Honister Slate Mine 2013

Expedition Module Training

Msc Outdoor and Adventurous Activities

9th-10th March 2013

Briefing about the place and activity

Reflection. . .

Awesome..

Shop at Honister Slate Mine

It's me..

Nemo aka Amirul

Honister main entrance..

I am not sure Vicky or Jed..hmm

Ready for the activity...Via Ferrata

Josh..

Going to the top..

Awesome environment

ohh maaaaann..no one allowed to enter

another briefing

Hotel??

entering the cave

Cave environment

Up on the mountain

minute car...pic 1

Vicky, Lah and Jason

Smile for the camera

minute car..2

climbed the ladder

vain..

waiting for the others..

view from the top...the main road

come on guys...u can do it!!

chill bro??

knock knock who's there?

we made some descent..

nemo held on the ladder..

awesome view..

steep...

Spidermen in action...

attached on the cable...

nearly reached the cable bridge..

cable bridge...

here we go !!

Ashley went first..

windy...

crossing the bridge

Nemo and Josh..while waiting for the others

Ashley..waiting for us..

it's my turn...

I love this...

You can see the view from one point to another...

Josh in action..

Lah in action

windy and cold...

It's really awesome

Lah...crossing the cable bridge

Me...climbing the ladder..Via ferrata

Nemo from the top view

Nemo and Josh

Attached to the cable

type of rock

Windy..Cold..Blurrrrr

Ashley and Jason...

Nemo..trying to climb the last ladder

Me...watching them

Josh..climbing the last part of the ladder

The slope of Via Ferrata 

Vicky...trying to climb up the ladder

Vicky..

It's really windy...ohh maaaannnn

Ashley..what are you doing there?

dismount the mountain

Soooooo whiteee...

After the climbing...

Tired..yet we had a really good fun

On 9th March, 2013 we had a sort of training for the Expedition module at Honister Slate Mine, somewhere in Lake District region. We had absolutely no idea where and what Ashley and Jason (our lecturer and outdoor instructor respectively) would be preparing for us. First thought was only to camp around the Lake District but then it was not what I thought. Lah, Nemo and I were to prepare all the things needed for camping. We were asked to get ready at the Headingley Campus (Carniege Outdoor) as early as 8 O'clock in the morning. A simple briefing from Jason and Ashley and off we go!!! 

It took 3-hour journey from Leeds to the Lake District, Honister Slate Mine. I was a bit dizzy but yeahhh I survived. It was a mountainous area. As we arrived, we were given a brief on the task we would be doing that day. We had to equip ourselves with climbing equipments; harness, and safety helmet. Then, we hiked the mountain and reach the main entrance of a cave, I think it was a cave where mining activity was going on years, years and years ago. It's not really dark in there. The mine boasts England's first Via Ferrata, a collection of steel cables that are anchored into the mountain side allowing visitors to traverse the rock face whilst wearing a safety harness.

After we reached the next part of the mountain (via the cave), we again were given a simple brief on how our activity was practically going. Ashley showed us on how the harness and clip-carabiner attached on our body might work. We had to use one hand in order to get things worked.  It was just attached from one clip to another clip and from one section of the cable to another section. Don't you get it? It was windy and cold that time. My fingers were freezing. My face was blown by the cold wind. But amazingly I could make it through!! for me this first experience was absolutely amazing. Now we faced slightly different kind of terrain, we had to act like a spiderman..lol..we crossed the dancing cable bridge, one by one, and it was incredibly challenging with  cold winds blew on our face crazily. We successfully reached the Fleetwith Pike after roughly two-hour doing the activity. We dismount the mountain as soon as possible due to bad weather. It took only 15-20 minutes to reach where we started by using another route. Simply saying, this activity was super duper awesome. I want to try another Via Ferrata wherever in this world.