Homegrown multi activity adventure

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on local communities and livelihoods, we’re keen to promote adventures on home ground particularly to help support the local tourism industry here whilst also giving you the chance to get out and explore our incredible Lake District landscapes in a safe and fun manner.

This multi activity has been designed to deliver an amazing experience and showcase the some of the most stunning landscapes across the Lake District whilst also giving you the chance to step out of your comfort zone and gain a greater understanding of the mountains, local environment and local communities. Plus you can experience different activities, learn new skills and traverse across the Lake District under your own power with bikes, boots & boats.

We’ve crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of The Lake District Challenge, and plant or protect enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.

What’s the number?
It works out on average at 20kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, leaders, crew and office operations.

The only thing not included is travel to the Lake District. Given that our beloved guests travel from all parts of the UK for this adventure we have no way of reliably knowing their travel plans therefore we’re unable to include an individual number in the figure on display here.

What does the number mean?
To give you a snapshot of the numbers:

• Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you).
• A return economy class flight London – New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
• 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air over a period of 5 – 10 years.

What are we doing about it?
Our adventures are relatively low-carbon by design, and we’re working to develop long term carbon reduction plan. Following much research into climate change organisations, we carefully selected to support the environmental charity, Cool Earth. They’re a sustainable operation and work with rainforest communities across the globe to halt deforestation and it’s impact on climate change. We invest 1% of our revenue into supporting critical conservation projects world-wild with Cool Earth.

On a local level in the UK, we’re an ongoing business member of the Snowdonia Society, plus Jim and Sue, together with some of our local leaders, also help the Society with their local projects such as planting native trees in Snowdonia. This is to help preserve the landscape and enhance wildlife habitat here in Snowdonia.

Want to know more?
We believe that with great travel, comes even greater responsibility. Tourism is one of the most important and largest industries on the planet. It employs more people worldwide than any other, with millions of families relying on tourism for their daily needs. At Adventurous Ewe we believe that our type of small scale, positive impact tourism can bring benefits to many communities, help preserve the environments we travel to see, and provide real and positive social exchanges. Here is our plan to do our part towards helping reduce factors that we can contributing to climate change as part of Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency.

On booking your Lake District Challenge, you’ll receive all the exciting event info via our free mobile travel app.

You’ll have access to your itinerary, trip countdown, live updates, contact info, weather forecasts, know before you go trip info, kit lists and much more at the touch of a button 24 hours a day via your mobile phone. No more unnecessary use of reams of paper to benefit the environment and the need of carrying around documents with you. A’ppy days.

With being a small family business we pride ourselves with providing personal, professional and friendly service for your Lake District Challenge. We appreciate that everyone has different levels of experience and reasons for wishing to embark on this adventure and therefore require varying levels of support and guidance. We’re here to help you every step of the way from the moment you join the flock all the way through to completing the challenge and beyond. Jim and Sue’s knowledge and expertise stems from dozens of years of travelling and exploring the UK in order to fully support you in the lead up to your adventure.

Having hosted this fantastic adventure on numerous occasions, both Jim & Sue are well placed to answer any of your questions, no matter how big or small. 

Adventurous Ewe puts the safety and well-being of you, our leaders & crew and the communities we visit at the centre of all our operations, always. Your safety and well-being is our top priority.

The Lake District Challenge is intentionally a challenging adventure which is designed to take you out of your every-day comfort zone and achieve something great. Rest assured we have a thorough Safety Management System, indepth risk assessments and risk management systems in place. 

For more info, please visit our Safety and Well-being page. 

You’ll be accompanied by certified Adventurous Ewe Leaders and Crew for each activity of your Lake District Challenge. Our Leaders are first aid qualified and have extensive experience in leading biking, hiking and kayaking events in the UK. They will be ultimately responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group. Leaders and Crew will carrying full safety equipment and first aid kits with them at all times. Please note, these kits are for emergencies only so please come prepared with your own personal first aid items. The Leaders and Crew will also be in constant radio communication with the vehicle drivers and base throughout your event.

We pride ourselves in small group travel to minimise the impact on the environment, to maximise your safety and wellbeing and to make your experience more authentic.

The minimum group size for this challenge to run is 10 people and the maximum group size is 40 people.

You’re most welcome to join this adventure as a group of family, friends, colleagues, a private group or as a solo adventurer.

Private groups

If you have a group of over 10 people, we would be more than happy to run a private event for your team, your family and/or friends, your charity or your company.

For any further info or to chat about running a bespoke event, we’d love to hear from you at info@adventurousewe.co.uk or call 01492 588 069.  

The Lake District Challenge is a team event and is not designed to be individual competitive race. You will be taking part in teams of between 10 people with a dedicated Leader for each leg. We encourage team spirit and support of each other to ensure everyone has the best opportunity to complete the challenge and enjoy the journey along the way too. This event is a fantastic way to meet like-minded people and share an incredible adventure whilst being accompanied and supported by friendly and experienced Adventurous Ewe Leaders and Crew.

This Lake District Challenge is graded as a ‘Medium’ challenge and an ideal introduction to multi-activity events. Preparation is key to help you get the most enjoyment and reward from this adventure. A good level of fitness is required.  During the cycling leg you will be travelling on roads and forest cycle trails on a mountain bike. You do not need to have previous mountain biking experience for these trails though please note, there are some challenging hill climbs and gravel sections. For the kayak section you do not need any previous paddling experience. You will receive a full kayak brief and instruction and have the chance to practice your new skills prior to starting your paddling journey. For trekking the Old Man of Coniston, a good level of fitness will really help you tackle some of the steeper slopes. The terrain is rough and rocky in parts.

A training programme will be provided. It’s a fantastic challenge and the sense of achievement is huge on completion of this epic one day adventure in the heart of the Lake District.

A bespoke training programme will be provided when join the team for this adventure to help you with your preparations.

We also have exclusive offers with our Training Partners and Communities – Her Spirit and the Bath Kettlebell Society. For more info, please visit our Training and Preparation page.

The more you are prepared, the more you will enjoy the challenge.

Our motto is: Train hard, smile harder and enjoy the journey!

A full kit list will be provided when you sign up for The Lake District Challenge. Good kit can make the difference between a fantastic event and an uncomfortable one.

Bikes, helmets, double sit-on-top kayaks, paddles & buoyancy aids are provided. Rest assured any equipment that we supply will be hygienically cleaned and sanitised.

Exclusive discount codes for independent UK outdoor retailers Joe Brown / The Climber’s Shop will also be provided on registering.

To help you get the very best from your Lake District Challenge we will provide you with an exclusive Adventurous Ewe discount code to use in independent Joe Brown / The Climbers Shop both online and in store. They offer a large choice of kit that the staff themselves use while climbing, hiking, mountaineering, running, travelling or enjoying expeditions across the globe and they pride themselves on sharing their experience and knowledge of equipment so you can choose the right gear to suit you and this adventure.

The weather in The Lake District can change rapidly so it is essential that you are prepared for all conditions including rain, wind and heat. In the week leading up to your trip we recommend checking the Mountain Weather Information Service. You will also receive weather updates via our mobile travel app.

Please note, the Leader/s reserve the right to change the itinerary at any time should the conditions require it as your safety and wellbeing is our top priority at all times.  In these circumstances we will make the best alternative arrangements possible that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.

There is no accommodation provided on The Lake District Challenge to give you the flexibility of booking a suitable accommodation place where you feel most comfortable and within your budget. A list of camping, hostel, B&B and hotel details will be provided upon registration. 

You will need to make your own way to the event start point for the Lake District Challenge. The closest train station is Windermere and there are trains available from London Euston. The start and finish point of the event will be in Coniston. Further information will be provided once you have booked onto this challenge.

Your adventure includes a packed lunch of local produce and checkpoint snacks and drinks. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know when booking on to this trip. 

Please bring your own water bottles or camelbaks/platypus (or similar) and flasks (if you wish to take a hot drink during your challenge) and pre-fill in your accommodation place and then re-fill at the checkpoints to avoid the need of purchasing plastic water bottles.

The impact of single use plastic is having on our landscape, wildlife and oceans, it is now more important than ever that we all make changes in order to help our planet. We may not be a huge global company but we’re passionate about playing our part and trying to make a huge difference collectively. Together we can dramatically reduce our consumption of single use plastics and support our responsible travel ethos of ‘Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but boot-prints, keep nothing but memories.’

You can make a difference too with taking part in the Lake District Challenge and purchasing one of these environmentally friendly reusable alternative bottles compared to single-use plastic water bottles. Grab a Water-to-Go bottle through Adventurous Ewe and receive a 15% discount. Even better, Water-to-Go will donate a further 15% to our charity partner, Cool Earth. For more info please click here or email us at info@adventurousewe.co.uk to buy your Water-To-Go bottle.

There will be toilet facilities at the event base however if nature call when you’re on the trek, you will be limited to the great outdoors. Therefore, please be prepared with biodegradable waste bags (dog poop bags are ideal) and biodegradable loo paper and leave no trace of your paper items. 

Deposit: £45 per person payable on booking.

Remaining balance: of £130 per person is due for payment no later than 4 weeks prior to the event start date.

Book & Travel with Confidence

As well as carefully crafting amazing and meaningful adventures across the planet, we’ve made booking them as flexible, safe and as simple as possible. 

For the latest info regarding booking and travelling with Adventurous Ewe, please visit our website.

Fundraising
You’re welcome to fundraise for a charity of your choice if you wish to do so. All sponsorship monies are to be sent directly to your chosen charity.

As well as carefully crafting amazing and meaningful adventures across the planet, we’ve made booking them as flexible, safe and as simple as possible. With the ongoing impact of COVID-19, we’ve made a number of updates to our safety guidelines, flexible booking conditions and trip departures. For more info, please our Book and Travel with Confidence page. 

Adventurous Ewe Financial Guarantee

Any monies paid to Adventurous Ewe for a trip are immediately placed into a Trust account and not used for the day-to-day operations of the company. So, in the unlikely event of our insolvency, money paid in respect of future travel will be refunded, in full. This pledge has been honoured since the foundation of Adventurous Ewe in 2007. No client has suffered financial loss outside our T&C’s whilst travelling with us.

Financial security

Rest assured, your money is safe in any and all circumstances. There has been and always will be full financial protection on your booking. If your adventure needs to be cancelled for any reason, like say a global pandemic, you won’t be left stuck and you’ll be offered plenty of alternative options thanks to our financial protection through our insurance with Towergate Travel through Zurich Insurance PLC. What’s more, in the very unlikely event of Adventurous Ewe going under, you’ll get your money back and be repatriated if you were on a trip at the time.

All your trip info will be sent to you through our mobile travel app which is free to download. You will receive an email from Adventurous Ewe with your personalised log in code for this app.

For the latest and greatest from the land of adventures, simply follow us at:
Facebook: @adventurousewe
Instagram: @adventurousewe
Twitter: @adventurousewe
Youtube: Adventurous Ewe
LinkedIn: Adventurous-Ewe-Ltd

You’re most welcome to use the hashtags
#ewecandoit #thisflockrock #adventurousewe

Your Adventurous Ewe Leader/s and Crew will have a mobile phones and radios communications in case of emergencies. The team are trained to deal with these situations. Please ensure you listen to your Leader during these times and refrain from putting any posts on social media during this time. Should you find yourself unable to continue with the trek, your Leader and crew will make the necessary arrangements. Depending on the situation, you will be met by the support vehicle (depending on access) and you will be transferred back to your accommodation or nearby medical facility as required. Your Emergency Contact at Adventurous Ewe HQ is Jim Young on 07747 346 588.

We are very excited to have teamed up with leading climate change charity Cool Earth, who share our mission to protect the planet’s precious environment in a sustainable manner. The future of rainforest protection is where everyone makes a difference to climate change! We invest a % of our revenue into supporting critical conservation projects around the world through Cool Earth. You are most welcome to help make a difference too by sparing a few pennies. Please give what you can and help save the world’s rainforests today by clicking here. Just £2.50 will save 10 trees and lock up 10 tonnes of CO2. Together, we can all make a difference in helping preserve this precious and wonderful planet. Thank-ewe.