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At Cumbria Outdoors we understand that one size doesn't always fit, and the increasing pressure on budgets. From your first point of contact right through to delivery, our experienced team of administrators, housekeepers and outdoor education leaders will look after you and ensure your experience is personal to everyone in your group, from meal choices to bedrooms, activities to transport, we've got it covered! 

Situated in The Lake District; a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, we have three operational centres, superbly located on the shores of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake, surrounded by the northern fells.  If you are looking as a school or organised group, family or adult group we have something to offer everyone.  We cater for all budgets too, both our residential centres of Hawse End Centre and Hawse End Cottage can be hired as self-catering or catered accommodation, and for those wanting to really get close to nature we offer sole occupancy camping at Scarness Campsite. 

We have a varied range of high-quality exciting activities, all led by our qualified and experienced outdoor education leaders.  Based at Hawse End Centre and Hawse End Cottage situated on the shores of Derwentwater, and Scarness Campsite situated on Bassenthwaite Lake, we have easy access for all our water activities.  We are also surrounded by Cumbria's stunning fells, crags and ghylls, for mountain walking, rock climbing, abseiling, and ghyll scrambling.  All our sites have their own extensive grounds for our on-site activities, so there really is a lot to choose from!

From living history to Key Stage One activities, skill accreditation and adventure activity breaks we offer a range of bespoke and off the shelf experiences. The great thing about our outdoor activities is that they can be delivered as part of a day or residential experience or combined with some of our long-term courses.  Forest School, Big Walks, The John Muir Award, and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award all use the activities in a specific way to encourage personal development and promote a deeper connection to nature and the world around us. 

Develop the experience of outdoor activities by staying with us! Whether you are an education, DofE, adult or family group, a residential gives you more time to do activities, socialise and eat meals together. Hawse End Centre and Hawse End Cottage are an ideal base for large groups, Scarness Campsite is great for DofE 

We're not just for schools! We offer an extensive range of adventurous, exciting, and challenging outdoor experiences for groups of DofE participants, adults, and families.  You can choose from bespoke to off the shelf day activities or residentials. We work in partnership with Community Learning and Skills to deliver adult courses including Family Learning. From all our centres we have something to suit everyone and we'll send you home with great memories and new stories to tell.  

Being in the outdoors is what we do, we live and breathe it! This passion is why we work with people, to share it, inspire, and promote a healthy connection with the outdoors. Our outdoor leaders have lived and worked in the northern lake district between them for over 80 years (and that's not even including seasonal leaders!) and when not at work are exploring the area by boat, bike and foot!