Shipley spring cycling successes

Not on the sea shore but at Shipley Glen.

Known to locals as The Glen this is one of the accessible but “almost wild” locations used by WildWays for its programmes. A wooded valley situated on the edge of Bradford it’s a great location for climbing and scrambling, introductory hillwalking, navigation and mountainbiking. Here some young people show off their recently acquired bike handling skills.

It’s also great that young people get to see what fun there is to be had on their own doorstep and to understand something of their own local history and environment.

Spring springs

It’s funny. It only takes a day or so of great weather to make one forget the snow, fog and dank coldness of winter.

Today was the last session with our current Oakbank group. We hoped to make it a peak experience and so we headed to Pen-y-Ghent, “hill of the winds”, one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

Not everyone was confident of making the summit but everyone did.

Atop the "hill of the winds".

Most took part in the navigation and everyone learned about moving safely on steep ground.

On the descent some of the students broke into small groups or made their way individually back to Horton-in-Ribblesdale in glorious afternoon sunshine.

Pen-y-Ghent from the road back to Horton

We hope that the students enjoyed their sessions and have learned something of the physical and mental skills required to work together in the outdoors.

We’ve been busy

Wild Ways has been very active over the last month, working with Bingley and Ilkley Grammar Schools and Oakbank School.  Though the weather has been inclement at times that’s not stopped the young people we work with getting out and enjoying the outdoors.

Biking at Baildon with Oakbank School

At Janet's Foss near Malham

Nothing to be cross about on Ilkley Moor

Did we just have a holiday?

With the return of schools Wild Ways Adventure is now back to it but not before having enjoyed all sorts of festive adventures.

Today the team met, along with members of Bradford Met Adventure Activities Development Unit, at Bradley Wood Scout Campsite.  Here we took part in training in the use of the high ropes course which we look forward to using with groups later in the year.

An unexpected bonus was the “team bonding” which took place as we clambered over one another and hauled each other to the top of the Jacob’s ladder obstacle.

The High Ropes Structure at Bradley Wood. Jacob's ladder is the series of horizontal logs at extreme left.

The wild is never far away

Although my home in Airedale is far from a buzzing metropolis it’s always a thrill to see an urban sparrowhawk as I did this morning. Last week I saw a peregrine falcon in the centre of Leeds.

Sometimes it seems, if we take time to notice, the wild comes to us.

This is the blog of Wildways Adventure…

…and this is the first post.