Category: Canyoning - Mountain Journeys - Guided Walks

Summer craziness arrives

25/7/2020

#fun-things-to-do-in-the-lake-district

Church beck canyon trip

It's been a month since my last blog post, pretty unusual as I do try to keep things up to date. We have just be so incredibly busy there has been no time to write. I'm very happy about this as the very slow start to the year did not bode well.
Now that we have all been allowed out again it seems most are taking advantage of it and getting out into the hills.

We have been busy with guided walks, rock climbing, scrambling, technical skills courses for climbers, abseiling. But mostly we have been in gorges and canyons. If I'm honest it took me a few years to appreciate the joys of canyoning, I used to think it was all just cold and wet and lots of faff. There can be an element of cold, there's certainly lots of wet, and for us there is some faff, but we take care of all that for you.
But, these are all massively outweighed by the sheer fun to be had in these magical places. Waterslides, pool jumps, abseiling through waterfalls, swimming in crystal clear waters, and splashing around with friends and family.

There are venues suitable for all from around age 5 upwards. Some venues are adult only and can be quite extreme. Just let us know what you're looking for and we'll come up with a plan.

Summer is the best time to be in these watery places as the weather here tends to be damp during July and August. Then September arrives and we hope for drier times and to be back on the rock, enjoying the rough volcanic rock that abounds here in the Lakes. We find September and October to be optimum times for climbing and other rock based activities.

Although we are now pretty booked up for the coming weeks, there is still some availability for later in August and good availability during September and October. If you're thinking of visiting and want to experience the best the Lakes can offer, please do get in touch.

Signing off now to prep for an afternoon of abseiling in the big slate quarries :-)

Thanks for reading

Mark

#guided-rock-climbing-ambleside

Original Route, Raven crag, Langdale

#family-activities-lake-district

Family fun in Stickle ghyll, Langdale

#group-outdoor-activities-ambleside

Whenever in a canyon or gorge with us, you will receive a briefing prior to getting started and at other relevant times

#rock-climbing-guide-langdale

Enjoying a blue sky day in Langdale

#lake-district-activities-stoneycroft-ghyll

Canyon descent of Stoneycroft ghyll

#climbing-skills-course-ambleside

Technical skills course with Patchwork

#where-to-canyon-lake-district

More Church beck fun

#traffic-in-the-lake-district

Traffic jam in Coniston

Cooling down in the canyon

25/6/2020

#things-to-do-in-ambleside

Time to get in that waterfall

Whilst we know lots of the Lake District, including many gorges and canyons. We can't claim to know them all. This allows us to keep on having adventures to new places, which is so much fun. And that's what it is all about, having fun adventures in amazing places. When we find those really super cool spots we know it's time to share them with our customers. Well, after waiting far too long to check this place out, last week we finally got around to doing the full canyon descent of this amazing Gill that is on the Helvellyn range.

Having managed an initial descent and loving it, today we returned to spend more time researching the venue and how best to plan for sessions there. The planning is now all done, so time to start showing our wonderful customers the delights of canyoning, Lakeland style. So that means epic waterfalls, stunning scenery, deep plunge pools, crystal clear water and so much more.

Due to the involved and technical nature of this canyon, if necessary we will show you how to abseil in a controlled and safe manor, how to set up various types of abseil, and how to deal with very slippery rocks. This trip will be best enjoyed by those with some previous experience in a gorge or canyon, or with a climbing background.

So if you're planning a visit to the Lakes and looking for something a bit different, something on the extreme side of outdoor activities, this could be just the thing.

With easy access from the towns of Ambleside, Windermere, or Keswick, it's nice and central.

Give us a call and let's make a plan.

Mark

#outdoor-activities-near-windermere

About to get airborne on the big abseil

#adventure-days-lake-district

Entering the depths of the canyon

#extreme-canyoning-lake-district

Emerging on the other side!

Summer time is Gorge Scrambling time in the Lake District

24/7/2019

#canyoning-lake-district

Enjoying the recent high water levels

It's been full steam ahead here and the rest of summer is looking really busy with lots of fun activities too.
With the recent warm weather, we have seen an increase in bookings for Gorge Scrambling. And right now really is the perfect time to take the the waters of the Lake District.
We've been lucky enough to have enjoyed multiple trips into Church Beck, Stickle Ghyll, the Esk Gorge, and have had a sneaky look at yet another 'new' venue. This one still needs a little more research before we can offer it as an activity, but it does promise to be fantastic, with the added bonus of easy access

We still have some availability for August and good availability for September, so why not get in touch and let's make a plan.

Happy holidays everyone

Mark

#esk-gorge-lake-district

A glorious day in the Esk Gorge

#group-activities-lake-district

Fun times in Stickle Ghyll

#gorge-scrambling-ambleside

More action in Stickle Ghyll

#church-beck-gorge

Jumping into a plunge pool in Church Beck

Short stay multi-activity - Costa Blanca

15/2/2019

#rock-climbing-course-costa-blanca

Andi making light work of a 6a route at Toix near Calpe

We've had the pleasure of welcoming back the Patchwork team this week. Looking for a break from the grey skies of Northern England but wanting so much more than relaxing by a pool, we had the perfect solution.

Multi-activity Costa Blanca style - this of course involves plenty of blue sky and sunshine, but also plenty of time out in the mountains, on the crags, and exploring new places.

Over the 3 days we enjoyed a walk to the dramatic 'Cova del Dalt' a beautiful cave with very easy access. This was part of a walk to the summit of El Crestall which lies just under the 1000m marker. For the afternoon we descended a nearby canyon, the Barranco del Pas de Calvo, so a rather full day. Plenty of happy faces at the end of that one.

Day 2 was a little more chilled out. We visited the seaside, well sort of! A day of rock climbing on the Toix crags near Calpe. These offer splendid views along the coastline. Most enjoyed 7 climbs before finger strength final got the better of us. A lovely warm day at the crag.

Day 3 was a bigger, more intense day. The dramatic Barranco del Pas de Tancat near the little village of Bolulla. This is an amazing trip with beautiful scenery to start and this gets better and better with every abseil. The biggest abseil in here is almost 40 metres and whilst everyone did really well, it's a real hats off to those with a fear of heights. That's cured now I think!

6 refreshed and happy people winged their way back to Newcastle this morning. It's been an absolute pleasure, hope to see you all again before too long.

Mark

#guided-walking-costa-blanca

Lunch stop during one of our mountain walks this week

#canyoning-costa-blanca

The team in the dramatic 'Barranco del Pas de Tancat'

Canyoning in the Lake District

10/10/2018

#canyoninglakedistrict

45m of full on waterfall abseiling

Earlier this year whilst leading a guided walk I came across a Ghyll I'd not seen before. It took my breath away and I knew I would have to return with a wetsuit and get in it.
Today that's exactly what happened. Along with my good friend Anna, we donned wetsuits, had lots of rope with us and went in search of adventure......we found it!

After a mostly level and easy approach walk, we rested a while in a beautiful spot with stunning views. Then it was time to gear up and get to work setting the ropes up. The top waterfall (not pictured) being about 15m high made for a perfect introduction and got us nicely wet, adjusted for the main event that lay below!!

I'd estimated the main waterfall to be over 50m, possibly 55m so we had a 60m rope for this one. I whizzed down this absolutely loving the excitement of being in a waterfall for so long. The big pool at the bottom is deep enough to swim in but being October we didn't go for that, and an easy scramble out on either side avoids the deep water. Anna was soon cruising down too, clearly loving it, even stopping to take photos en-route.

Below this pool lies many more waterfalls, slides, and pools, all in an incredibly beautiful setting.

We will be offering canyon descents of this Ghyll from May 2019 - it's absolutely amazing and anyone who likes Ghyll scrambling / canyoning will totally love this place. Get in touch soon to find out more.

All the best

Mark

#thingstodonearambleside

Proper, full fat and added cream canyoning here in the Lake District

#walksnearambleside

Even the approach walk is magnificent

Canyoning - Church Beck

19/5/2018

#gorgescramblingambleside

The big slide in Church beck

Such a fun afternoon enjoying the clear mountain waters of Church Beck with Brian and his friends from London town.

We split the session into 2 sections, starting with an ascent from mid-way up as far as the big chockstone slide. This got everyone into the groove before heading into the upper canyon for the big jumps!
A few jitters as the first big jump was tackled, but such an amazing effort from all. We finished with the big slide, speeding into the deep pool below and a cool swim out.

Despite other teams being in the gorge, we had a clear run at everything and most of the time we were the only people in there, good timing.

My bag is already packed in readiness for a day on Helvellyn tomorrow, see you all again then.

Mark

#gorgescramblinglakedistrict

Fun times in the Gorge

More canyon discoveries, Costa Blanca

19/11/2017

#canyoningalicante

Abseiling through the narrows!

Barranco del Pas de Calvo

Whilst enjoying a walk along the beautiful Malafi gorge last year, I spotted an area of interest, maybe for climbing, maybe scrambling, or maybe canyoning. Wasn't really sure which, but for sure the area would provide adventurous fun. Soon after this discovery I returned with a friend and together we climbed a ridge high above the gorge. This was fun, quite loose, and had a very adventurous feel to it. We later descended via a small canyon that was mostly very straightforward.

The bigger canyon still awaited our attention and by chance I came across an article in the FEMECV mountaineering magazine that described this very canyon. It is fully equipped with bolts and ventures through some fine rock scenery.

Earlier this week, me & Kim set off to check it out. Only 25 minutes from Llosa de Camacho and with a short approach walk, this was too good to be true. Even the walk-in was fun, and in no time we arrived in the canyon, such a beautiful place. The initial abseil set up didn't make sense to us, but we made the best of what we had (a longer rope of 50m is the solution). Once beyond this section we were deep in the canyon and enjoying amazing scenery. Quite a few short abseils followed and some easy scrambling, so all in all a fun and enjoyable descent.

We had been advised that the return walk would be through dense vegetation, so had come prepared with saw, cutters, and gardening gloves. It was actually not so bad, and we have now cleared the route even more.

The longest abseil is under 20m but we would recommend combining the first 2 abseils to make about 24m, this would be far easier. So take a 50m rope.

For a short canyon this place certainly packs a punch, we'll definitely be back and hope some of you will join us too :-)

Mark

#canyoningcostablanca

The first abseil

#canyoningcostablancaspain

Looking back into the Barranco del Pas de Calvo

Canyon adventures - Barranco del Pas Tancat

26/10/2017

#guidedwalkscostablanca

On the approach to the canyon

After lots of research with plenty of mixed / confusing information about the Barranco del Pas Tancat (it even has about 3 names!), we have finally found it and made a complete descent.
The term 'adventure' is widely used, we do it lots for sure. Some adventures are bigger than others, this felt on the big side. Not because of any technical difficulty, we've been in many canyons and have enjoyed them all. No, it was more the not knowing the outcome or even if we would have enough rope to complete the descent! Without enough rope we would be in a pickle for sure and whilst we had 100m of it, one source had mentioned needing 2x70m ropes!

Rightly or wrongly we didn't heed that bit of info, but did keep an eye on possible escape routes should we need them. As it turned out the longest abseil was around 30-35m, phew!

An approach walk of almost an hour warmed us up, the scenery took our minds away from the intense heat of mid-morning (yes and it really is the end of October). Soon we arrived at the Col de Garx, with the castle remains towering above us on the right, this is a dramatic viewpoint and gives a sense of what lies in store. The approach now descends through well tended olive groves until a narrow channel is reached.

The initial 15 minutes or so is disappointingly easy and overgrown (we took some gardening equipment so less overgrown now), but soon more fun is to be had, with both technical and free-hanging abseils into impressive surroundings. More dry river bed brought us to the 'tube' abseil which could be done by sliding down on your bum (but still on the abseil rope!), this was the longest abseil at about 40-45m but it can be split into 2 short descents and we'd recommend this. Yet more amazing scenery and a few fun little abseils brought us to the exit and an easy walk back to the car.

A complete write up along with technical details will follow shortly and this will be published on the 'guides and information' page of the website.

Thanks to Kate for joining me on this one :-)

Mark

#canyoneeringcostablanca

About to descend 'the tube'!

#barrancodelpastancat

Kate descending into the depths of the canyon

#canyonguidecostablanca

A spectacular setting

#strawberrytreeinfruit

Strawberry tree with fruit

Barranco del Llosar, Sierra de Bernia

6/1/2016

Having time quite a bit of time and bush whacking to find, i'm really pleased we have finally completed a descent of the Barranco del Llosar. It has been well worth the effort.

Approach: Take the CV-755 through Altea la Vella and continue until the turning for Sierra de Bernia recreation area (signposted), turn right here onto a narrow lane and follow this for about 2km to a small lay-by shortly after a track on the right (the return route).
From here, continue on foot up the tarmac road for about 2km (or 30 mins) and look out for a dirt track on the right, take this as it gently descends and soon reaches a ruin below a small outcrop of rock. A cairn marks the route downhill on a minor path, this soon deteriorates (wear long trousers) but do persevere and you will soon reach a shallow barranco, follow a vague track along this to reach the first short abseil from a Pine tree.

Descent: There are around 12 abseils in total, although some of these are short and over easy ground, so you may consider down-climbing some. The longest abseil is 30m, and all are from either bolts (some twin bolts, some single) or chains fixed around large Pine trees.
There is a lot of scrambling during the descent, some is pretty tricky too, and plenty of vegetation to work through. Well worth wearing long trousers and long sleeves and making a noise to alert whatever animals are living there that you're there too!
Even after a prolonged dry spell there will likely be water in some of the pools, but this should be avoidable with care. Just remember to look where you're throwing abseil ropes so they don't end up soaked!

The way out: After passing a huge boulder, bear to the right, keeping right of more large boulders. Scramble up onto a feint path marked by a cairn and follow this to a good, wide track. Follow this easily back to the road.

Time (car to car): Allow around 3 hours 45 minutes
45 min approach
2h 45 min descent
15 mins return walk

Equipment: The abseil stations are all bolted (Jan 2016). Harness; helmet; 60m rope; abseil device; prussik. We use 2 x 40m ropes which was more than adequate.

Dangers: Helmet advised due to rock fall potential. Also, check the weather history as flooded pools would prove difficult to exit!

Barranco de l'Estret de Cardos, Sierra de Bernia

27/12/2015

Barranco de l'Estret

We're always in search of fun places and new adventures, both in the UK and abroad. Today we found a gem of a canyon on the lower slopes of Sierra de Bernia, Costa Blanca.

There are around 5 abseils, with the longest being approximately 17 metres. There is plenty of scrambling too.

How to get there: Shortly after passing through Pinos village, look out for the 19km marker post and Virgin Mary cross, turn left here and follow the lower branch of this small lane, continue along here all the way to the valley bottom and park here in one of the small lay-bys.

Time (car to car): Allow 3 hours

Equipment: The abseil stations are all bolted (2015). Harness; helmet; 40m rope; abseil device; prussik

Dangers: Helmet advised due to rock fall potential. Also, check the weather history as flooded pools would prove difficult to exit!

From the parking area you will see a large gash in the side of the mountain, this is the canyon.
Follow the small track along the riverbed, passing some impressive caves along the way. After around 15 minutes the first abseil will be reached.
A short diagonal abseil leads to a tiny ledge and another abseil station, here it's possible to just clip the ropes through and continue your abseil (although some may prefer to rig another abseil from here). Continue diagonally left, keeping out of the deep marmite.

More abseils follow, mostly shorter, and there's plenty of down-climbing too. You will soon reach a very deep marmite, abseil into this (around 17m). There may be a fixed rope in place to aid the climb back out of here, if not be prepared to use 'combined tactics'!! Thankfully the difficulties here are short lived and soon things ease back to scrambling in an amazing place.

The canyon soon opens up and a wide, easy angled slab can be descended (very rough rock) to reach the stoney riverbed once more. Don't be tempted to follow the red paint to the left, instead continue along the riverbed until just beyond a sharp bend, look out for a small path exiting to the left, take this and follow it passing a small ruin along the way.

The return route is straightforward and on an excellent path, although much of this is uphill! Views of Olta and to the coast are splendid.
Keep on the path as it zig-zags up to the broad ridge, then descend (following the occasional red dot) to reach a wide track / minor road, turn left here and go downhill. After a few minutes look out for more red paint and follow this to the left (near a house to your right), this track will take you to the road you drove in on, follow this downhill to the car.

For more information about this or other canyons, ridges, and climbs in the area or in the Lake District, please do get in touch. We're happy to help.

We also offer guiding services for all places and activities mentioned in this blog.

Mark

Canyoning-costa-blanca

Barranco-de-l'Estret