Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre

Located in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre is a great place for students and adults from all places to come and learn about nature and participate in some great activities.

Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre has many activities that you can choose from in your time there;

• Orienteering – Learn navigational skills.
• Sailing – Work together as a team to sail a boat.
• Mountain Biking – Enjoy the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Climbing -  A great way to gain confidence.
• Hiking – A pleasant way to enjoy the nature around you.
• Abseiling – A fun and thrilling activity for everyone.
• Rafting – Work on communication and team building while having fun.
• Canyoning – An exciting activity that will be enjoyed by everyone.
• Canoeing – A fun way to get out on the water.
• Kayaking – Another fun water activity.

Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre has two possible venues for this activity and can adapt the course to suit the age level, skills and knowledge of the group completing the activity, as well as the time of year. Both locations are beautiful – One a limestone gorge and the other a gritston ghyll.

• Howstean Gorge – Rock scrambling, exploration of some small caves and a big abseil into the Gorge off the bridge.
• Blayshaw Ghyll – Scramble up and down rocks, slide down watershoots and maybe even do a big jump into deep water.

While doing the activity, groups are encouraged to explore the surrounding environment and asses and minimise any risks that they identify, promotion self confidence.  Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre provides all the equipment need during the activity.

Canoeing courses at Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre, located in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are run by qualified British Canoe Union Coaches. With two fleets of open canoes, all equipment is provided by Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre. You can canoe in;

• The swimming pool from May to October for introductory sessions and rolling clinics.
• The local lake for half day sessions.
• In the river or canal for full day trips with a BBQ in the summer.
• The sea – white water canoeing is also available for a full day trip.

Equipment provided by the Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre include wetsuit, cag, buoyancy aid, paddle and more. You are advised to get dressed to get wet! Canoeing is great fun for everyone who participates and works well for school groups and adults alike.

Kayaking courses at Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre, located in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are run by qualified British Canoe Union Coaches. With a fleet of modern Kayaks, all equipment is provided by Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre. You can kayak on;

• The local lake for half day sessions.
• In the river or canal for full day trips.
• The sea – white water kayaking and kayak surfing is also available for a full day trip.

Equipment provided by the Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre include wetsuit, cag, buoyancy aid, paddle and more. You are advised to get dressed to get wet! Kayaking is great fun for everyone who participates and works well for school groups and adults alike.

At Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre there are many opportunities to work on team building  and communication skills of your group. Raft building is a great activity to do this with. Working in small teams, and using many different types of material, the groups build a raft using team work with the aim of getting the raft to hold them all out on the lake.

Depending on the age group and skill level of the group, help is given to ensure that the group succeeds. This activity can be used in aspects of Design and Technology from the school curriculum.

A Canadian canoe activity is also available, where teams make a catamaran which needs to stay together while being paddled by the group.  This activity is great for all ages and everyone will have fun watching and participating in this activity.

Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre is an RYA approved sailing school, and can teach students how to sail on two types of craft.

Small Groups – Learn on the Comet trio, which is a large stable dinghy that is suitable for both novice and more advanced sailors. Learning how to sail gives people a great sense of achievement, and helps in building team work and communication.

Solo – Learn on the toppers, which are great for beginners. Also great for people who have a little experience in sailing. The toppers are normally used in warmer weather as people using them usually get wet!

All the sailing activities are supervised and normally take place from Easter to October. All equipment is provided for by Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre.

Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre can design specialist courses for your groups needs and skill levels. Mountain Biking around Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre, located in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is great fun for everyone and promotes fitness and being healthy.

There are a variety of woodlands that surround Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre with many different types of trees for you to view along the way. There is also an interestin limestone gorge near the Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre that can be visited.  Some of the other places that can be visited are;

• Foster Beck Watermill – An old working flax mill turned into a public house.
• Ramsgill Village -  A small Dale´s village.
• Scar Dam Road – View old railway lines, waterfall erosion and more.

At Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre there are many opportunities to use the local crags for both a half or full day of outdoor rock climbing. Specialist rock climbing footwear is available, as well as the typical safety equipment such as the harness, helmet and ropes.

Activities during outdoor rock climbing can include more responsibility, by having another member of the group safeguarding their team mates by belaying them. Groups can also visit other places to experience different rock types, or longer and more challenging climbs.

Climbing can be combined with an Abseiling activity, as well as with rock scrambling and bouldering.

Climbing is great for people, increasing communication and team work skills, while giving people a sense of achievement.

At Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre there are many opportunities to use the local crags for both a half or full day of abseiling. Specialist rock climbing footwear is available, as well as the typical safety equipment such as the harness, helmet and ropes.

Activities during abseiling can include more responsibility, by having another member of the group safeguarding their team mates by belaying them. Groups can also visit other places to experience different rock types, or longer and more challenging abseils.

Abseiling can be combined with a climbing activity, as well as with rock scrambling and bouldering.

Abseiling is great for people, increasing communication and team work skills, while giving people a sense of achievement.

Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre has dozens of walks that are available.

• Half day walks are often self led by groups, with resource materials available.
• Full day walks are also available, and are led by centre staff, and can include navigational challenges.
• Task days are also a fun choice for older groups, with task oriented exercises.
• Camping is available within Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre as well as surrounding locations.

Walking boots, maps, compasses, rucksacks and waterproofs are supplied by Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre. Some other walks that you can take are;

• Yorke´s Folly – A half day walk which can be done as a ‘treasure hunt’.
• Fosse Gill – walk along the stream from the source to the river it meets with.
• Guisecliff – A circular walk lasting all day with amazing views.

Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre has both a high ropes course as well as a low ropes course. Adaptable for all ages, these courses promote teamwork and communication, as well as give people self confidence in themselves.

The high ropes course at Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre is a recent addition, and involves a number of high rope challenges. They are;

• All Aboard – Working together, four people must climb to the top of a pole. Great for supporting each other and giving everyone a sense on achievement.
• Leap of Faith – Climb to the top of a platform, then jump!
• Jacobs Ladder – Work together as a team to climb up a ladder of logs, with each step, the gap gets bigger and bigger – a great team building exercise.