Stag Events in The Lake District. May 18th 2013

After being in Church Beck at Coniston a few days previously with our corporate clients Nucleargraduates, Kendal Mountaineering Services were back again - this time with Tom Jowitts Stag party.

Tom had booked one of our Stag Events in The Lake District some months previously. Initially, the stag party had wanted to try a half day our our popular Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning sessions followed by a half day of Rock Climbing & Abseiling in The Lake District. Photo one shows all 15 lads with, of course, the stag - Lyndon resplendent in pink skirt!

On the day that the stag event had been booked for the weather was looking poor. Heavy rain was forecast for the day, so a decision was made a few days earlier to change the programme to include some Canadian Canoeing on a Lake District Lake instead of the climbing and abseiling.

This was a good plan as it was raining really heavily when we arrived at Coniston to run the stag event.





The guys had also asked for a later start than our usual 09:00 as they were planning to hit the town on Friday night. In any case, it was almost midday
on Saturday before all of the stag party arrived with us.

The heavy rain was causing us some concern as Church Beck was starting to rise, so the plan was switched slightly again from Canoeing first to Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning. However, we needn't have worried as almost as soon as we started the session the rain stopped and whilst water levels in the gorge were up they were fine for this bunch of keen & fit lads (photo two).

After two hours of Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning we got out, grabbed a bite to eat and then went for a Canadian Canoeing session on nearby Coniston Water (photo three).

The final photo from this Stag Event in The Lake District shows Lyndon (once again in his pink skirt) just as it was all about to go wrong!

Up to this point we had played a number of team games on the water and the lads had thoroughly enjoyed these. Following that we set off on a bit of a canoe journey followed by a canoe raft & swap around but when Lyndon decided to change position the raft was broken up - making all of the boats rather unstable - done deliberately to get Lyndon in the drink!

Following this, Iain had several canoes to empty and half a dozen lads to get back into boats and then it was time to pack up.

Tom, Lyndon and the rest of the stag party throughly enjoyed their Stag Event in The Lake District with us and went on to have an equally good second night out in Kendal - we think! The rest of the photos taken during this Stag Event can be viewed here.

If you are thinking about organising a Stag Event for one of your mates then let us put together a package of activities together for you to make for a memorable occasion in The Lake District. Prices can be as low as £30 per person for a half day or £50 per person for a full day depending on group size. Contact us here to discuss how we can help.

Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning sessions. May 16th 2013.

Last Thursday, Kendal Mountaineering Services ran another ghyll scrambling & canyoning session in The Lake District for returning clients Nucleargraduates who were running yet another welcome workshop in the area for new graduate recruits joining the Nucleargraduates Apprentice Scheme.

Photo one shows our team in Church Beck at Coniston where we run most of our Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning sessions.

All of those attending the Nucleargraduates welcome workshops are meeting for the first time and will be spending the next two years working for the various partner organisations within the Nucleargraduates Scheme.

We were first approached two years ago to see if our Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning sessions in The Lake District could be used to enhance the welcome workshops by adding an element which would promote teamwork, trust, support, communication within the new recruits - which of course it can & does. In photo two - an example of teamwork can be seen here as the rest of the team  helps someone to climb a waterfall of which there are many in Church Beck.

All of our Church Beck Ghyll sessions involve a  canyoning descent of part of the gorge which follows the ghyll scrambling (also known as gorge walking) ascent and this takes place in the upper part of the ghyll.

In photo three, one our team is lowered down the first waterfall on the canyoning descent. The distance is not far in to the pool below but for many the challenge of being lowered down a waterfall not really being sure what is below is quite something!

There were eight recruits and two staff today, so it took Iain a while to lower everyone down here.

Photo four shows the team at the foot of the final "chockstone pitch" where we took our team photo before leaving the gorge and finishing the session. After the previous photo, we had descended 300m of gorge, abseiled another two waterfalls and jumped into four deep pools. Everyone had  received a thorough soaking and felt thoroughly exhilarated after their Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning session.

The day had turned out to be better than forecast - less rain (well - none actually!) and warmer temperatures than forecast making this teambuilding session for the group a pleasant & exciting experience. No doubt they will be talking about it for some time to come!

To book your Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning session with us contact us here. Prices can be as little as £30 per person for a half day (four hour) session and we can provide these sessions for a minimum of two persons.

Testing rugged waterproof & shockproof cameras. Stickle Ghyll, Langdale. May 11th 2013.

Yesterday, we were delighted to run one of our Lake District Ghyll Scrambling sessions for members of the WEX Photographic staff team who had come to The Lake District for the weekend wanting to use one of our Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning sessions as a test bed for their forthcoming review of Outdoor Digital Cameras.

The team had travelled all the way from Norwich to conduct this test and had all manner of waterproof & shockproof Digital Cameras - as can be seen in photo one.

Unfortunately, it had been an extremely wet start to the day and as it turned out, our preferred venue - Church Beck at Coniston was turning into a raging torrent and therefore not an ideal venue to conduct a camera test of any sort.

Fortunately, the team were still en route for The Lake District when Iain called them to advise of a change of venue and there are a few venues in Langdale where we can run our Ghyll Scrambling sessions in The Lake District when Church Beck gets too big.

Having been rerouted to the Sticklebarn Tavern in Langdale, Iain & Scott got the group kitted up and then off we headed in to Stickle Ghyll which was high, but challenging rather than being "over the top". Photo two shows one of the party doing the lower climb in the ghyll which was actually a small waterfall on this occasion. Challenging stuff indeed!

Photo three shows Daniel Hahn having some fun in the Stickle Ghyll Jacuzzi - as you can see here - there was plenty of water to provide lots of challenging fun and as tough a conditions as any of the group test cameras were likely to find anywhere!

There were a few odd sections that we had to miss out where there was just too much fast flowing water. When running any Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning session, safety of all concerned has to be paramount followed by comfort which is why we provide the high standard of equipment that we do. It is only when you have these first two concerns properly addressed can people then start to enjoy themselves fully.

Stickle Ghyll was, on this day, a "full on" experience - as you'll see if you look through the photographs taken with our own waterproof & shockproof camera here.

At this point we were only half way through our Lake District Ghyll Scrambling session and the cameras were getting a proper drubbing and ducking. Most people had the test cameras attached to their bouyancy aids with karabiners allowing for security but quick release for photographs. Fortunately no-one dropped a camera - had they done so today then it would have likely disappeared for good!

As can be seen in the background in photo four, the weather had cleared up and our afternoon as nice & sunny and largely rain free - if not a little cold. However, the Wex Photographic team were thoroughly enjoying themselves as you can see here.
 Shortly after photo four was taken Scott made off ahead to set up the ropework for the second & larger waterfall climb in Stickle Ghyll and in photo five a member of our party can be seen approaching Scott at the top of the fall whilst another team member takes a photograph.

WEX Photographic subsequently posted a report  about this group test of digital waterproof & shockproof cameras and you can read it here. It will certainly give you a very good idea what to look for when choosing your own tough camera for outdoor use in any conditions.

Our own camera of choice at present is the Panasonic Lumix DMC FT2 with which all of our own photos have been taken since February 2011. This camera is still going strong and we are sure you will agree, takes excellent photos. This model has already been superseded by newer versions and no doubt we'll need to replace ours at some point in the future.

Immediately after completing this waterfall climb we returned to the National Trust car park at The New Dungeon Ghyll where everyone got changed and then headed in to the Sticklebarn Tavern for a well deserved hot drink. The WEX team seemed well pleased with their Lake District Ghyll Scrambling session and we hope that it provided them with the test bed they needed - it was certainly a tough session for any camera!

Stag Events in The Lake District, Church Beck, Sunday, May 5th 2013.

After assisting with the running of a Lake District Hen Event in Borrowdale on Saturday, Iain was out with a group of lads who were staying in The Lake District as part of a stag weekend.

James Fraser had found the Kendal Mountaineering Services website early in the year and had booked a Lake District ghyll scrambling session with us way back in January.

Iain took the party to Church Beck at Coniston where we always combine any Ghyll Scrambling Sessions with a Canyoning Session as well.

Sunday was a different day from Saturday in so much that it was cloudy, cold & wet - not a great combination for any Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Session!

Still, the lads made up for the miserable weather with bags of enthusiasm. Photo one shows us at the Chockstone Pitch in Church Beck - little over an hour later, we would be sliding down the rock behind the lads into the deep pool below.

Taken about ten minutes after photo one, photo two shows the guys all kitted up - ready for the Canyoning Descent of Church Beck.

As can be seen, everyone is well equipped to provide maximum comfort and protection with each individual wearing a wetsuit, walking boots, a cagoule (jacket) bouyancy aid, helmet & harness - all provided as part of the fee for the four hour session - in this case £40 per person. This might sound a lot - but look what you get and we also know that we offer a longer ghyll scrambling session than many of our competitors - giving you the opportunity to do absolutely everything that there is to be done in this fantastic gorge.

Many other providers miss out the top section of Church Beck above Miners Bridge, but here there are two big waterfalls and two deep pools that are worth the visit.

Photo three sees one of James Stag party being lowered down the first waterfall nin to the first pool - if you haven't already had a thorough soaking you'll get one here!

Being lowered down this fall you get a real sense of being right in the middle of falling water whilst still securely attached to a rope, we won't hang about lowering you down here though.

Below this point, we pypass the next fall below due to a big rock being right at it's base in the pool; although the pool is still deep enough to get a thorough ducking! Then it is on the the next absiel lower at the Miners Bridge Fall.

Below Miners Bridge Fall, the gorge narrows to a slot where there are three falls. At the first, we lower you part way on a rope before you jump the rest of the distance in to the pool. The next fall has another rock at its foot  so we climb down the slide of here and swim to the top of the fall seen in photo one. This final fall sees us slide down the middle of the slab in to the pool below in a fashion that has earned it the name of "the coffin slide". A truly exhilarating experience!

After that, we climb out of the ghyll and that is the end of your Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning session although there is still a 10 minute walkback to the cars to de-kit. Many of our stag groups choose to end their session with a pint at The Black Bull Inn & Hotel just down the road. Bluebird Bitter is Iain's favourite tipple.

Other photographs from James Frasers Stag Do in The Lake District can be viewed here and if you would like to discuss booking your own Stag Do in The Lake District with us, then contact us here. We look forward to working with you.

Lake District Navigation skills training course. April 28th & 28th 2013.

Last weekend, Kendal Mountaineering Services ran their first Lake District Mountain Navigation skills training course of the season.

This map reading & navigation skills training course was fully subscribed with 10 persons attending from around the country - some from as far away as Sussex & Surrey.

Day one started with our looking at the importance of  Map Orientation, tick off features and measuring distance/pacing distance. After lunch we moved on to the skill of taking a bearing from map to ground and photo one sees our party having successfully navigated to a small pool of water on relatively featureless terrain. As can be seen it was a lovely sunny day although it had started off with snow on the fells in the background and a chill northerly breeze.

Photo two shows our participants preparing to find the next location on the map. Iain had presented grid references to the group over lunch and they were now all able to locate a point using a 6 figure grid reference.

In this photo everyone is working out the bearing & distance to the next grid reference as part of our map reading & navigation skills training progression.

The nice thing about this particular Lake District based Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course was that everyone had come in pairs wanting to learn map reading & navigation skills so that they can subsequently go out and enjoy walking - without getting lost! Working in pairs is a good thing as it gives people the opportunity interact and share information & knowledge and you nearly always find that some people will pick up an aspect of skills training better than  others. In this group, as well as Iain coaching Navigation & Map Reading Skills overall, people within each pair could coach each other too - it worked really well!

Day one of our Lake District Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course finished at 5pm with everyone having progressed through Map Orientation, tick off features, measuring & pacing distance, Grid References through to walking on a bearing using a compass.

Two of our party - Tom & Phil had also booked in to a night navigation session with Iain and photo three sees the pair at their first grid reference - the trig point on Brunt Knott.

We went on to look for a number of landform features and a stream junction before heading back for a quick pint at the Eagle & Child in Staveley. The night navigation session lasted around 3 hours and fortunately for the pair, the weather was clear & dry with only a light northly breeze - you could even make out Blackpool Tower away to the south.

Night navigation is harder than the daylight option. On this session, visibility was good and even only by the light of headtorch one could see several hundred metres - imagine what it is like in cloud! During night navigation, the sense of sight is greatly reduced meaning that you have to be spot on with your pacings and walking on a bearing. Tom & Phil did very well for their first go at this skill which is not an easy thing to achieve.

The forecast for Sunday was vastly different from Saturday with a cold westerly wind blowing at up to 55mph on the summits, low cloud and rain with snow at higher levels. It certainly wasn't a day for going up high as we normally do on day two.

Any session that we run has to be, first & foremost, safe and secondly comfortable before any learning will take place. A session like that would not have been possible higher up so, Iain chose to take the team back into the same area as had been used the previous day (Green Quarter Fell, Kentmere) although this time we used a different route - going in from the north rather than the south.

Photo four sees the group looking a little soggy but pleased at having located a rather insignificant stream junction on the map. The whole day was spent travelling from one grid reference to another looking for features that were not always obvious.

Our final photo of our Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course in The lake District sees us down to a group of four after another pair had departed to head for home early (one pair had decided they were happy not to attend day two the previous day and another pair had to drop out).

Having spent the day navigating around Green Quarter Fell, we sat down here for a final break and discussed Nainsmiths Rule. Naismith reckoned that people could walk at 3km/hr in the mountains (Iain reckons it's nearer five for most fit hillgoers) and that 1 minute for every 10m contour needed to be added for every contour line crossed in ascent of descent. We spent 15 minutes working out timings between a number of grid references on that basis before walking the short distance back to the cars and closing the course. All photos taken during the weekend can be viewed here.

We have a number of these Lake District Mountain Navigation Skills Training Courses taking place over the year and details can be found here. The cost is only £80 for the weekend course per person and inclides the provision of laminated maps. The compass we reccommend as the industry standard is the Silva Type 4 Expedition which has everything you need to get the most out of your map reading & Navigation Skills Training Course. These courses are ideal for anyone considering their Summer Mountain Walking Leader Assessment or as a Navigation Skills refrsher course prior to re-assessment.

The next Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District takes place during the weekend of May 25th & 26th and there are currently five places available. Contact us here to book your place.

Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning courses in The Lake District. 21st April 2013.

After working with Andrew Rotherys Stag Party on Saturday afternoon, Iain from Kendal Mountaineering Services was straight back in Church Beck on Sunday Morning with Jill  Weirich and her niece Lauren.

The pair are from the USA. Lauren is currently working in the UK and Jill was visiting for what had been a very active holiday so far with Lauren.

As part of that holiday, the pair had decided to book a Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Session with us - appreciating the fact that we will work with a minimum of two persons. Obviously the pair made a number of enquiries, but it seemed that other providers were apparently not interested in working with a group size of less than six persons!

Whilst such a session will cost you £45 per person for a half day it is superb value! You get your own experienced instructor and all of the equipment you can see Jill & Lauren wearing is provided as part of the session. The good thing about a small party size on any wet session is that there is less waiting around to be done at the waterfalls or abseils and if it is wet & cold - you need to keep moving!

Wet & cold is exactly what  yesterday was in contrast to Saturday, but the pair found the scenery in the ghyll truly breathtaking - having nothing like this in their native Florida.

We made our way up the ghyll trying not to get too wet and made the decision to avoid the top jumps today. Lauren can be seen in photo two trying the Miners Bridge Fall Abseil and with that, the pair were happy to call it a day.

Both Jill & Lauren enjoyed their Ghyll Scrambling Session in The Lake District with Iain and Lauren hopes to return in the Summer with friends & work colleagues to give the full Church Beck Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning experience a go. We look forward to working with her again.

In the meantime, if you would like to book your Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Session in The Lake District then contact us here. We look forward to working with you.

Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District. April 19th 2013.

It has been a busy weekend at Kendal Mountaineering Services with Iain being out three days in succession.

Last Friday, Iain was out on the fells with Gill & Mike Cameron who were staying in The Lake District with their friends Rob & Evita Evans who attended one of our bespoke Mountain Navigation Skills Training Courses in May 2012.

Rob & Evita had enjoyed themselves so much that they had booked Gill & Mike on to a one day Mountain Navigation Skills
Training Course so that the pair could learn the basic skills at least!

Photo one sees Gill & Mike working out the route from Hall Lane to take us up on to Green Quarter Fell. At this point, we had already discussed the importance of orientating the map and being able to measure and pace distance.

Photo two was taken quite a while later. By the time we had reached this point we had already travelled several kilometres following linear features such as bridleways during which the pair had been identifying "tick off features" en route as well as doing a lot of measuring of distance and pacing. These are all essential basic skills required to be able to successfully navigate whilst reading a map.

By now Gill & Mike could also locate a feature using a six figure grid reference as well as being able to give a grid reference for a known point. They had also just successfully completed two legs of our route on relatively featureless ground using only a compass bearing  and pacing to help them find the next location.

During Mike & Gills one day Lake District Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course the weather was initially cold but by early afternoon the sun had broken through the cloud and it became much more pleasant.

Today, we didn't cover a lot of distance - never quite making it on to Green Quarter Fell - but we covered a lot of navigation skills. Our final photo is taken at Birk Rigg at the end of the afternoon after practising "boxing" around obstacles and more working out of bearings, measuring of distance and then actually using the information to find the next grid reference.

We finished the session talking about Nainsmiths Rule. Naismith reckoned that most people could cover about 3 kilometres in an hour and needed to add an additional 1 minute for every 10 metre contour crossed during a leg. So, we spent our final 20 minutes on the fell doing some maths before heading down to the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley for a well earned pint.

Gill & Mike enjoyed their Mountain navigation Skills Training Day in The Lake District with Iain. As well as offering bespoke Navigation Courses during any weekend of your choice we are also running Mountain Navigation Skills Training Courses in May and throughout the Autumn at only £80 per person for a two day course. Check out the course dates and information here.