Outdoor Activities
LATEST NEWS: we have a new Activities Store and Training Centre
Glaramara Outdoor Centre is ideally located to offer a wide variety of outdoor adventures, giving you fantastic opportunities to discover and explore the real English Lake District. Activities are designed for all age ranges and abilities: for individuals, groups or families. You can concentrate on one activity for half a day or a full day session, or you can choose to experience two activities over a full day. You will be coached and encouraged throughout your time with us by our team of highly qualified and experienced instructors. All specialist and safety equipment is provided and issued to you from our well equipped store.
Ghyll Scrambling Video
Via Ferrata Video
Instructor Profiles
Ian Boorman
Ian Boorman has been working at Glaramara for over seven years, the past four of which he has been our activities manager. In this time Ian has developed all the new skills courses on offer at the centre, including gaining providership from the MLTUK to offer Mountain Leader Training courses and the Single Pitch Award.
Ian is a keen and active climber and mountaineer with over 20 years experience; having climbed all over the UK, Europe, America and India. Ian climbs to a very high standard in both traditional and sports climbing. Ian is also a very accomplished skier and last year was asked to be part of an instructional video (Off pieste Esssentials) put together by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and Plas y Brenin (The National Mountain Centre).
Ian holds the UK’s highest mountaineering qualification the MIC, as well as having a BSc in Outdoor Education. Ian is passionate about the importance of outdoor education and continues to develop new and interesting courses for all our clients.
Dan Platt
Dan Platt grew up in Cheltenham and later moved to North Wales, completing a Diploma in Outdoor Leadership at St David’s College. Dan has worked in a wide range of Outdoor Centres , throughout, England for the last nine years.
Having moved to Cumbria in 2005, Dan worked as a Senior Instructor and a Freelance Outdoor Pursuits Instructor, before starting at Glaramara.
Dan has been pursuing his interests in Climbing and Mountaineering since his school days. He has been on expeditions, both rock climbing and Trekking, throughout Europe, the Nepalese Himalaya, the Andes, New Zealand, Thailand and Malawi.
Dan has completed his Single Pitch Award, Summer Mountain Leader and is working towards getting his Mountain Instructor Award.
As well as his interests in Mountaineering, Dan is also keen paddler. He has paddled the rivers and coast throughout England and Scotland and has completed two major canoe expeditions with Lucy Woods (also an instructor at Glaramara); After building their own Canadian plywood canoes, Dan and a group of Peers spent two months on the waters of both Lake Malawi and the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
Lucy Woods
Lucy Woods grew up in Somerset and, whilst at College, started climbing throughout Cornwall, Dartmoor, North Wales and Swanage.
After completing an English Language degree at The University of Central Lancashire, Lucy started pursuing a career as an Outdoor Pursuits Instructor. Having based herself in Keswick eight years ago, She has worked as a Seasonal Instructor, Freelance Outdoor Pursuits Instructor and as a Centre Manager at a Keswick based Marina/Outdoor Centre. Lucy started working for Glaramara in April 2008.
Lucy has been climbing and trekking throughout Europe, Malawi, New Zealand and, most recently, Thailand. She has also done mixed winter routes in Scotland and has been climbing in the French Alps, Al Froid. She holds qualifications in her Single Pitch Award, Summer Mountain Leader and is working towards her Mountain Instructor Award.
As well as a long-held enthusiasm for Mountaineering, Lucy is a keen paddler and has completed three major expeditions on the Orange River-South Africa, Lake Malawi and the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. All three of these expeditions were for a duration of three months and included the building of a fleet of plywood Canadian Canoes.
Simon May
Simon May joined Glaramara in 2004 and is an enthusiastic, lively member of the team. He is a keen, qualified Mountaineer and holds the Single-pitch Climbing Award, the Mountain Leader Award and has completed the Mountain Instructor Award Training. Simon often spends his days off climbing on the mountain crags that surround the centre.
Alongside climbing, Simon is also found hitting the trails hard on his mountain bike. For 2009, Simon will be competing in various downhill mountain biking events in the UK and Europe.
As a qualified Mountain Bike Leader, Simon has run many successful skills courses and has guided clients around Cumbria for Glaramara. Customers have commented that his experience and passion for the sport is invaluable.
(pictures: Simon climbing on Innominate Crack, Great Gable, and racing in the Scottish downhill championships at Pitfichie)
Tom Ambrose
Tom Ambrose grew up in Somerset. After completing an HND in Outdoor Education at The University of Central Lancashire (now University of Cumbria), Tom pursued a career as an Outdoor Pursuits Instructor. Having based himself in Keswick eight years ago, he worked as a Seasonal Instructor for several years before joining Glaramara in 2005.
Tom has been climbing and trekking throughout Europe, New Zealand and, most recently, the Alps. He holds a Single Pitch Award, Summer Mountain Leader and is working towards his Mountain Instructor Award.
As well as a long-held enthusiasm for Mountaineering, Tom is a keen mountain biker having completed his Trail Cycle Leader Award and is working towards his Mountain Bike Leader. He spends his spare time testing himself on trails throughout the UK.
Chris Walker
Chris Walker, originally born and bred in the North of England, has lived and worked in many of the U.K’s climbing hot-spots gaining a wide experience of mountaineering throughout Britain. He has climbed extensively throughout Europe with many classic Alpine ascents to his C.V.
Chris has led expeditions all over the globe to Nepal, India, Pakistan, Tibet, Russia and South America, including successful trips to Aconcagua(6962m), Ama Dablam(6856m), Island Peak(6189m), Lobuche East(6090m), Mera Peak(6476m), Elbrus(5642m) and Baruntse(7220m). Chris holds the Mountain Instructor Certificate (M.I.C), Britain’s highest mountaineering qualification.
Guy Lee
Guy Lee is our technical advisor with many years experience in outdoor education. During the 1980’s, Guy was a secondary school teacher specialising in Geography and Outdoor Education. Thereafter he was Operations Manager at Cumbria Outdoors for 5 years before setting up his own Company, Adventure Experience. He possesses both a Mountain Instructor Certificate and a Mountain First Aid Certificate and until 2007 was an ML and SPA Trainer and Assessor. He also boats a Caving Instructors Certificate. Climbing and caving have played a large part of his professional and social life with 49 world wide expeditions in climbing (including Hindu Kush, Patagonia, Baffin Island, the Himalayas with 36 Alpine seasons). His caving exploits have included Gouffre Berger, Picos de Europa and Covntosa & Torca Tonio).
