CUMBRIA
Top 12 extreme activites In the lakes
1). You can with Kankku – Nobody sees the Lake District quite like Kankku who take
you out on off-road driving adventures on wild trail routes throughout the National
Park. Whether you want to take the wheel of a 4x4 for the first time, upgrade your
existing skills, take along your own motor, or just sit back and enjoy the ride,
Kankku does it all. There are opportunities for individuals, groups and Kankku also
has a Rally team which you can join for the day on a Live Championship Rally.
www.kankku.co.uk
2). Go Ape in Grizedale Forest – Enjoy a forest like never before by taking part in
this high adventure assault course up to 18.2m off the ground as you negotiate
the tree tops of Grizedale Forest. You will tackle a series of breath-taking zipwires,
hair-raising Tarzan swings and wobbly rope bridges in two-hours of adrenalinesoaked fun. Definitely not one for the faint-hearted. www.goape.co.uk
3). Canoe Ullswater – Ullswater is one of the most dramatic Lakes in the whole of the
Lake District, surrounded on all side by amazing mountains, not least Helvellyn,
the third largest in England. For another way to see the Lake pick up a copy of the
Ullswater Canoe Trail. The leaflet explains where to hire canoes, park vehicles,
launch boats and profiles a number of short canoeing trips including one and twodayers. There’s also information about accommodation and facilities in the area.
Call in at the Tourist Information Centre at Glenridding or go to
www.golakes.co.uk/adventure-capital/default.aspx
4). Honister Slate Mine Via Ferrata – In May 2007, Honister Slate Mine opened
England’s first ever mountain Via Ferrata. Combining the skills of climbing,
scrambling and walking you don’t need to be proficient in any of them. Don a hard
hat and negotiate the craggy sheer cliff-face of Fleetwith Pike hundreds of feet
up. Walkers are secured to a fixed cable and then use steel ladders, solid bridges
and a challenging slate pathway to reach the 648m summit. The reward is
uninterrupted views down the magnificent Borrowdale Valley www.honister.com
Ullswater
Lake District, Cumbria
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5). Build A Raft – How do you build a raft from garden cane, tape and tarpaulin?
More importantly, would it float? Keswick Climbing Wall and Activity Centre has
the answers in a fun supervised day which involves testing your creations on
Derwentwater. Your whole crew has to fit onboard so will you be the one to sink it?
If Robinson Crusoe days aren’t your thing, have a go at the Bungy Trampoline
which allows you to pull off gymnastic-like somersaults, and back flips at heights
of up to eight metres.
6). Learn To Paraglide – Seeing the Lake District from the heavens is to see it in all
its glory and one way to achieve this is through Air Ventures Paragliding School.
As well as a range of paragliding courses, tandem flights, and gift vouchers, for
£110 you can have a taster day to introduce yourself to the sport. The emphasis of
the day is on fun and enjoyment, with theory being kept to a minimum. Once you
have mastered taking off and landing, flights are gradually increased until you try
one off a 60 - 91m hill…under the guidance of instructors. www.airventures.co.uk
7). Mountainbiking – Another good thing about all the hills in the Lake District is that
you can cycle down many of them! Cumbria is home to thousands, yes thousands
of different cycle routes depending on your type of bike, and many of them are of
the off-road variety in forests, woods, and open countryside. You can hire bikes,
find out about providers, routes, maps, guided rides, rental centres and much
more by going to: www.golakes.co.uk/adventure-capital/cycling-lake-district.aspx
8). Caving – Glaramara offers caving, amongst a variety of other adventure packages.
Take a trip underground and discover the caves that lie beneath the Yorkshire
Dales. An instructor will be with you throughout, teaching you the all-important
difference between stalactites and stalagmites. You may even get to meet some of
the underground inhabitants! There are a number of different routes, with caves of
different sizes, depending on how much you want to have to squeeze your way
through those passageways. There are even routes with slides and swims for the
very adventurous. www.glaramara.co.uk/activities/caving/
9). Gorge Scrambling – It doesn’t sound all that logical but walking up a mountain
river sure is a lot of fun! An opportunity to climb up waterfalls and dive into rock
pools. What’s more, trips are organized for most abilities and it’s up to you just
how wet and daring you get. Rain or shine, guaranteed thrill factor.
www.lakesactivities.co.uk/activitiesgroup/adventure.htm
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10). Abseiling at Dave’s Adventure Company – Learn to abseil with Dave, working
your way up from smaller to bigger challenges in the birthplace of British
climbing, The Lake District. All very secure, with an additional safety rope,
although with some abseils at 40m up, it’s sure to get the adrenaline pumping! If
that doesn’t sound scary enough, then why not be really daring and try Dave’s
night abseil? www.adventuremakers.co.uk/
11). Skydive at the Northwest Parachute Centre – The North West Parachute Centre
is one of the longest established skydiving and parachuting centres in Europe.
Skydive North West has introduced thousands of people from all over the world to
the magical sport of skydiving and is considered to be the friendliest skydiving
centre in the country. Set in the beautiful Lake District amongst some of the finest
scenery in England we boast excellent facilities for new and experienced skydivers.
If you want to experience a tandem skydive, learn to skydive, skydive for fun or
skydive for charity you should choose Skydive North West.
www.skydivenorthwest.co.uk/
12). Sea Cliff Climbing & Rock Climbing with Go Higher Mountaineering – Rock
climbing, scrambling and mountaineering holidays in the Lake District, wherever
adventure is to be found. The Morgan family has been providing mountain
adventure holidays and courses based in the Lake District since 1976 and enjoy
sharing our love of the hills with kindred spirits, whatever their levels of
experience. Why not join them and roam throughout the Lake District to make the
most of the varied landscape and to take advantage of the best conditions. The
family farm house at High Dyonside is particularly well placed for access to the
wilder western valleys of Ennerdale, Buttermere, Wasdale, Eskdale as well as
Borrowdale and Thirlmere
www.gogetadventure.com/350/go_higher_mountaineering
For further information about visiting the Lake District, Cumbria,
visit www.golakes.co.uk or email [email protected]
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