Introductory Rock climbing and Gorge Walking Sessions in Yorkshire. 7th August 2013.

After Iains  session in The Esk Gorge with Richard Farmer & Kirsty, he was straight off to Yorkshire to prepare for the next day which consisted of an Introductory Rock Climbing and Bouldering Session at Brimham Rocks followed by and abseiling & Gorge Walking Session at Howstean Gorge in Nidderdale.

Photo one shows Iains group on this occasion during our Bouldering Session at Brimham. The children were on vacation with Village Camps and came from a diverse mix of countries including France, Spain, Lebanon and Ukraine.

During our Bouldering Session at Brimham Rocks (photo one) we climbed up, over, around and down some of the many gritstone outcrops to be found at this site for over an hour before it was time to swap with some of the other groups and have a go at an Introductory Rock Climbing Session.

In an Introductory Rock Climbing Session, we generally employ a rope system in which the climbing rope is anchored at the top of the climb at the mid point and either end hangs down to the bottom of the climb.

The climber will be attached to one end whilst several other group members will be responsible for pulling in the rope at the other end - keeping it tight to prevent the the climber falling if they slip.

As well as being an easy and safe way to climb, top rope/bottom belaying as it is known is a great way to get people working together and focusing on the skills of communication and teamwork. This was particularly important for this group of young people who didn't know each other that well and amongst other things - they were expected to converse in English throughout their time in the UK.

In photo two, the young person seen in the white tee shirt has climbed the rock face and is now being lowered down by his peers. This involves considerable trust on the part of the climbing person.

After our morning session at Brimham Rocks, the whole group plus instructional staff moved the six or so miles to Howstean Gorge in Nidderdale where tents were set up so that the group could camp overnight. Then, everyone was kitted out in wetsuits, cagoules, bouyancy aids,wellington boots and helmets so that they could go Gorge Walking (photo three).

At Howstean this involves abseiling off the bridge across the gorge 50 feet down into a deep narrow Limestone gorge where harnesses are removed before setting off upstream swimming and wading through pools and climbing up small waterfalls.

Along the way there is the possibility of visiting a limestone cave where a tributary to Howstean Beck joins the main flow.

Beyond Howstean Cave, the gorge gets narrower and deeper, the pools get deeper and the waterfalls bigger.

The edge of the gorge is surrounded by woodland and with dense foliage and an overcast sky overhead it can seem quite dark down below.

Certainly in photo four, it looks more like Iain's group are caving than Gorge Walking!

The children enjoyed their day of Introductory Rock Climbing, Bouldering, Gorge Walking & Caving and we hope they enjoyed the rest of their 3 week stay in the UK. Families wishing to try any of the activities mentioned in this post can do so with us here in The Lake District. Prices start at £45 per person for a half day (four hour) session or £70 per person for a full 8 hour day out encompassing at least two activities. Contact us to book your session here. We look forward to working with you.

The Esk Gorge. The Lake Districts ultimate Ghyll Scrambling Session. August 6th 2013.

Richard Farmer & his girlfriend Kirsty booked on to one of our all day Esk Gorge trips whilst having a weeks adventure holiday in the area.

The Esk Gorge is the best Ghyll Scrambling trip of it's type anywhere in The Lake District and is longer and more challenging than anything else in the area being some 3km long and having over 200m of height gain over it's length - meaning a lot of waterfalls and some very deep pools indeed.

Photo one shows the pair kitted up and ready to go and they were certainly up for anything Iain was to throw at them!

The Esk Gorge trip is a real adventure involving a 3km/1 hour walk in from the foot of Hardknott Pass at the head of Eskdale.

As well as the usual provision of wetsuits, cagoules, bouyancy aids, helmets & harnesses, we also provide you with rucksacs for the walk in and bin bags to keep your dry stuff dry - this is essential as unless the weather is warm you will be ready to get changed back into dry clothing after four hours of immersion in the River Esk. We recommend that you bring a flask of hot drink for that very reason!

On arrival at the foot of the gorge, we have some food & drink and then get changed at the sheepfold before getting in to the gorge. Straightaway- you'll be swimming and then climbing up the first waterfall before arriving at the first really big deep pool where there are two jumps. Following that, we climb up the fall at the back of this pool and, if as in this case there was too much water to climb the next bit you'll be roped out on to the side as is happening to Kirsty in photo two. However, we can pretty much get straight back in again!

After another 150m of swimming and picking the best route up the next cataracts we arrive at the next deep pool where there is a jump off the right hand bank (photo three) as well as one off the left as well.

Upstream of this there is a rather unexciting and slippery walk up a relatively level section of the river that we avoid by walking up the bank before jumping in at the next pool set in a tree lined ampitheatre below the highest jump at over 30 feet high.

We tend to avoid this jump (known as Lemmings Leap) the reason being that Iain tried it once and despite not hitting the bed of the pool ( you do land in a very deep pool) hitting the water from such a height hurt like hell! and there are many other less painful jumps that can be done.

Above Lemmings Leap we get to the highest falls in the gorge which we first swim under before roping up the rock to their right. Then, we are straight back in to another deep pool with a roped climb up a chimney followed by a big jump off the top of the rock back into the pool below - pure adrenalin!

Now we are at a point pretty much half way up the gorge. After briefly opening out, the gorge closes in again with more pools to swim and more falls to climb.

Further on we find ourselves in a narrow slot with a waterfall to climb after a swim. On this occasion, we couldn't get near the foot of the fall due to the volume of water ( you have to swim to the foot of the fall) so, Iain roped the pair up the side and then we immediately jumped into the next deep pool upstream - trying it from both banks!

The next section was unclimbable again due to the volume of water, so we walked up to the next jump where Richard & Kirsty jumped together (photo four) before we called time on the session.

Above here the gorge levels off after a small canyon and a walk eventually finishes at another waterfall and climb. A further 500m brings you to another deep pool and waterfall above which one arrives at the final deep pool and the point where the river meanders in from Upper Eskdale.

The Esk Gorge trip is a sustained adventure and a fantastic day out in good weather. It has to be highly recommended to adrenalin seekers looking for a real "out there" adventure. Kendal Mountaineering Services charge £75 per person for a minimum of two persons to experience this full day out with an experienced ghyll Scrambling guide. Contact us to book your session. To get a real flavour of what the Esk Gorge is all about view the  photos from this latest session here.

Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Sessions in The Lake District, Saturday August 3rd 2013.

After Brian Young's Stag Event morning session in Church Beck Iain was straight back into another Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning session in the afternoon with Tony Forrester & his girlfriend Annie who were in the area on holiday and fancied trying an adrenalin filled activity.

Our Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Sessions have to be one of the best ways of getting a buzz and their popularity seems to suggest this. Plus we are one of the few Lake District Outdoor Activity Companies that will work with only two persons.

Being part of a small group is good for you in so much as there is no hanging around standing still which is when you will get cold - despite wearing a wetsuit. When searching around to book your Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning session in The Lake District be wary of providers who ask you to join a bigger activity group for sessions like this - there is no good reason why you should other than to save money!

Ghyll Scrambling -also known as Gorge Walking describes
ascending a mountain stream climbing up waterfalls and swimming through pools. However, there are usually other things to be done in addition at most venues.

In Church Beck you have the option of a squeeze under a log climbing up through a small waterfall (photo three) and further on - try a climbing traverse around the back of a deep pool - the penalty for slipping off being a thorough soaking. You'll probably already be soaked by this point though!

For anyone wishing to indulge in a longer Gorge Walking Session in The Lake District then you should really consider one of our all day Esk Gorge adventures.

As per usual, we continued our Ghyll Scrambling ascent of Church Beck until we got to the Chockstone Pitch (photo three) before exiting the gorge and stopping at Miners Bridge to get harnesses on.

We then went to the very head of the gorge and commenced our Canyoning Descent with the pair  being lowered down three waterfalls and having done three jumps into pools before arriving back at the top of the Chockstone Pitch where we slid down into the deep pool below.

Photo four shows Tony & Annie, thoroughly soaked yet thoroughly exhilarated - having enjoyed their half day Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Session with Iain from Kendal Mountaineering Services.

This half day (four hour) session didn't take four hours to complete, yet the pair got the opportunity to do everything there was to be done at the venue.

For £45 per person they received a great session and were guided by an experienced & qualified guide and you can be too!

To try out this fantastic sport give us a call and let us arrange this session for you. Ideal for families, Stag & Hen Parties and Corporate groups alike - Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning in The Lake District is definitely something you should try at least once in your life!

Stag Events in The Lake District. Saturday 3rd August 2013.

Brian Young booked one of our Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Sessions for his mate's Stag Weekend in The Lake District. The guys had travelled all the way from Aberdeen to attend this weekend away with a difference.

Our Ghyll Scrambling & canyoning Sessions in The Lake District have proven to be very popular with both Stag parties & Hen Parties visiting The Lake District over the last four years.

Photo one shows the group as they made their way up the lower part of Church Beck in what we call the Ghyll Scrambling Ascent part of the session

Photo two shows the Stag Group on Miners Bridge following the initial Ghyll Scrambling ascent of Church Beck prior to commencing the Canyoning Descent part of the session.

Many of our competitors do not offer their clients the opportunity to experience the 200m section above Miners Bridge which contains a lower down a 15 foot waterfall and a small jump into a deep pool below. However, we will always attempt to do everything that can be done at any given venue allowing you to make the most of this exciting & exhilarating experience.

On all of our Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Sessions in The Lake District you will receive the equipment you can see everyone here wearing and this is all provided for your comfort & safety as part of the fee. The only thing the clients had to provide themselves was a fleece type top to wear over the wetsuit/under the cagoule, swimming shorts and socks for the walking boots. We believe our equipment provision sets the benchmark for all Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Sessions anywhere and if you get anything less then you should be asking why!

Photo three shows the Stag having a go at the Miners Bridge Waterfall below the bridge in photo two. As with the section above the bridge, this is often missed out by our competitors offering "comparable" sessions for less money.

This challenge involves crawling backwards over the edge of the waterfall and then climbing down through the water or abseiling down to the foot of this 30 foot high fall.

In order to do this waterfall and the one above (and below) we provide you with climbing harnesses as there is no other way the two top falls could be descended safely without attachment to a rope.

At the next fall down, many businesses allow their clients to take a 15 foot jump into a very narrow slot which has resulted in a number of injuries over the years. Here, once again, we rope you past the hazardous bit and allow you to jump into the pool from a safer location.

Photo four shows Brian Young's Stag Party at the foot of the area known as The Top Jumps. Found below the Miners Bridge Waterfall, this is the narrowest part of the gorge with the deepest pools.

As previously outlined - we rope clients past the most hazardous section of the top waterfall and people can choose to jump the middle fall into the deep pool below - but only if they are confident they can jump out far enough!

The final challenge is a slide straight down the slab behind the Stag Party straight in to the pool below.

Brian's Stag Part thoroughly enjoyed their Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Session in The Lake District with us. If you would like us to help make your stag or Hen Party an event with a difference then contact us here. Prices start at £45 per person with discounts applied for bigger groups. We look forward to helping you make your event one to remember. Photographs are also included free as part of the fee.

Introductory half day Caving Sessions in the Yorkshire Dales National Park Thursday 1st August 2013.

After what had been an exceptionally busy week for Kendal Mountaineering Services, Iain had a few days off before returning to the fray with a group or young people from several  families staying near Settle in the Yorkshire Dales who wanted to try out an Introductory Caving Session in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

For an Introductory Caving Session we usually head to Long Churns near Ribblehead, but in all cases arrange to meet anyone wishing to go caving at the well known premises of Inglesport in Ingleton with it's great shop and renowned cafe.

Photo one shows the team (left to right Nick, Alex, Dave, Clare & Steve) in Middle Entrance at Long Churns.

Owing to the exceptionally wet weather the day before which had persisted throughout the night, Iain had a concern about the water level in Long Churns.

However, he found himself with a strong young group of people who had caved before and whilst water levels in "The Churns" were sporting, they were within acceptable limits and, as it was not raining, not likely to rise further.

Photo two shows Dave as he squeezes through the bedding plane crawl that is "The Cheese Press" much talked about by visitors to Long Churns and often known about by people who have never done it. Today, everyone on our group managed this - the most challenging part of their introductory caving session in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Following our time in Lower Long Churns and The Cheese Press, Iain took the group back out to daylight via Diccan Entrance (photo three) where one can see how much water there was in Alum Pot Beck.

Several of our party attempted the very wet bedding plane crawl (where the water issues from behind Nick & Dave) which was safe but challenging particularly as you have to exit up through a waterfall at the far end to get out. You can see more photos from this exciting wet caving trip here.

Having returned overland to Middle Entrance once again, we walked back downstream to where Cross Passage (also known as Babtistry Crawl) enters Lower Long Churns and crawled the several hundred metres through this stalagtite and flowstone decorated fossil passage back to the main Stream way where we turned down stream to visit Middle Entrance a third & final time.

We then about turned and headed upstream past Cross Passage and on into the upper reaches of Upper Long Churns finally arriving at Doctor Bannisters Washbasin (photo four).

Here, Alum Pot Beck crashes into the cave system from the surface landing in a very large & deep pool (the washbasin). Getting up the waterslide involves firstly stepping astride the jet descending in to the pool before climbing up (or in Nicks Case in photo four sideways shuffling up it - anything will do!) to the top of the waterslide. Once again, everyone made it without incident, well done!

Our final shot from this party's Introductory Caving Session in the Yorkshire Dales National Park sees everyone drying out in the sunlight on the limestone pavement not far from the upstream entrance to Long Churns.

The party had enjoyed a wet, challenging & exciting session with Iain underground on their introductory caving session and all agreed that despite having been caving before in France that this had been different; and more exciting - particularly due to the water level.

If you would like to try out a caving session in the Yorkshire Dales National Park with one of our qualified cave leaders then contact us here. Prices start at £45 per person for a half day (four hour) session or £70 for a full eight hour day of caving. You will be provided with all of the equipment you see these people wearing as part of your fee. Give caving a go, it's fun and you won't be disappointed!

Map reading & Navigation Courses in The Lake District. 27th & 28th July 2013.

Following successfully running the Seco Tools Corporate Team Building Event, Iain was straight back out the next day, this time with Stephanie Hill and her friend Christine (photo one) who had arranged one of our bespoke Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District as preparation for a forthcoming attempt on the Coast To Coast Walking Route across England.

Iain met the pair in Staveley and on day one took them to Green Quarter Fell where we got stuck into the basics of map reading and navigation.

Going back to basics means firstly using the compass to orientate the map thus aligning it up with the landscape around you. Following on from that we talked about maps scales and measuring distance on the map before measuring out distance on the ground by pacing.

The day progressed with us following a linear feature on to Green Quarter Fell ( the track next to the pair in photo one) measuring & pacing distance and identifying tickoff features along the way before breaking off onto open ground to use a compass to walk on a bearing. Over lunch, Iain introduced the idea of grid squares and grid references in order to be able to locate a particular point on the map. Christine & Stephanie quickly absorbed the theory and were soon able to give Iain 8 figure grid references for map locations - this is very good going indeed!

We spent the rest of the afternoon getting higher on Green Quarter Fell using Grid References to pinpoint places on the map and then walking point to point on a bearing whilst pacing the distance. The pair did extremely well.

We finished off the afternoon discussing Naithsmiths Rule so adding a timing dimension into the skills set. Naismith reckoned that most people were capable of walking around 3km per hour and he also stated it was necessary to add 1 minute to the time for every 10 meter contour crossed - going up or down. Iain reckons that even in the mountains - most people walk at at least 5 km per hour so it takes 15 minutes to walk 1 kilometer!

Saturday had been a fine warm day but Sunday dawned a little fresher and initially a little wetter. In fact, looking at the many streams running down the mountainsides, it was clear to see that there had been much rain overnight and the tops were cloud covered.

Day two of our Mountain Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District are always spent a little further up the Kentmere Valley and today we started from near to Green Quarter with the intention of heading up over Shipman Knotts on to Kentmere Pike consolidating skills learnt the previous day and adding new ones along the way.

One such new skill was being able to use the compass to identify unknown objects from a known reference point and also to be able to use the compass to verify things which could be seen. Photo three shows Christine having placed her compass on the map having lined up her compass along the direction of a wall we were trying to identify. This was done by lining up the direction of travel arrow on the compass with the wall and then setting the bezel (dial) to magnetic north before deducting 2 degrees to convert to grid north. The known point of reference was the wall junction and we were trying to verify this by "sighting" of one of the walls. Having done all of the required setup Christine then placed the compass on the map using the know reference point as a "pivot" for the compass and aligned the bezel to grid north. As can be seen, the edge of the compass is running in line with the wall we were trying to verify (in line with the direction of travel arrow). Job done!

The morning would see us progress up on to Shipman Knotts (photo four) heading in the direction of Kentmere Pike (in cloud in the background).

We never quite made it to Kentmere Pike as the pair wanted a 2:30 pm finish, but we did continue walking on  bearings, pacing & timing as we went from point to point until it was time to return to the vehicle. Along the way, we looked at 1:25, 1:50 and the 1:40'000 Harveys Map Scale that Stephanie & Christine will be using on their Coast To Coast Walk.

Both Stephanie & Christine gained a lot of new map reading & navigational skills from their Bespoke Weekend Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District and will, by now, have completed the Coast to Coast Walking Route - successfully we would hope.

As well running Bespoke Navigation Skills Training Courses in the Lake District, Kendal Mountaineering Services have four Autumn dates for set Navigation Skills Training Weekends in The Lake District . These are September 28th & 29th, October 26th & 27th, November 9th & 10th and November 30th/December 1st. These courses represent tremendous value for money at only £80 per person for the two day course and are ideal for the beginner or as a Mountain Walking Leader (ML) Refresher for an ML candidate wishing to prepare for a navigation reassement. Contact us here to make a booking.

Corporate Team Building events in The Lake District. July 25th & 26th 2013.

As well as offering half & full day Outdoor Activity Sessions and Skills Training Courses, Kendal Mountaineering Services also offer Bespoke Corporate Events for commercial businesses.

We were recently happy to be able to provide a bespoke Corporate Event for employees from Seco Tools who were looking for an event with a difference where their sales team would have to work together and be put in challenging and demanding situations. However, the event had to be fun as well.

We commenced the event with a task called "Product Assembly" whereby the team, split into two, had to build a "product" - in this case the planks on the floor (photo one) into a particular shape and in a certain time. Having had time to work out a plan and having had an initial "build run", the team then had two time trials so see how fast each team could assemble the product in a planned and logical format. This exercise took over an hour and engaged all members of each team in order to achieve success.

The group had requested some alternative accommodation to the "usual" hotels used when away on work business. We arranged accommodation in a remote mountain hut and got the group moved in to this before relocating to Coniston for one of our popular Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Sessions in Church Beck.

Time had fairly motored on in the course of the afternoon and so we only had time to do the ghyll scrambling ascent part of this session and the "top jumps" below Miners Bridge as the Canyoning Descent before having to call time (photo two). The group certainly found their experience in Church Beck quite unlike anything they had done before and loved it!

After our Lake District Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Session, everyone in the team returned to the climbing hut to shower and change. We had a brief review in which everyone was invited to disclose something they had learned about themselves and their own ability as well as something they had learned about others in their team. This led to quite a discussion.

Following this, we left the team for the night during which they drank copious amounts of beer and enjoyed an excellent meal at the nearby Wilsons Arms. A great evening was had by all!

Photo three shows the team enjoying our breakfast option the following morning at the climbing hut and this is one of  many options available to you. For £5 per person, we provided tea, coffee, cereals, toast, Jam, Marmalade and a full English Breakfast to fortify the lads for the morning ahead. This is only one of many things we can do to add value to your Bespoke Corporate Team Building Event in The Lake District.

Everyone in the team was going to have to depart at around mid-day on the Friday and we had been asked to provide a Canadian Canoeing Session. We chose to run this on nearby Coniston Water and decided to teach the team some basic canoeing skills before going on a journey that would encompass some challenging aspects and a few games too.

Photo four shows the Seco Tools Team rafted up after some skills training and ready to go on that journey which included a visit to nearby Peel Island to jump off some rocks into the water and a game of canoe football before it was suddenly time to finish and get off the water. Seco Tools were very happy with the team event we provided and hopefully we will see them again soon. You can read about a previous Corporate Team Building Event run in The Lake District here with a much larger group - one of our regular corporate clients, Nucleargraduates.

To enquire about options for your own Corporate Team Building event in the Lake District or North West England please contact us here. We have a range of options available to suit any developmental outcomes you may have in mind and can arrange any special requirements you may have. We look forward to working with you.