But there’s a lot of variation within the sport. The intensity of the experience can be affected by the weather and season, the length of time you spend in the water, the equipment and techniques needed to navigate the canyon and, finally, your choice. If you can decide where to go and which obstacles to tackle and which to avoid, the experience is as easy or difficult as you want it to be.
One clue to the difficulty of an experience of this type can be found in the way it’s advertised. For more about that, see our article about the differences between gorge walking and canyoning.
EASY AND FAMILY FRIENDLY
As with any new sport, getting into canyoning can be daunting. The idea of spending time in fast-flowing water, surrounded by rocks and boulders might make you think twice. That’s fine, but take our word for it that the rewards are worth it. In addition, many outdoor guides run canyoning experiences that don’t require huge physical excursions or nerves of steel, making them great for novices. These can also be terrific activities for children, giving them a way to explore a place that you wouldn’t usually want them to safely.
One of the most accessible canyoning adventures on our platform takes place in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria. It’s listed as a ghyll scrambling experience, which is a local term for canyoning or gorge walking, and takes you on an ascent of Honister Ghyll. The route is complete with manageable rock climbing sections, optional cliff jumps into deep pools and places to rest along the way. It’s a great option for families with children as young as 6 years old!
STANDARD CANYONING
The majority of canyoning experiences on offer in the UK are a bit more challenging than the Honister Ghyll ascent. Browsing our directory, you’ll see that a lot of the excursions offered by outdoor adventure companies place a minimum age of 10, 12 or 14 years on participation. What makes them more challenging? They might be longer, involve bigger clubs and drops, involve techniques such as abseiling, take place in faster flowing or colder water or any combination of these.
One of the most popular canyoning destinations in the country is Perth and Kinross in northeast Scotland. There are excellent locations that are suitable for adventurous beginners or experienced canyoning practitioners in search of new experiences. We recommend the Falls of Acharn, where a narrow creek opens out into a 25-metre waterfall which you have to abseil down.
EXTREME ADVENTURES FOR PROS
Once you’ve had a go at a few canyoning routes, you’ll probably want to start to push the limits of the sport. You’re in luck, outdoor adventure guides have come up with some excursions that should only be attempted by seasoned adventurers who are ready for anything. These are some of the best around the country:
- The Grey Mare’s Tail: In the Highland region of Scotland, in the legendary landscape of Glen Coe, there’s a full-day adventure that involves scaling a sheer valley wall on the only via ferrata in Scotland before plunging into the white water of a stream and following it over the lip of the waterfall.
- The Devil’s Canyon: The clue’s in the name of this Lake District canyon. Navigating the route is another full-day excursion, involving tight squeezes, tricky climbs and fast-flowing water. But there’s a treat at the end - a zip line that sees you whizz over a waterfall and into a deep plunge pool.
- Ffestiniog: This is the most challenging commercial canyon in Snowdonia National Park, Gwynedd. The stakes are high, because once you get into the canyon and start following the current, it’s hard to get out until you reach the very end.
As you can see, a canyon can be anything from a natural playground to the power shower from hell. And, given the chaotic nature of water and rock, those descriptions can be applied to the same places. Take the example of Bruar Water in Perth and Kinross, where three separate routes, in close proximity to one another, are considered apt for beginners, intermediate and expert canyoneers. Have you tried one of them before? Are you looking for the perfect place for your first canyoning or gorge walking experience? Let us know in the comments!
