Mountaincraft courses in the Lake District with Kendal Mountaineering Services. July 31st/August 1st 2010

Jacqueline Wallace and Joanne Overy contacted Kendal Mountaineering Services looking for a bespoke navigation skills training course in the Lake District but they also wanted the addition of night navigation, an overnight wild camp and some ropework tuition in preparation for a mountaineering trip abroad.

As they were travelling from London by train they also asked if they could be collected from and returned to Oxenholme Railway Station at Kendal.

Non of this sounded unreasonable to Iain who said yes - it was all possible and after some consideration, Jacqueline came back to us to book the weekend.

As can be seen from the first shot, the weather forecast was somewhat mixed with showers the order of the weekend. We had barely pulled up at our departure point when it began to rain heavily.



Fortunately, the heavy rain was only momentary although it was to remain showery all day. The pair were new to map reading and Iain decided to gradually build up their skills by first using linear features such as tracks & footpaths to follow a route looking, along the way at "tick off" features, "grid references"
and "orientating the map" at regular intervals.

The plan was to head up the Kentmere valley from Green Quarter and untimately head for Hall Cove as our site for an overnight wild camp.

In the second shot Jacqueline & Joanne are heading north along the Kentmere valley floor. In the distance, from left to right are the hills of Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick and the ridge leading up to Thornthwaite Beacon & High Street.




In the third shot, we had reached the lower part of Hall Cove and Kentmere Reservoir is visible in the distance. By now, seeing as we had reached the open fell and the path had disappeared, both Jacqueline & Joanne were using their compasses and "pacing" to locate the grid references Iain was asking them to find.

We reached the upper part of Hall Cove at 5pm and set up camp. The weather had deteriorated and the cloud had lowered making Iain think that night navigation would indeed be a challenge for the pair.

At 8pm in the gathering gloom we set off for the plateau exiting Hall Cove via a deep gully leading to the col between High Street & Thornthwaite Beacon and en route up this we found a sleeping bag, a bivvi tent and two thermarests - all unfortunately ruined! As to what had happened here, we could only guess; although Hall Cove has a reputation for catching lost & inexperienced walkers unaware - Iain knows this from his days in Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team!

As we reached the plateau, the cloud began to clear and at one point we could see as far as the scottish border & Carlisle and over the next few hours as it got darker, the cloud cover disappeared. Walking on a bearing & pacing at night is no easy feat, but Jacqueline & Joanne did very well. On reaching High Street Summit both were tired after their long day (4am start in London) and so Iain took over and led the pair back to the tents in Hall Cove.



Taken from the site of our wild camp at Hall cove on the Sunday morning , the fourth shot shows Froswick (right) and Ill Bell (left) in the distance. After our late finish at midnight, the weather had remained calm and dry - until about 09:30 when the clouds drifted over the tops from the west and we had to get our waterproofs out again!

Our day was to begin with a stiff climb out of Hall Cove on to the shoulder between Mardale Ill Bell and Lingmell - continuing to walk on a bearing and pacing; and at this point Iain chose to introduce the concept of working out timings and Naismiths Rule.



Sunday turned into a glorious day. We had one heavy shower and then it all cleared up. In shot five, Joanne & Jacqueline can be seen on the ridge approaching the summit of Harter Fell from Nan Bield Pass. In the far distance the flat top of Racecourse Hill (High Street) can be seen - the scene of our night nav practice.

After some lunch on Harter Fell we turned south to head towards Kentmere Pike on our way back towards the car.



In this final shot, Joanne uses her compass to try and identify a feature on the ground she could see below us in the Kentmere Valley.

We knew were were on top of Kentmere Pike and by pointing the compass direction of travel arrow at the feature we wanted to identify and setting the bezel to grid and then magnetic north, we were then able to lie the compass on the map and work out where our feature was.

Being able to use a compass for this purpose indicates the advanced navigation skill set that Joanne & Jacqueline were able to achieve with Iain over the course of their two day mountain navigation skills training course - a hugely significant improvement - considering that Joanne at least, had only picked up a compass for the first time on the previous friday night in London when a friend had shown her how to take a bearing!

Arriving back at the car, we spent half an hour looking at basic ropework for the pairs intended mountaineering trip to Europe before Iain returned them both to Oxenholme for the long journey south. Both were back at work in the morning. Iain, however, enjoyed a lie in!

For information about our Navigation Skills Training Courses see here
and for details about our Mountaincraft Courses see here. We look forward to working with you!

Beginners Kayaking session. Ullswater, The Lake District. Monday, July 26th 2010

Lee Mcgivern had booked a few days holiday away in the Lake District with his daughter El and had found Kendal Mountaineering Services simply by Googling Kayaking lessons.

Liking what he saw, Lee booked a half day beginners Kayaking session with us and as the pair were camping in the Ullswater valley that was where Iain decided to run the session.


Ullswater is a gem of a lake - particularly at the Glenridding end where there are many small bays to visit, three islands and also Goldril beck - flowing in at the head of the lake and an ideal venue for that first introduction to moving water skills in a kayak or canoe.

Having begun the session on Ullswater - looking at basic kayaking skills, the pair did so well that Iain decided that they had to visit Goldril beck to learn some moving water skills too and both Lee & El absolutely loved it,

As can be seen in the final shot, the weather was not ideal for a camping holiday in the Lake District but it was perfect for having a kayaking or canoeing beginners course on any of the area's lakes.

Whilst there were on occasion, light showers, Ullswater was flat calm and it was warm. After the recent heavy rains, the lake was at such a level as to make the lower reaches of Goldril beck an easy place to teach canoeing or kayaking skills on moving water. So, who says you can't have fun in The Lake District on a wet day!

For those damp days - check out our canoeing & kayaking half day sessions or come ghyll scrambling or canyoning with us. Lee & El were not dissapointed with their introductory Kayaking session with Kendal Mountaineering Services and Iain can assure you of a great experience too!

We have plenty of availability for these activities during the summer holidays so call us on 01539 737332 or visit the website at http://www.kendalmountaineeringservices.co.uk/

and check out our Kayaking & canoeing courses at http://www.kendalmountaineeringservices.co.uk/pages/kayaking.php

and

http://www.kendalmountaineeringservices.co.uk/pages/canoeing.php

Stag & hen events, ghyll scrambling in the Lake District, Stoneycroft Gill, Keswick. July 3rd 2010.

When Helen Griffiths was looking for something with a difference whilst organising the hen event for her mate Charlie, she found the Kendal Mountaineering Services website and liked what she saw.

As a result Helen booked a ghyll scrambling session with us some months back although Iain had no idea it was a hen party until he turned up on the day.

Water levels here in The Lake District have been low for some time now and even though the party were staying in the Ullswater area, Iain felt that water levels were so low that he would have to take the group elsewhere and he decided that Stoneycroft Gill near Keswick would be the best option for the ghyll scramble - good choice!

In the first photo, Charlie, the hen, resplendant with veil & garter, slides down the first significant fall in the gill whilst the group looks on. Water levels were still low but Stoneycroft gill has a lot to offer everyone and Kendal Mountaineering Services are now able to offer you even more from this fantastic ghyll scramble as you'll see if you read on!




The gill starts off gently with some small waterfalls, shallow pools and well vegetated banks bearing lots of juicy bilberries if you happen to be there at the end of July.

As you descend the gill the waterfalls get higher & the pools get deeper until eventually the one on this photo is reached where swimming is mandatory unless you are about 7 feet tall.

Here, some of the party enjoyed a thorough soaking as the pool presented a good opportunity to cool off.

Shortly after this point you reach the first true jump into a deep pool. We encountered several other parties in the gill on this Saturday morning but were able to pass them all as we made our way down to the most technical & challenging part of the gill - the lower gorge.

Kendal Mountaineering Services is now able to offer the ghyll scrambling session of Stoneycroft Gill as a true canyoning descent since the lower gorge with its previously impassable waterfalls has been bolted allowing suitably qualified staff to offer this option.

In the picture right - one of the party gets lowered down the second main waterfall of the lower gorge leaving one more small fall to slide down into a deep pool before entering the narrow canyon almost at the end of the trip. In the shot above, the girls pose at the end of the gill before giving each other a thorough ducking. Charlie's garter & veil did well to survive the session! After this we all got out and dried out in the sun. Everyone was glad of the hot drink provided by Iain as despite it being a pleasant day, we had just done a long session in the gill with everyone getting thoroughly soaked. The girls enjoyed their session with us in Stoneycroft Gill and Iain hopes that the rest of their hen weekend was just as much fun.

To find out how we can make your Stag or Hen weekend a memorable event check out http://www.kendalmountaineeringservices.co.uk/pages/henandstag.php

One day Lake District Navigation Skills training course, Eskdale, 26th June 2010

Iain travelled over from Kendal to Eskdale in the western Lake District to provide this one day navigation skills training course which had been booked some months earlier for Jeremy Patterson as a birthday present from friends.


Iain met Jeremy at the Woolpack Inn, which, having access to the fell immediately behind (not to mention parking and a beer at the end of the day!) made it an ideal place to work from. The area of open access country land immediately to the north of the Woolpack is an interesting mixture of undulating ground with hundreds of contour features and attack points.



From the Woolpack, we made our way to Eel Tarn getting Jeremy to read the map and describe our route to the tarn. He very quickly began to pick up on contour features and also the fact that OS maps are often not very accurate - particularly not when it comes to footpaths.

From Eel Tarn we made our way via Blea Beck to Stony Tarn having identified a small prominent peak from Eel Tarn that we wished to find. Walking on a bearing to spot height 272M and then using Blea Beck as a handrail we were able to reach Stony Tarn and use that to get to our objective which turned out to be Whin Crag, although we had already identified from point 272 - using a combination of map reading and compass work, that the top we were after must be indeed, the one with that name.

Following on from Whin Crag, Iain gave Jeremy the objective of finding a pool of water marked some 200M beyond a distant spot height using grid references. Jeremy would then give Iain a bearing and distance to the place and also a plan of how he was going to get there. Success followed success and the remainder of the route went over Great How via Cat Cove and down to Burnmoor Tarn before we realised it was 3:30 and time to be heading back towards the Woolpack.

Jeremy thoroughly enjoyed and learnt a lot from his one day navigation course here in the Lake District with Kendal Mountaineering Services and Iain was surprised to find that the distance to the Woolpack from Kendal was a mere 25.7 miles. Travelling over Hardknott and Wrynose passes certainly made it feel a bit further!

Stag events in The Lake District. Ghyll scrambling, Church Beck, Coniston. June 19th 2010

Many groups organising stag & hen events now consider outdoor activities in The Lake District as part of the package of things to do when a bunch of mates go away for the weekend to celebrate one of them getting married.

When best man Tom Macmillan decided to organise the stag weekend for his mate Euan, he contacted Kendal Mountaineering Services with a view to including Canadian canoeing as a half day session for the stag party.

Unfortunately at the time of booking, water levels here in the Lake District were so low that the river journey Tom was specifically interested in was not a viable proposition. Iain suggested either a beginners caving session in the Yorkshire Dales National Park or a ghyll scrambling & canyoning session in Church Beck at Coniston in The Lake District as suitable alternatives and the guys decided to go for the latter.

The water levels had not improved since Tom's initial enquiry and Church Beck was as low as Iain has ever seen it. At the get in point (first photograph) there was very little flow at all but above the dam about a 3rd of the way up the ghyll there was noticably more water.

In this second photo in the gorge, the guys enjoyed cooling off and ducking the groom who had to endure all sorts of antics throughout the ghyll session. Iain was sure that he must have thinking "with mates like these - who needs enemies!"

Above here, at the next waterfall, is where parties attending a ghyll scrambling session with us exit the lower ghyll and then head to the top of the ghyll to commence the Church Beck descent or canyoning part of the trip.

We had already met & passed one large group in the ghyll and found another similarly large group about to descend from the top. Iain could see that queue situations were starting to develop and as ghyll scrambling is all about "having fun but keeping moving" he decided to head back down to below Miners Bridge, lower the party down the "big waterfall" and then head back up to the top of the ghyll to start there.

In this third shot, the groom gets lowered down the Miners Bridge fall whilst others in the team look on.

This plan worked well, as by the time we got back to the head of the ghyll the other group had completed the first lower allowing us to keep moving. The next time we caught up with them they were at the Miners Bridge fall, but as we had already done this fall we were able to leap frog them and get ahead.

Well, the leapfrogging plan would have been fine - however, ghyll scrambling in the Lake District on a hot sunny summers day was clearly on everyones agenda and we found 30 people waiting to do the next section down.

Fortunately they all wanted to do the "top jump" unprotected allowing Iain the opportunity to sneak through and keep the group moving once again.

Photo four shows the middle jump with our party (in red tops) contemplating taking a leap, one guy has just done it. You have to leap well out on the middle jump as the water is not at all deep at the very base of the waterfall but appears to be bottomless just beyond!

Just beyond this view is the final slide down the chockstone in to the pool below.

The groom - Euan, found this a challenge indeed and of course - all of his mates took delight in trying to shove him off down it!

Boys will be boys! Iain hopes they enjoyed the rest of their weekend as much as they enjoyed their ghyll scrambling session with us.

Remember that we offer stag and hen events here in The Lake District and can put together a combination of outdoor activities you require. The last hen event was in April and can be viewed here on our blog.

Navigation skills training days, the Lake District, June 7th & 10th 2010

Kendal Mountaineering Services is pleased to announce that we are now accredited to run navigation skills training courses in the Lake District under the banner of the National Navigation Award Scheme.


There are three levels at which one can be assessed - bronze, silver and gold each providing pathways to encourage people to develop their navigation skills in stages. Each level is taught as a self contained unit. Your completion of a level is validated to a national standard and recognised by a badge & certificate. The bronze award is the easiest to obtain followed by the silver, both courses are run over a 2 day duration requiring a minimum of 12 hours contact time with the course provider. The NNAS Gold Award requires delegates to attend a two day training course and a separate assessment course of one day duration following a period of skills consolidation.


To find out more details about the National Navigtion Award Scheme through Kendal Mountaineering Services contact us at info@kendalmountaineeringservices.co.uk or call on 01539 737332/07761 483364



With regards to Navigation Skills training courses here in the Lake District, Iain has recently run two bespoke 1:1 events for two clients. Annika Hatfield booked a day for her husband Simon to be undertaken on Monday June 7th and Iain met the couple at Dockray in the Ullswater area of the Lake District.


Iain & Simon spent most of the day on Gowbarrow Fell which is an excellent place for all aspects of navigation practice and as is often the case, Iain discovered that Simon's skill set was better than Simon believed. By the end of the day Simon was confident at following bearings, identifying features from the ground to the map and navigating between contour features - not an easy thing to do. Well done Simon!

After two days of providing beginners climbing sessions at Shepherds Crag in Borrowdale in the heart of the Lake District, Iain was back in South Lakeland teaching another private client navigation skills in the Kentmere area.

Sandra Scott, recently retired, had taken up orienteering and running and wanted to improve her navigation skills set. Previously adept at reading maritime charts Sandra initially found reading a map, identifying features and reading contours a considerable challenge, but with Iains patient coaching improved massively during her first day out and whilst tired at the end of the day, was very pleased indeed with her achievements.

Sandra has yet to do one other day to come out with us and Iain looks forward to seeing further progression in the development of her navigation skill set.

Introduction to rock climbing day. Hutton Roof, Lake District, June 4th 2010

Iain had been contacted some time previously by Sharon Campbell about the possibility of providing a short day of climbing practice for her son Diallo during their break in the Lake District.

Sharon was looking for a bespoke session that started later and finished earlier than a typical day out with Kendal Mountaineering services as she had other commitments and didn't want to have to travel far to a climbing venue either.

After listening to Sharon's requirements Iain decided that Hutton Roof would be an ideal venue for the pair to climb. Sharon wanted to learn about setting up anchors but Diallo needed to be kept occupied and so it was decided that the best combination was to run a top rope/bottom belay system and in this shot Diallo can be seen enjoying a climb using this system.



Hutton Roof consists of a number of Limestone beds lain one on top of each other and is found a few miles south of the A65 east of the M6. An excellent single pitch venue for groups of people wanting to try climbing for the first time it is also a popular haunt of local climbers wishing to climb hard on the rock outcrops which have a number of overhangs and numerous bouldering problems.

Interspersed with overhanging and steep walls are areas of easier climbing and it was on these areas that Iain, Sharon & Diallo spent the day in sunshine, in fact at times the venue was positively hot!

In this shot Sharon, belayed by Iain has just climbed up this rock wall to the top anchor and is being lowered back to the ground.

Both Sharon & Diallo climbed extremely well and enjoyed their introduction to rock climbing day with Iain on the edge of the Lake District.