Voted “Visitor Experience Of The Year" in the 2014 by the Cumbria Tourism Excellence Awards, the Via Ferrata Xtreme is a very popular choice for those seeking an authentic adventure. The very first section involves a 15m descent on a near vertical ladder, with some big drops of air below. We then traverse across a short rock section on steel staples to get to the top of Bull Gill, an exposed gully once used by miners to dispose of waste rock. We climb carefully down this slightly overhanging section of rock on steel bars, then continue around the crag to the start of the Burma Bridge. This formidable bridge is roughly 80m long and is high enough to make cars below look like ants! Once across this very airy bridge, we continue upwards on rock, metal staples and a series of ladders before reaching the cargo net. The top of the net marks the end of the climbing section of the Via Ferrata Xtreme, then it’s a 10-minute scramble up through impressive mine ruins to the summit of black star on Fleetwith Pike, where we are rewarded with one of the finest views in the Lake District. We then return back to the visitors centre, via an easy downhill track.

Suitable For: This activity is suitable for those who are physically fit and up for a steady 3 hour scramble, with some big exposure! Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and children must be aged 10+ years and over 1.3m tall.