Outdoor Activities
The Lake District and Cumbria is the country's biggest adventure playground and it's breathtaking.
With England's five tallest mountains and the deepest and largest lakes, Cumbria's rich natural environment is simply unique.
Explore the great outdoors and discover some of the UK's most beautiful scenery, whether a seasoned adventurer or wanting to learn the ropes from a qualified guide, there are activities to suit everyone.
Why is it good for me?
Spending time outside has significant and wide-ranging health benefits for both body and mind. It can boost your energy, exercise can feel easier outside, natural sunlight helps to mitigate pain and gives you a dose of vitamin D, the outdoor boosts your creativity - there's a whole host of scientific reasons why being outdoors is good for you.
How much does it cost?
Cost comes with what activity you do, it can be free to upwards of £100 and if you want to buy equipment it can cost from a couple of pounds to a couple of thousand pounds.
If you are on a budget though, there's plenty of free activies - sports clubs often have free 'have a go' days especially in the summer, and places like the National Trust and Lake District National Park have free guided activities.
Look on sites like Visit Eden or even Eventbrite or Meetup to find whats on, or use our Activity Finder function.
What equipment do I need?
Again this depends on the activity, but the best thing you can do is dress comfortably and safely. Safety is key to most outdoor activities.
Outdoor adventure....
Find out about more adventure in the air, in the saddle and in the driving seat.
Useful Websites
Cumbria Outdoors - The Learning Adventure. The Cumbria Outdoors website provides everyone involved in outdoor educational visits all the information they need to get the most out of their experience.
Lake District National Park - There are a wide range of activities and things to do in the Lake District, and with more than 3,100 kilometres of rights of way, you can walk, cycle and ride around our countryside to your heart’s content. Why not try a guided walk.
Sustrans - Whether you’re looking for an adventure, a great family day out, or world class scenery, Cumbria and the Lakes are the perfect destination to ride a bike.
Forests in Cumbria - home to stunning views, fantastic walks, exhilarating mountain biking, rare wildlife and adventure play. We have a number of forests & woods in Cumbria inc. Whinlatter, Grizedale, Ennerdale & Dodd Wood
National Trust - the National Trust look after a fifth of the land in the Lake District National Park, covering the 13 different valleys. Their activity base at Fell Foot is home to a range of outdoor activities.
Friends of the Lakes - the Lake District offers some of the most spectacular and precious landscapes in England. We take action to protect and conserve the natural beauty of these landscapes for the benefit of visitors, local communities, wildlife and habitats.
Volunteering Outdoors - theres plenty of opportunities to get active outdoors through volunteering too. How about the Countryside Volunteers with Carlisle City Council, Hadrians Wall Trail or with North Pennine AONB. There's also the Friends of the Lakes, the National Trust, the Lake District National Park and Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
There are a number of other outdoors sports & activities listed on our website, for example:
Access to the Lakes & Guide to What You Can & Cant do
And, please always remember....