this point, we had also introduced the skill of taking a bearing using a compass - just as well because we had left the security of footpaths & bridleways and were now heading across open countryside.

We spent the rest of the day walking from grid reference dealing with any unexpected situations along the way such as avoiding obstructions such as walls and marshes. Walking through bracken (photo four) also presented a challenge for the pair  who performed very well during the day and leave with new skills to use in the countryside.

Shams paid just £160 for their Navigation Skills Training Day in The Lake District with Iain. our next Navigation Skills Training Weekend Course in The Lake District is running this coming weekend - November 26th & 27th. The cost is £80 per person for the two day course so grab yourself a skills training bargain, contact Iain & get booked on! Maps are provided, you just need your own compass (and please bring a Silva Type 4 Expedition Compass - nothing less will do the job properly!) and equipment for going walking in the mountains in what could be inclement weather; and don't forget your lunch.

We look forward to working with you!

Canadian Canoeing Sessions on Windermere, The Lake District. Wednesday 26th October 2016.

Well, things have quietened down for us now at Kendal Mountaineering Services after a busy October. Mind you, we have been away in India for the last fortnight! For us, the quiet season is the best time to go away!

One of our most recent bits of work was with Richard, Lorna & Lydia when we ran a Canadian Canoeing Session for them on Windermere during the October Half Term School Holiday.

Photo one sees the three as we prepared to get on the lake at Fell Foot Country Park.

This was an Introductory Canadian Canoeing Session for the three. The girls had apparently canoed in the past, but it was a new experience for Richard. We started off as two separate canoes - Iain & Richard in one and Lorna & Lydia in the other.

Paddling a Canadian canoe requires co-operation between the person in the front & the one in back. Initially, Lydia & Lorna struggled with this but eventually got the hang of it as we progressed up the west shore of Windermere where, eventually, we reached the small island of Silver Holme.

Here, we rafted up the canoes as we prepared to cross Windermere to make our return journey down the eastern shore of the lake. This was done by connecting the two canoes with a central wooden spar and then tensioning the two boats using the ropes (painters) at the front and the back. Rafting up two or more Canadian Canoes makes them much more stable/safe; and the teams in each boat can work together to make progress.

So why did we raft our two Canadian Canoes together? Well, for what was to come! Windermere at this point is about 600 metres wide; and a breeze had built up during the first half of our session.

Crossing the lake with two novices in one canoe and one in the other would have been a very risky business! Rafted, we managed the crossing without incident, but when we turned south into the wind, we found it too strong to make any real progress - so, back across the lake to the west shore we went!

We eventually arrived back at Fell Foot at about 5pm. Photo three shows a tired but satisfied group. No wonder they were tired as we had done a total of 5 & a half miles in three hours; and half of that was paddled against a headwind!

Our Introductory Canadian Canoeing Sessions in The Lake District start at just £45 per person for a four hour half day session. We do offer discounts for children and for this session, we charged £100 or a little over £33 each for Richard, Lorna & Lydia's half day session with Iain.

Canadian Canoeing is a great way to explore The Lake District's lakes & rivers and the best way to enjoy your first adventure on water where you are in control. Contact us here to book your Canadian Canoeing Session in The Lake District. You won't be disappointed!