A Guided Walk with Original Outdoors
1:6 guide/client ratio, fully qualified mountain leaders with local knowledge and a passion for the outdoors.
Want to know what a guided day with Original Outdoors is like? Below is a short piece, based on one of our trips in Summer 2010:
"Your day in the mountains begins when you meet your Original Outdoors guide at the foot of the mountain. You tie your laces on your boots, excited to discover a new route in a new area, eager to see what is around the next corner. The weather is grey and humid, misty without a breath of wind.
The guide, Richard, introduces himself and shows you the plan for the day, tracing the route across the map with the tip of a blade of grass. It starts with a path but soon diverts off, finding secret ways to the summit across the contours, winding it's way between boulders and streams. You chat about your previous trips as you set off from the car park, and discuss what YOU and your companions want to achieve during the walk. Maybe you want to try going 'off-path', maybe you want some classic mountain photos, maybe you just want to be able to relax and enjoy the day, knowing that the route and navigation are taken care of!
The conversation quietens down as the terrain gets steeper, and you can feel the effort in your thighs. Slight disappointment at the lack of visibility in the misttroubles you, but you are glad to be out in the hills.
Somehow, it starts to become brighter. Patches of blue sky become visible through the swirling fog. The temperature rises, and suddenly a magnificent vista opens up in front of you. Every peak in the National Park is now an island in a sea of white clouds, which fills each and every valley. The sun is warm and bright, and a flawless blue dome of sky is above you. You and your friends are now snapping away with cameras, amazed at the spectacle of a temperature inversion.
You continue along the ridge, your route now clearly laid out in front of you and the summit like a pyramid. Your guide explains how the mountain was formed, and points out neighbouring peaks. He shows that your shadow is now dozens of feet long, your spectral image projected onto the clouds below with a halo of bright light. More photos, more exclamations as to how lucky you are to see it.
The final scramble onto the summit pile is taken carefully, your guide showing you the best handholds and footholds as you progress up the short rocky step. As you reach the summit itself, you feel like you are the only people on the earth. It is a pleasure to sit out on the grassy slope, looking out towards the sea and quietly munching on your sandwiches.
After a reasonable spell, Richard retrieves his map from his rucksack and shows you where the route continues on, down the opposite ridge, diving back into the clouds. He explains that there is an abandoned mine and other industrial archealogical sites to pass through on the way back down. You put your things away, hoist your rucksack back onto your back and continue with your route, knowing that today wil be one that you treasure for a long time to come."
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