Category: Cathedral Quarry - Mountain Journeys - Guided Walks

Overcoming fears and enjoying an adventure

25/8/2019

#cathedral-quarry-lake-district

Me setting up the ropes for an abseil down the big wall

A little while back we were contacted by Claire who was keen to complete an abseil, but was quite nervous about it (which is fairly normal). Upon meeting Claire it was clear the nervousness was still very much there, but she was controlling and rationalising it well. For most, completing an abseil for the first time is a big event, it is stepping off a cliff after all! So we do our best to explain the whole process and will often set up a rope on level ground to enable people to practice in advance of the real thing. That's what we did today and this clearly reassured Claire that all would be well.

We were at Cathedral quarry in Little Langdale. The smaller abseil is a little under 20 metres and vertical. Claire cruised down this and was soon smiling and enjoying the experience. I sensed she would benefit from a trip down the big wall, but didn't want to rush this, so left the ropes in place for another descent of this smaller descent. Second time went even better, with more comfort and control.

The big abseil was offered and accepted, then I pointed it out and there was a pause, but only a pause, we were on for this :-)
A few minutes later and the ropes were all set for a 45 metres vertical and free-hanging descent down this dramatic wall of slate. With no hesitation or looking down, Claire was on her way, despite by now having an audience and the added pressure. Another smooth and well controlled, enjoyable descent and a brilliant effort from Claire. Having arrived feeling nervous and apprehensive, not even knowing herself whether or not she could do even the smaller abseil, Claire not only smashed that, but also the really big abseil that see's far fewer descents.

Setting challenges, overcoming fears, and having adventures are all seriously good things to be doing. No matter what the challenge, what your fear, keep pushing.
For us it's the best part of our work to be able to facilitate this for people, thanks to you all.

And big congratulations and thanks to Claire for joining us today.

Mark

#abseiling-lake-district

Abseiling the big wall at Cathedral quarry

#guided-walks-cathedral-quarry-lake-district

Afternoon light coming in through the window

Wonderful walks after the rains

10/6/2019

#guided-walks-from-ambleside

Looking over Windermere towards the Coniston fells

On Saturday I was joined by Claire and John who were visiting the Lakes with a plan to walk up Scafell Pike. However, the weather was looking pretty poor, with strong winds and heavy rain forecast. So we made a new plan to stay low, thus avoiding the strong winds and be able to enjoy some glorious Lakeland views.

From Elterwater we visited Skelwith and Colwith Force before moving on to the old quarries of Hodge Close and Cathedral cavern. Returning to Elterwater via Slaters Bridge and Little Langdale. All in all our route was about 9 miles or thereabouts, so a proper leg stretch.
With lots of water in the rivers and carpets of colour in the meadows and on the fells, it certainly has been a delight to enjoy this walk today. And with plenty of cloud shrouding the mountains, I'm confident we made the right decision to stay in the valleys rather than endure a high mountain walk.

Big thanks to Claire and John for great company and so many interesting stories.

Mark

#walks-starting-from-ambleside

Cascades above Colwith Force

#cathedral-quarry-lake-district

The amazing Cathedral quarry

Summer holidays in the Lake District!

15/8/2018

#cathedral-cavern-lake-district

Little Langdale slate quarries

Summer holidays are in full swing here in the Lakes and there's loads of folk from all over the world enjoying the splendid scenery, intricate history, and of course the fun activities and adventures these mountains and valleys offer. This is exactly what our National Parks are all about, giving us all some time and space to breath, enjoy, relax, and marvel at the amazing place we live in. Yes it's a little busy around town and the queue at the grocery store is bigger and slower than usual, but who cares. Visitors are the lifeblood of the Lake District, and it's absolutely fantastic to see so many of all nationalities, long may it remain :-)

The weather has also become more 'summer-like' - let's just say the rivers are looking well and the valleys green, you get the picture :-)

We haven't been so active with the blog due to being ever so busy - thanks to all that have been out with us.

We spent a day on Pillar Rock with Ian from Northern Ireland. With a poor forecast this was looking a bit uncertain, and the High Level Traverse brought it home that a summit bid wasn't on the cards. Too wet and slippery and probably too cold! A good mountain day still enjoyed and new terrain explored for Ian.

We welcomed back the Edmondson family for their 3rd year of activities with us. This time was abseiling at Cathedral quarry in Little Langdale, with all doing the BIG abseil too. And a slide down Stoneycroft Ghyll in the Newlands valley near Keswick.

Another gorge trip was enjoyed with the Ames family, and Stickle Ghyll in Langdale gave us the perfect venue yet again.

And another sunny day came along for a day of Rock Climbing with the McMahon family. Some amazing skills displayed today and loads of routes climbed, we most definitely climbed Scout crags to bits. Lost count of the number of routes!

At the weekend we had the pleasure of a day in the beautiful Esk Gorge with 2 couples. So a nice small team meant we were able to move swiftly through the jumps and pools, enjoy the scrambles and waterfalls and always keep moving, keeping warm. The day was sunny which definitely added the wow factor to the day, with sparkling water and vivid greens throughout the valley floor.

The following day we welcomed back father & daughter team Andrew & Amelie. This time for a mix of gorge and rock scramble. Stoneycroft Ghyll was first up, with Jackdaw Ridge on Shepherds crag following after a brew at Lodore farm cafe. A good day that turned out quite sunny, again.

The photo at the top of this blog post is of Cathedral quarry. That's where we went next, with the Woodbridge family. I have no idea how many times i've been to this quarry, but I never tire of the atmosphere, or its impressiveness, such an amazing place (and great for playing with the new camera). All wanted to abseil the BIG wall, so after a 'warm up' we walked over to the top of that massive wall of slate and down they went, overhangs and all. Top effort.
We rounded up this day with another trip into Stickle Ghyll. This time welcoming back the O'Brian family for lots of watery fun. Oh, and whilst all this was going on, Patrick (Paddy) Cave was out on Shepherds Crag in Borrowdale with Roddy from York. This was to be his initiation to outdoor rock and what a place for it. Enjoying 4 multi-pitch climbs in the stunning Borrowdale valley. Big thanks to Paddy for providing another great day.

It's been wonderful to see so many friendly faces returning for more fun activities and adventures with us. We really hope to see you all again on your next visit to the area.

That's all for now folks, thanks for reading

Mark

#gorge-scrambling-lake-district

The lower waterfalls of Stickle Ghyll

#rock-climbing-lake-district

Enjoying a sunny day of climbing in the Langdale valley

#lake-district-waterfalls

The waters of Stickle Ghyll, Langdale

Cathedral Quarry - The Big Abseil

14/5/2018

#abseilingatcathedralquarrylakedistrict

150ft vertical Abseil - no problem for the over 80's these days. Fantastic :-)

Today I had the pleasure and privilege of taking a group of U3A from Kendal for a massive Abseil at Cathedral quarry, Little Langdale.

The request was to do the most impressive and biggest abseil in the Lakes, and let's face it, this is it, there's no doubt.

Amongst the 8 adventurers, there were 3 over 80's and a fair number of first time abseilers. I knew from the telephone conversations beforehand, there would be nobody backing out of this. and nobody did, not even a hint of hesitation. Sometimes almost too eager!

We had the weather on our side, bright sunshine and warm air, with typically stunning views. The quarry was nice and quiet too, which helped add to the relaxed feel of the morning.

Once everyone had flown down the sheer cliff, we wrapped things up and headed back to Little Langdale for lunch at The Three Shires pub. Much laughter with a splash of 'post abseil' relief from some whilst lapping up the Lakeland sun.

Thanks to all who came along, especially Donald for organising it all.

I really do hope we see you all again for another adventure.

Mark

#abseilingnearambleside

U3A - Kendal - ready for some abseil action

Fun filled Family Adventure Day in Langdale

10/4/2017

Family-adventures-rock-climbing-lake-district

Learning new skills - how to tie in with a re-threaded 'figure of 8' knot.

The Easter holidays are here at last and yesterday was a busy day for us with Mark taking a big group ghyll scrambling in the morning whilst I ran one of our family adventure days for David Temkin and his sons, 11 year old Arieh and 10 year old Solly.

We spent a lovely sunny morning at Scout Crag in Great Langdale, just a short walk from the New Dungeon Ghyll and I was lucky to have Paddy Cave join me to help run the morning session (due to me being slightly out of action still from a recent wrist injury!). So, for a change I was free to take photos, watch the fun and enjoy the views! Arieh had climbed before on a climbing wall, but his father David and brother Solly were new to the activity. As well as climbing 3 routes they also learned how to tie into the rope and to belay. Arieh was able to put to test all that he had learnt on his recent trips to the indoor climbing wall in Manchester – tying on with a re-threaded figure of eight and belaying his climbing partner. David and Solly were also keen to learn and by the end of the morning, with Paddy on hand and keeping a watchful eye, they were all confident to belay each other.

We all returned to the Stickle Barn for a drink and some lunch on the picnic benches before saying goodbye to Paddy and meeting Mark who was to join us for the afternoon.

The afternoon was spent at Cathedral Quarry in nearby Little Langdale for an afternoon of abseiling and tunnel exploration. Whilst Mark set up the abseil we went into the huge cavern where Cathedral Quarry get its name. As often as I go I still always find it an awesome place to be – the sun streaming through the ‘window’ and the huge pillar supporting the enormous cavern. After a little bit of scrambling up rocks and watching people descending the ‘big’ abseil we donned our headtorches and went into the tunnels. Youngsters always love this bit of exploration in the dark and on request from Arieh and Solly we did the tunnels twice!

By the time we got back to Mark, he had the abseil all set up and ready for us. First down was Solly, then Arieh, followed by their father. On the first descent the boys were a little nervous to begin but not for long and by the time they reached the bottom they were already asking to do it again!

Thanks David, Arieh, Solly, Paddy and Mark for a super day out!

Kate

‘Thank you so very much for a wonderful day. Myself, Arieh and Solly enjoyed it so much and you were very kind, patient and attentive with us all. Thank you very much and our sincere thanks to Mark and Paddy whose company we all thoroughly enjoyed. We would recommend you highly and hope to see you again one day’.
David Temkin 9.4.17

If you’re interested in joining us on a Family Adventure Day or on any of our other activities please click here – we’d love to hear from you

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Abseiling at Cathedral quarry.

Family adventures in the Lake District

8/6/2016

family-adventure-day-lake-district

Having fun Rock scrambling on Pike O'Blisco

Last week was half term and with the sun shining every day, we had a very busy and enjoyable week. One popular activity we do is our Family Adventure Day. There are various options depending on the ages of the children, the weather and what our clients want out of the day.

Families who prefer less walking to the day can enjoy the valley option. We spend the morning in Langdale where you are spoilt with views of this popular and beautiful valley; the dramatic skyline of the Langdale Pikes always drawing your eyes to it. We do some fun rock-climbing, starting with easy climbs and testing yourselves on harder ones if you wish. We then head over to Cathedral quarry for a picnic lunch at a place which never ceases to amaze people – you walk through a dark tunnel and appear in a huge cavern, lit up with rays of sun pouring through the ‘window’. This man-made quarry gets its name ‘Cathedral’ from the huge pillar inside the cavern. As well as the caverns there are long, dark tunnels to explore, always good fun - one is 120m long so we take a torch! There is an abseil here too, just long enough for children but long enough to give a challenge.

family-adventure-day-lake-district

Pike O'Blisco Family Adventure Day - children enjoying searching out good rocks to scramble up.

Last week the weather was perfect for an adventurous day out in the mountains. So with two families – 3 adults and 5 children from 8 to 17 years old we drove up to the top of the Wrynose Pass and headed up Pike O’Blisco. We stayed off path for most of the day, scrambling over small rocky outcrops – for anyone not familiar with scrambling, in this case it is very easy rock-climbing on low level rocks, for which you don’t need a rope. Children of all ages love this and the joy of it is that you can choose your route, so it can be easy or a little harder, or you can simply walk around it.

We scrambled our way up the mountain until we reached the crag of Long Scar, seeing lots of interest on route - sheep and lambs (Herdwicks and Swaledales), plants including Sundew, one of only two insectivorous plants in the UK, and some fascinating rock formations.

Long Scar is a lovely climbing crag about 12m tall and here everyone enjoyed some rock-climbing on the end of a rope on either the ‘easy’ climb or the ‘hard’ climb for those who wanted to challenge themselves, or both! Here we enjoyed a well-earned picnic lunch whilst being treated to stunning of the Lake District fells including Wetherlam, Swirl How, Cold Pike and Crinkle Crags.

Everyone then fancied the idea of abseiling; some were worried because of previous experiences, however the slabs we use on Black Crag are not at all intimidating and perfect for ‘first timers’ and especially good for youngsters too. Everyone did it at least once and the children all came back for another turn. You also get to do some more easy climbing as it is quicker and far more enjoyable to climb back up to the top than to walk around.

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Theo, Georgia, Sarah, Thomas, Eric and Tristan all feeling happily challenged at the top of the abseil.

Time enjoyed always passes quickly and before we knew it was time to return to the cars. Here I left them as the adults were keen to finish their day by testing their driving skills over the famous Hardknott Pass, a single track, twisty road with a gradient of 1 in 3, the steepest road in England (along with Rosedale Chimney in North Yorkshire).

Thanks for a great day out Eric, Johnny, Sarah, Matt, Georgie, Tristan, Theo and Thomas!

Larger scale events in the Lakes

4/4/2016

Gorge scrambling

Last weekend we had the pleasure of welcoming back the young firefighters from Dumbarton. Great to see you all again.
A day of Rock Climbing & Gorge Scrambling was enjoyed despite some rather challenging weather. Sadly, due to flooding on the campsite, we weren't able to get out again on the Sunday. Hopefully next time!

By midweek, we were able to get out Scrambling on Tarn crag in Langdale. The rock was warm & dry making for a very pleasant afternoon with good friends and lots of chatting.
Thursday saw a move onto steeper terrain again. Firstly on the rocks of Copt Howe above Chapel Stile, working for our friends at Lakeland Ascents. Josh & Evie climbed about half a dozen routes each, top effort.
And for the evening, I met up with Kate at the Old Dungeon Ghyll and we headed up to Raven crag to climb the aptly named 'Evening Wall' - this route catches the sun right up until sundown, so perfect for last thing in the day.

On Friday & Saturday we were working flat out with larger groups. Firstly in Borrowdale for a mix of Gorge Scrambling in Honister ghyll & Abseiling at the Bowderstone.
Then on Saturday we had the pleasure of providing activities for Wirral rugby club. An overnight deluge of rain put a stop to the planned Gorge scramble, and instead we went exploring Cathedral quarry. Meanwhile Kate was Abseiling with Sergei & Polina at Hodge close quarry.

The weather has not be so kind this Easter, but despite this there has been much fun had and loads of activities enjoyed, in a thankfully busy Lake District.

As well as all the participants, a big thank you to: Kate, Paddy, Joe, and Kristina for all your help making this week fantastic.

Mark

Evening wall, Raven crag

Cathedral quarry

Busy Autumn Half Term

3/11/2014

Scafell Pike from Wasdale

Heidi, Rocco and Don on the summit of Scafell Pike.

Half term in the Lakes was a busy one for Mountain Journeys. Mark spent the week working with a group in Costa Blanca, whilst I ran activities back at home in the Lakes.

Monday was spent with Ken and his children Angus, Beth and Rosie, climbing at Copt Howe in the morning. It was a very wet and slippery experience but this didn't deter them and they all managed to do a few routes. We dried out at lunchtime in the Wainwright Inn and then headed over to Cathedral Quarry so that they could experience abseiling and also explore the tunnels via torchlight.

On Wednesday I guided Heidi and her son Rocco up Scafell Pike from Wasdale. We were treated to a stunning golden Autumn day with beautiful views all around. This was Rocco's first experience of mountain walking and he was very excited and proud to reach the summit. Don enjoyed himself too with lots of attention!

The following day was an orienteering/map and compass day for the Brady and Ridge families at Rydal. The children had fun finding places on the map and helping to walk Don, whilst the parents got to grips with a map and compass. Later on I took Justin, one of the Dad's, out climbing at Scout Crag in Langdale. He'd been out with Mark a couple of times before and was keen to do some more. It was quiet at the crag which meant we had the choice of the routes.

The week ended with an 'introduction to climbing' course for Lizzie and Charlie who were up from London for a couple of days to also do the Helvellyn Trail race. Again we headed to Scout Crag in Langdale so that they could experience climbing outdoors, having done a little on indoor walls in the past. We were able to do a number of routes until arms got tired!

Thanks to all for a great week. Kate