Scout Adventures Great Tower Residential Centre Cumbria

Scout Adventures Great Tower is a natural home for school and youth groups looking for a brilliant residential. Our centre is not just a place to visit and stay; it’s a starting point for new adventures, challenges, expeditions and experiences. 

We believe in making every visit fun, friendly, adventurous and unforgettable. 

Nestled in the heart of the Lake District near Windermere, Great Tower offers a stunning 250-acre base for adventurous activities, environmental or field studies and group development exercises. Surrounded by England’s highest peaks, deepest lakes, and breathtaking scenery, Cumbria’s natural wonderland is your playground. 

There’s over 30 on-site and off-site amazing activities to choose from at Great Tower ranging from caving to canoeing, from Ghyll scrambling to mountain expeditions. Our activities are all about values-based team work, and can be tailored to your specific learning objectives.

Scout Adventures Great Tower is owned and operated by The Scout Association – the UK’s leading youth charity in the UK. For over 100 years, we’ve delivered safe, challenging and educational experiences to millions of young people. In line with Scout values (care, respect, integrity, cooperation, exploring our own and others’ beliefs) we believe in preparing young people with skills for life, creating better futures.

We work with schools to deliver amazing and affordable outdoor experiences and help young people achieve their full potential. Our dedicated team can discuss your group’s needs and tailor a package and activity sessions that’s right for your pupils and your budget.

residential centre Cumbria
outdoor residential centre Cumbria
residential centre lake district

Our centres offer a truly unique multi-cultural experience to every school group that visits. Each year, over 120 volunteers from all around the world join our renowned international residential programme. In return they are trained to deliver activities and adventures alongside our professional staff teams that engage, challenge, inspire, and help create memories for young people!

Scout Adventures is all about creating unforgettable moments. Whether it’s jumping into a lake, chatting about the day’s amazing adventures after lights out, or roasting marshmallows over glowing embers. While these moments may seem purely fun to your students, they are simultaneously developing crucial skills for life such as leadership, teamwork, resilience, and initiative. 

We offer every pupil the chance to experience the following: 

* Develop skills for life – Resilience, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills will be developed or discovered through our activities 

* Survival skills – Take part in shelter building, backwards cooking, fire lighting, team building and exploring how to survive and thrive out in the elements.

* Outdoor challenges – Relish and rise to the challenge of our all-season high-energy adventures, such as ziplining, climbing, or Jacob’s Ladder, delivered by our international instructors.

* Wellbeing focus – Full program of activities that will boost confidence, self-belief and a sense of achievement they’ll take back to the classroom.

* Connection to nature – Whether it’s stargazing, crunching leaves on nature walks, or wildlife spotting at dusk in and around our 250-acre site, our range of activities is designed to inspire, excite, and educate young people.

Reach for the stars, feet firmly on the ground, splash about, meet your targets, learn new skills. We have a fantastic range of all-season on site and off site activities to choose from, these include: 

Abseiling, Activities in a box, Adventure course, Archery, Backwoods cooking, Bouldering, Bridge building, Campfire, Canoe expedition, Canoeing, Caving, Circus Skills, Crag climbing, Crate stacking, Fell walk, Fire lighting, Gauntlet, Ghyll scrambling, High all aboard, Hike, Jacob’s Ladder, Kayaking, Leap of faith, Low Ropes, Mountain day, Mountain expedition, Orienteering, Pioneering, Raft building, Rafted canoeing, Sensory trail, Shelter building, Stand up paddle boarding, Team building, Tomahawk throwing, Tree climbing.

See all our activities: https://www.scoutadventures.org.uk/activities 

All activity sessions are for a maximum of 12 participants, and each group must have a supervising adult. 

Scout Adventures Great Tower is accredited with the following:

Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge

The LOtC Quality Badge provides a national award combining the essential elements of provision – learning and safety – into one easily recognisable and trusted accreditation scheme for all types of learning outside the classroom provider throughout the UK. This includes museums, art galleries, adventure centres, nature reserves, science learning centres and farms among many other provider types. The scheme is managed and developed by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. 

Find out more: www.lotc.org.uk 

Adventuremark

Adventuremark is a non-statutory safety scheme devised by the Adventure Activity Industry Advisory Committee (AAIAC) for providers of adventurous activities that are outside the scope of the Adventure Activity Licensing regulations. Adventuremark allows providers to demonstrate that the provider’s arrangements for managing the potential risks of adventure activities have been inspected and found to meet the necessary standards of good practice in the adventure activity industry. 

Find out more: www.adventuremark.co.uk 

AALA

The Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) is a UK regulatory body that oversees the safety of providers offering adventure activities to young people under 18. It ensures compliance with safety standards through inspections and licensing, helping to reduce risks in activities like climbing, trekking, and water sports.

Find out more: https://www.hse.gov.uk/aala/

We can accommodate small classes up to full year groups at Scout Adventures Great Tower.

All activity sessions are for a maximum of 12 participants, and each group must have a supervising adult. 

Great Tower has four indoor accommodation blocks to choose from:

Cartmel Lodge, sleeps 36 people

The Bunk House, sleeps 16 people

Kirkstone Lodge, sleeps 24 people

Windermere Chalet, sleeps 24

Our tented village sleeps up to 34 people.

We also have a large number of outdoor camping spaces that will accommodate in excess of 2,500 people.

Choose from four lodges at Great Tower. All our lodges include the following: central heating, fully equipped kitchens, and a separate communal/dining area.

Cartmel Lodge

Sleeps 36 people. Four rooms of 6, 2 rooms of 4 and 2 rooms of 2 beds. Complete with separate male and female showers and toilets.

The Bunk House

Sleeps 16 people. One room of 6, 1 room of 2 and 2 rooms of 4 beds.

Kirkstone Lodge

Sleeps 24 people (new floorplan coming soon with updated capacity). Includes two dining/communal rooms.

Windermere Chalet

Sleeps 24. Five rooms of 4 and 2 rooms of 2 beds. Male and female toilets and showers.

Chadburn Tented Village

Our tented village is made up of 4m bell tents for up to five young people and 3m bell tents for two adults and comes complete with comfortable mattresses, electric lanterns and storage boxes. There’s also a group tent with tables, benches and lighting and a separate mess tent with a functional kitchen. In the centre is a private campfire circle. Overall offering space for 30 young people and four adults in 10 bell tents. Available to book from Easter to October.

On-site camping
Ideal for camping with a wide range of areas on-site to accommodate camps of all sizes from a small group to a large-scale camp of 2,500+ people. With excellent facilities available, wherever you choose to pitch your tent, you’ll never be far from toilets, showers and basins. Many of our camping sites also have fire spots and we can provide altar fires for you to fully immerse yourself in your camping experience. Please note that there is no electric hook up available

Ahead of your booking, we can provide school trip organisers with the following documentation:

– General Scout Adventures Site Risk Assessment
– Great Tower Activities Risk Assessment 
– Public Liability Insurance

Groups are permitted to take photos throughout their activity sessions and their stay. Please notify a member of the team in advance – this is to ensure that correct photo consent protocols are followed for our other guests on site.  

To book, or make and enquiry contact the Great Tower customer enquiries team via the following: 

Email us: Info@scoutadventures.org.uk 

Submit an online enquiry: www.scoutadventures.org.uk/contact/get_in_touch 

Call us: 01539 885298

We believe that schools should be able to choose and shape your own experience – it’s your visit after all! Our adventure packages aren’t just heaps of fun, there are also many benefits associated with the type of outdoor experience we offer. These adventures help young people to develop the character skills they need to become leaders of the future.

Scout Adventures Great Tower operates a peak and off-peak pricing structure

-Peak: 1st May – 30th September

-Off Peak: 1st January – 30th April & 1st October – 31 December

Our off-peak packages offer flexible, more quieter dates to suit your academic calendar – including Thursday and Friday availability. We can cater for small classes up to entire year groups.

We offer free teacher places for every 12 pupils booked, offered as standard across all our packages.

Prices include VAT on accommodation, camping, catering, equipment and services. All activities and overnight packages are exempt from VAT. Minimum numbers may apply.

Programmes will include a mix of both instructed and self-led activities from across categories on our price list, providing a variety of experiences and learning outcomes. We reflect any requests and objectives you give us where possible.

Packages we offer: 

Outdoor Adventure package

Burst out of the classroom with our classic action-packed programme. You’ll take part in a programme of 90 minute taster sessions, ideal for challenging young people, building skills, team work and having fun. We’ve got more than 25 activities on offer across our adventure centres, including target sports, high ropes, outdoor skills and team building challenges. We know it’s important to have a home away from home, so you’ll settle down for the night in our comfortable indoor accommodation. To make things simple, we include catering in our package prices as standard.

Adventure 50:50 package

This package includes half the number of activities of Outdoor Adventure for a more flexible stay. This gives you a chance to fit in some teacher-led sessions too. Some schools use this for fieldwork, revision or to continue lessons. Most of our buildings have a hall space, and you can make full use of our grounds. You could also use the time to plan a day trip to a local attraction. You’ll have a great night’s sleep in our clean, comfortable indoor accommodation, and catering is already included in our prices.

Build your own visit

Our packages are a fantastic time and hassle saver. But of course, you can also book your accommodation, activities, catering and add-ons as you fancy from our standard price list too. This is a great option if you’re running your own programme, don’t want to book many activities, or prefer to plan every details of your visit to us. You can also book your accommodation if you’re looking to stay with us for your Duke of Edinburgh expedition.

Our activities are often booked up many months in advance, so do get in touch with our team in plenty of time to avoid disappointment!

Please visit our website for a full list of individual prices for accommodation, activities and catering.

We will provide First Aid during instructed activities. Visitors are responsible for their own First Aid at other times, but our staff will offer support if required. 

Defibrillators are located at the main reception building – the code to access these is available from the Duty Manager or the ambulance service.

Wi Fi

Wi-Fi is available from all main buildings – no login details required.

Toilets 

We provide toilet rolls and soap, and clean toilet blocks regularly. Toilet blocks are open to all visitors on centre. We have a number of accessible and all-gender facilities.

Study room or classrooms

If you need a room for any classroom-based sessions, please ask at the time of booking. 

Hire equipment 

Pre-booked equipment will be delivered to your site, and tents pitched for your arrival.

Shop

Our on site shop sells a range of snacks, refreshments and gifts. Please ask at reception and the team will be happy to open the shop for you.

Drinking water

Drinking water is available across our fields, as well as a limited number of washing up sinks at toilet blocks. We have chemical toilet disposal points – please ask at reception. Please put recycling (paper, glass, plastic and cans) into the green recycling bins.

Freezer space 

We have a freezer available for groups to share.

Security

We conduct random security patrols, but it’s impossible for us to monitor everyone’s personal property. Secure doors and windows, keep items in-sight or locked away, and leave valuables at home. If you’re camping, leave someone behind to keep watch and introduce yourself to your neighbours. Please contact reception if you need help storing valuables.

Catering for our packages runs from dinner on your arrival day to lunch on your departure day. Please bring packed lunches for your first day, or we can book additional lunches for you.

All meals will be served in the Adventure Kitchen. You can select a time slot when you check in at reception. If you’re arriving late on your first evening and have dinner booked, or you have any day trips planned, please give us a heads up so we can make alternative arrangements with you

We’ll request any dietary requirements 8 weeks before arrival. We cater for the 14 key allergens, vegetarian, vegan and halal diets. We’ll try our utmost to cater for other needs, but we’re unable to cater for tastes or preferences. There’s a sample menu on our website. Meal times and locations will be confirmed on arrival.

Packed lunches can be provided upon request – for example if taking part in any off site activities.

We work with groups during our booking process to understand the support requirements for individuals, allowing us to tailor programmes to meet each participant’s needs.  All our sites offer wheelchair accessible indoor accommodation options, and every site has access to equipment and staff trained to support participation in adventurous activities where this is practicable.  Our goal is to ensure that all young people are fully included in the group’s programme, but we also aim to be clear and open with groups when we don’t think we have the skills to support an individual to get the most from their residential.

Scout Adventures Great Tower is open for schools to visit 7 days a week, 50 weeks of the year (2-week closure over Christmas and New Year)

Our enquiries team are available to speak to over the phone, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm.

From start to finish this was an amazing residential for our Year 6 children. The accommodation, the activities, the staff, the food…. all fabulous

Dean Gibson Primary School

We had a fantastic visit from beginning to end. A great experience for both staff and children. Fantastic instructors, delicious food and a warm welcome. Thank you for everything. 

St Thomas’s CE Primary School

Staff and site was great. They really supported our students and ALL staff were amazing. Food was excellent and I would 100% recommend going to this site. The views on the walk were stunning and just made a great experience for all.

Rodillian Multi Academy Trust

Scout Adventures Great Tower is nestled in the heart of the Lake District near Windermere on a 250-acre site.

If you wish to extend your stay with us, there are plenty of things to see and do off-site:

-Hop over to The World of Beatrix Potter, an attraction dedicated to the characters of this celebrated local author

-Zoom over to the Lakeland Motor Museum, with its amazing collection of classic cars

-Cruise across Lake Windermere on one of the regular passenger ferries