YMCA National Centre Lakeside

The YMCA National Centre Lancashire is set on a 400 acre on our beautiful private woodland estate on the shores of Lake Windermere where we host a huge range of experiences for on one of the largest outdoor activity centres in Europe.

At the core of everything we do our mission is to help people learn through self development and over 50 adventures on our fantastic site including:

• Canoeing
• Kayaking
• Canyoning
• Rafting
• Sailing
• Hiking
• Climbing
• Archery
• Caving
• Abseiling
• Orienteering
• Canopy

We literally have an adventure for everyone, offering experiences for youth groups, schools and corporate teambuilding activities, get in touch with the team at the YMCA National Centre Lancashire for a fantastic experience in the heart of the English Lake District.

From our location in the peaceful Lake Windermere we at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Canoeing can offer great paddling experiences on flat water and rivers alike.

We use open canoes that can be paddled by two or three people, they are stable and great fun to paddle as you have to work as a team to avoid travelling in circles all day!

From the flat waters of Lake Windermere providing a great place to learn canoeing skills to more advanced sessions on the moving waters of the beautiful rivers of Cumbria, we have a great range of paddling experiences in which we will include a great range of skill sessions and fun games to make your experience that much more fun.

No matter if this is your first time or you are looking to push your exploration and skill to the next level we hav a wealth of experience offering paddling adventures for school groups, young organizations and corporate outings and teambuilding events. For more information get in touch with us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Canoeing.

From our location in the peaceful Lake Windermere we at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Kayaking can offer great paddling experiences on flat water and rivers alike.

We use open canoes that can be paddled by two or three people, they are stable and great fun to paddle as you have to work as a team to avoid travelling in circles all day!

From the flat waters of Lake Windermere providing a great place to learn canoeing skills to more advanced sessions on the moving waters of the beautiful rivers of Cumbria, we have a great range of paddling experiences in which we will include a great range of skill sessions and fun games to make your experience that much more fun.

No matter if this is your first time or you are looking to push your exploration and skill to the next level we hav a wealth of experience offering paddling adventures for school groups, young organizations and corporate outings and teambuilding events. For more information get in touch with us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Kayaking.

Come and have a day of fun in the gorges of the Lake District with YMCA National Centre Lancashire Canyoning.

One of the few activities we offer offsite, transport will be necessary to bring your group to this beautiful location where you will spend the day climbing, wading, sliding and jumping through this wet and wild playground.

You will need to bring a change of clothes and a towel as there is a good chance you will get very wet and something nice to eat as this is a very active day of adventure.

Canyoning is very weather dependant and a change in water levels can see our plans changing at the last minute.

We will tailor your day to suit you and your groups level of ability so that everyone can enjoy this exciting and active experience, simply have a chat with us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Canyoning to plan your next school outing or corporate experience.

Come and join us on Lake Windermere for a day of paddling with a real difference at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Rafting.

Join our rafting days where you and your team will need to put your raft together before you can get out on the water on it! We will supply you with all the materials you need, watertight barrels. Wooden poles and lengths of cord to lash it all together, you will need to work together to figure out how best to put the pieces together and how to best distribute the weight in your draft. Once you are happy with the result you will be given helmets, paddles and buoyancy aids before you set off on a race or one a mission such as a rescue or recovering the key to the treasure on a deserted island.

We promise that we make the most of the nearly 50 acres of nature and resources, just to offer the best service and memorable adventures and experiences. We also provide accommodation for more than two hundred people, let us know if this option suits your requirements. 

And if you haven't worked as a team then you will definitely be swimming as one! A great fun day for youth groups and corporate events alike, contact us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Rafting for more information.

Sail across the surface of Lake Windermere and enjoy a day with the wind at your back with the team at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Sailing.

We offer sailing sessions for people of all levels of experience in our Picos and Bugs dinghies which seat two people and are perfect for al levels of sailor. Whether you feel more comfortable learning the ropes in one of the sheltered bays of Lake Windermere or you want to head out to more open waters and race against one another, our instructors will be on hands at all times to help you improve your skills ain our sailing vessels and have a fun and safe day on the water.

Everyone 8 years old and up can have a go making this a great experience for youth groups, schools and corporate events alike, have a chat with the team at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Sailing to find out more.

Join us for a tour of the fells where a great experience awaits you when you join the team at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Hiking.

Join our fully qualified and experienced outdoor instructors as we take you into the fells for a great hiking experience, we have several variations including our overnight experience where we combine a hiking experience with a range of outdoor skills such as setting up camp, building a fire and even preparing food that you have caught if you are so inclined!

We represent a lot of groups with the largest routes, the pacific lake recreate a romantic movie but the views work for brave people. It contributes for development as a human, as a individual decisions to make. We transport imagination to reality. Consider like a primordial point know the leaders and the coaches. 

We run these sessions for everyone 88 years old and up and will tailor the event to suit you and your group, this is a perfect experience for school groups, youth organisations and corporate events, simply have a chat with us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Hiking to plan your adventure.

Come along and enjoy a range of rock climbing experiences in Cumbria with YMCA National Centre Lancashire Climbing.

We offer indoor and outdoor climbing opportunities so that no matter the time of year we can enjoy this thrilling sport that is a great way to improve self confidence and fitness at the same time.

We have access to a great indoor climbing facility, a fantastic place to begin climbing and learn the techniques you will need prior to taking it out on the real thing while doing so in a controlled atmosphere.

If you feel comfortable with climbing we have 3 fantastic rock walls in the forest perfect for climbers of different levels of ability.

Our rock climbing experiences are a great day out for youth groups, schools and corporaete evnts alike. All you have to do is have a chat with us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Climbing and we will look after the rest.

This is a great sport that everyone can enjoy, come and find how why this sport has persisted for 4000 years for yourself at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Archery.

This is a great opportunity to get out in the outdoors and enjoy a day of fresh air as you learn a new skill. For our archery adventures we provide experienced instructors and modern easy to draw bows that that everyone 8 years and up and learn how to shoot straight and enjoy this popular pastime.

Once everyone is comfortable handling the bow and arrow and is hitting the target consistently we will move onto games and competitions where the real thrill of archery comes into play.

No matter if you have enjoyed archery before or not, everyone can have a go at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Archery.

Come and explore the famous Yorkshire Dales caving system with YMCA National Centre Lancashire Caving.

People from all over the country come to discover these beautiful naturally formed caves for themselves, and with good reason!

At all times you will be lead by our fully qualified and professional caving guides who have an intimate knowledge of the caving system, ensuring everyone remains safe and having fun. We will supply you a fleecy suit and an over suit to keep everyone warm and comfortable as well as minor's helmets and lamps so you can see this beautiful cave system as you delve underground in search of adventure.

The variety of caves means that we can offer an experience tailored to you and your group, so wheather you are planning a youth or school group or a corporate teambuilding event with a difference, contact us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Caving.

Enjoy the excitement of stepping off our man made abseiling tower or the beautiful Cathedral Quarry as you put yourself to the test with this amazing experience at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Abseiling.

Whatever option you choose, our fully qualified and professional abseiling instructors will secure you into your harness and the pulley belay system that acts as a back up, you have full control over how quickly you descend, the main challenge is moving past the natural fear of heights and trusting in your friends and the equipment keeping you safe as you walk and bounce down the vertical surface till your feet touch firm ground again.

The feeling of achievement needs to be experienced to be understood, and most want to climb back up and do it all over again; thankfully we also run a day of climbing combined with abseiling to make it that much more fun. All you need to do is get in touch with us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Abseiling to plan your next school outing or youth group experience.

Join the team at the YMCA National Centre Lancashire Canopy and take on our high ropes course set in the tree tops of our wooded estate.

Over this 3 hour adventure you will take on a range of elements that are designed to challenge you as an individual and as a group with elements such as the Cat Walk, the Inclined Log and the Punch ball, the Jacobs Ladder and the High All Aboard.

You will be harnessed in at all times to a pulley system so that if you miss a step you will fall at most a foot before your friends hoist you back up to try again. While we can have everyone from 8 years old and up participate, those that are timid and under the age of 14 may find the heights and challenges a bit too much.

We offer exciting experiences on our high ropes course for youth groups, school outings and corporate teambuilding events with a real difference. Get in touch with us at YMCA National Centre Lancashire Canopy to plan your adventure with us.