Honister Via Ferrata Xtreme

Based in the heart of the Lake District and at the top of Honister Pass, the Honister slate mines along with Honister Via Ferrata Classic and Honister Via Ferrata Xtreme can be found.  Depending on what you’re looking for both offer the chance to test your nerves…the Xtreme more so than the classic!

The conditions for our experience were wet and a little windy, not ideal but not bad enough that we couldn’t go ahead.  When you’re working your way around the course you are exposed for the majority of the time so suitable clothing is essential, waterproofs and gloves, gloves are helpful at any time of the year as they will help protect your hands and help with gripping.

Meeting at the reception, you’re fully kitted out with a harness and cow’s tail (these are what keep you clipped on) and you’re given a demonstration on how you should correctly be using them.  It’s worth pointing out at this point that you are fully in control of your safety, yes there’s a guide to help you along the way if needed but essentially, you are responsible for unclipping and clipping on.  Unless the process has changed since I went, the cow’s tail consist of two simple lengths with a karabiner on each and the process is you clip on with both and every time you need to unclip to navigate around a fixing you unclip one and clip past the fixing and then unclip the other, making sure you clip the second one on before moving forward.  You should always be attached by two karabiners unless you are performing this move and it’s essential to check the karabiners have properly closed otherwise they may unclip. 

So with this responsibility resting on our shoulders we head off in the mini bus to the starting point.

At the beginning of the course, it’s quite slow moving initially as people get clipped in and start making their way down the ladder, getting used to the unclipping and clipping on routine and just generally getting used to being on the side of a mountain!

Once everyone is clipped on and moving freely, you can pretty much go at a pace that suits you and honestly the pace is pretty slow anyway so you don’t feel under pressure to move along too fast and at an uncomfortable speed.

After the ladder there’s a range of via ferrata type scenarios, rungs and walking sections for a good chunk of the course. Eventually though things start to get more interesting!  You soon reach a section that tested my nerves a bit and forced me to have more confidence in my arm strength.  Imagine you are going down a section and the wall starts to cave inwards, allowing your arms to stretch fully out so you can get your foot on the next rung out of sight.  Once you get through this part, you catch a glimpse of the infinity bridge, what looks like a short rope bridge, actually goes on for eternity!  Once clipped in (the guide helps you on this section), you are left to make your way along the bridge and for me was terrifying and not helped one bit by the wind I mentioned earlier!  However of course you get through it, there’s not much choice once you’re on it and there are people behind you to be fair.  It’s worth noting that if you feel you can’t continue with certain aspects of the course, there are bail out options where you can take a different route and rejoin further down the course.

Once you’ve finally reached the end of the bridge, you’re getting close to the end, but the challenge isn’t over just yet!  You still have a rope wall to climb, which in itself is doable once you get in the swing of it and remembering to unclip yourself (it’s easy to forget to unclip and then realize you can’t go any further, meaning you have to lower slightly to get over the fixing) but for me getting from the rope wall to the next metal rung felt like an impossible task.  My arms were tired and you really felt like you needed all your strength in them to be able to pull yourself up, after much coaxing from the guide who bluntly told me it’s only going to get worse the longer I hang there (true and what I needed to hear to be fair!)  He managed to convince me that I actually needed to use my legs more to help me and once I was confident enough to stretch these out, it was actually easier than I thought.

Once on top, this is the last section of the Via Ferrata that you need to be clipped in for, the rest is making your way through some tunnels and onto the summit of Fleetwith Pike.

Quick photo and walk back down to the car.

All in all the Honister Via Ferrata Xtreme was terrifying in places but totally worth the challenge of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone!

Currently it costs £45 complete the Via Ferrata Xtreme and to have a photograph USB stick (which the guide takes whilst you’re completing the course) is around £15.  You can expect the whole experience to last between 3-3.5 hours and I think for that amount of time for the experience is actually good value.