Date posted 10 Mar 2020
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Who are we?

 

Ghyll Head, Manchester City Council's, Outdoor Education Centre, based in the heart of the Lake District National Park is a fantastic location and environment to experience the great outdoors.

 

Our inspirational outdoor courses not only deliver one of the most memorable experiences of a young person’s life, they also boost the curriculum, key stage learning, and student development.

The outdoor learning staff are highly competent in the activities they instruct. Our experienced and trained instructors are skilled at finding the right pace and tone in working with a group and enabling students to be secure and safe with their outdoor experience.

 

Our friendly team of experienced qualified professionals ensure that everyone has a safe and fun, action-packed adventure, whether you book for a full week, a weekend or a day session.

 

Who do we cater for?

 

Schools, Academies and Youth Group Visits

Join us for a residential or day visit and we will use your learning objectives to plan a programme suited to your needs; giving you the opportunity to enrich your curriculum and link outdoor experiences to key stage learning and pupil development. Courses are fully accessible offering an exciting and valuable learning experience for all students.

Weekend stays suit a range of client groups from schools, youth clubs, community groups and even staff groups and your stay can be extended to Monday morning.

Experience the full outdoor education experience and join us for the full week (four nights or more). That way groups form good relationships and there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to develop and refine strategies and skills to improve performance. If a full week isn’t what you’re looking for, a split week might be; this means your organisation is with us for the whole week but during that time you escort two groups for either two or three nights each, a great option for any school group and suitable for younger pupils or those with additional needs.

Accessible for All Students

Ghyll Head is an IOL Adventure for All centre that is an inclusive and accessible provision serving a wide and varied range of students. Our bungalow is fully equipped with profiling bed, hoist, large wet room and open plan feel. Our main house ground floor is level access so that students can eat and have social time together. We have fabulous boathouse facilities on the lake, accessible sailing boats, canoes, hoist, changing room.

Students can abseil and zip wire with adapted equipment; and we have wheelchair-friendly trails around the grounds and provide three-wheeler rough riders and power chairs. Off- site we can explore the tunnels at Cathedral quarry or visit a real cave in Yorkshire. We have a “can do” attitude and we believe the only limit should be your imagination. We work with many special schools, youth organisations and charities, resourced provision schools and Pru Units and have run expeditions in Scotland and the Lakes with these groups.

Not just for kids

Team building really does challenge thinking and bring people together, building trust and improving team outcomes and performance. We work with adult groups using creative and challenging activities to support group development. Working together you will learn new skills, challenge behaviours, build friendships and explore alternative approaches.

Team-building is an important part of any staff development programme and engaging in interactive, fun and inclusive experiences is a great way to bring your team together. Informal and more formal classroom spaces are available, allowing you to make the most of your time with us between fun activities on land or lake.

 

Meet the team

 

Julie Cunningham (Head of Ghyll Head)

 

Julie has worked in the outdoor industry for 25 years. Having worked in secondary education, she brought the passion, enthusiasm and experience to the centre. Julie now jointly Head’s up the Centre overseeing the outdoor provision. She has a strong ethos on inclusion ensuring the centre is accessible for all.

 

Rob Humphries (Ghyll Head Instructor)

 

Rob has worked in the Outdoor Industry since 1996, and strongly believes that the challenges presented by Outdoor Activities promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, physical and social development of students. He is a keen climber and can be found exploring the Lakeland Mountains.

 

FAQs

 

Do you cater for special diets?  

With enough warning we can cater for most diets; vegetarian, halal, allergies etc. Please let the kitchen know ahead of time to allow us to prepare.

 

Do you supply waterproof clothing?  

Yes, we supply waterproof jackets and trousers to all our course participants. Sizes range from Junior XS to Adult XXL.

 

Do you have boots/wellies in X size?  

Our boots and wellies range from UK13 Junior to UK 12 Adult.

 

Will there be any other groups staying in our accommodation with us? 

No, you have exclusive access to your accommodation building. You don’t have to worry about other school’s students keeping you awake at night.

 

Do you have to be a swimmer to take part in lake based activities?  

No, all participant’s wear a buoyancy aid regardless of being able to swim or not. If you inform your instructor that you are not confident in the water, they can take this into account when running the session.

 

Are towels provided? 

We don’t provide towels or toiletries.

 

Do you offer self-catered options? 

Yes, the Bungalow can be taken as a self-catered option. Depending on the time of year we also occasionally let out the Main house on a self-catered basis.

 

Can I bring my family and friends to the Centre or is it only for school groups?  

Both of our residential facilities can be booked for family and friends courses.

 

Is your facility wheelchair-friendly?  

Our Bungalow and Boathouse is fully accessible. We also have a wide range of adapted activities that allow our wheelchair using guests to have an amazing adventurous course.

 

Do you hold an AALA licence?  

Yes we hold an AALA licence. Our license number is L13215.

 

Is transport to the Centre provided?  

No, you will need to arrange your own transport to the Centre. If you are travelling from Manchester, we are happy to suggest travel companies who we know bring groups to the Centre. If you are booking a midweek 2 night course it is also worth considering contacting the school booked in for the other half of the week, as you may be able to share transport costs.