Information » Sport & Leisure » Outdoor Sports » Outdoor Pursuits
- Outdoor pursuits include hiking, climbing, hill walking, orienteering and outdoor water sports such as rafting, canoeing and kayaking
- Climbing and hill walking are adventure sports which promote self-reliance, leadership and an appreciation of the environment
Hiking and walking
- Hiking is a form of walking undertaken for exercise or pleasure in exploring and enjoying the scenery. It usually takes place in the countryside
- Wales is a perfect location for hiking and walking, because of its areas of mountains and hills
- There is a lot of variation in walks in Wales, from the Three Castles Walk to the Snowdonia Trail
- You can contact 'Walking Wales' to organise a walking trip, a walking holiday or for help in choosing your own trail
Climbing
- Climbing can be an extremely dangerous sport if it isn't undertaken under supervision and with all the necessary equipment and protection gear
- Rock climbing - which is climbing on steep, rocky terrain - and mountaineering, which is climbing on mountains, are the two main types of climbing
- Indoor climbing is climbing on artificial climbing walls
- In 'aid climbing', all means of going up are used, such as pulling on gear or climbing rope ladders which are attached to drilled bolts
- In 'free climbing', climbers use only their hands, feet and other body parts to make progress. Ropes and other gear are used only for protection
- Competitions are usually held indoors on purpose built climbing walls. There are three main categories - difficulty, speed and bouldering, each with different climbing aims
Orienteering
- Orienteering is a sport where competitors navigate their way between control points marked on a specially drawn map using a map and a compass. It usually involves different terrain and plenty of adventure
- A standard orienteering course has a starting point, a series of control sites marked by circles and connected by lines and numbered in the exact order to be found, and a finish point
- Orienteering can be practised as a hobby, is an easy way to stay fit and an exciting activity to share with friends or family
- Orienteering is also a highly competitive sport which involves intense concentration, skill and fitness
- There are various kinds of orienteering. Foot orienteering is the most common. This is where competitors either run cross-country or walk using their map and compass to find their way from the start to the finish, stopping at each of the control points
- There is also ski orienteering, mountain bike orienteering and trail orienteering
- Orienteering is a suitable outdoor activity for schools - it has challenging levels for all ages and abilities and can be used as part of the National Curriculum for PE, Geography and Mathematics
- It can be enjoyed in the playground or countryside
- Rules of orienteering are defined by the International Orienteering Federation
- The British Orienteering Federation has a team of development officers who can offer advice - see the number below
Rafting, canoeing and kayaking
- Whitewater rafting can be extremely dangerous - there is a risk of accident and injury because of the unpredictable nature of the water travelling at high speeds
- Legislated safety measures are now in place for rafting operators, including strict regulations about what safety equipment must be carried on rafts and certification of outfitters, rafts and raft leaders - you should discuss the safety measures of the rafting operator before reserving a raft
- You will be given a safety brief by the rafting centre - the qualifications of the raft leader and the type and scope of the equipment is information you should ask about before undertaking rafting
- Rafting is a recreational outdoor activity which uses a raft (usually now an inflatable boat) to navigate a river or other body of water
- Rafting is usually done on whitewater (whitewater rafting) to make the activity exciting for the raft passengers
- Rafts are usually navigated with ordinary paddles and carry four to 12 people
- Whitewater rafting can be done all year round
Canoeing and kayaking
- Canoes and kayaks are fairly small boats and the canoer or kayaker uses a paddle to propel the boat along the water
- A canoe is propelled using single bladed paddles and the paddler is kneeling or sitting on a raised seat
- A kayak is propelled using a paddle with two blades and the paddler sits with their legs in front of them
- The number of paddlers depends on the size of the canoe
- Paddlers face in the direction of travel - paddling a canoe is different to rowing, where rowers face away from the direction of travel
- Generally, kayaks are closed deck boats with a spray deck, and canoes are open boats
- The International Canoe Federation is the worldwide canoeing organisation which creates the standard rules for canoeing as a sport
Types of canoeing
- There are various types of competitive and non-competitive disciplines of canoeing - spring and slalom are the only two competing in the Olympic Games (see Olympic Games )
- Sprint, or racing, involves canoe and kayak races of over 200m, 500m and 1000m
- Slalom competitors are timed in completing a descent down the rapids of a whitewater course in which they must steer their canoes or kayaks through gates, which are a pair of poles about 1m apart
- Marathon is a longer distance canoe or kayak race over a mostly flat-water course. Distances range from two miles to 125 miles
- In whitewater racing, competitors speed canoes or kayaks down whitewater rapids
- Other versions include canoe polo and canoe sailing
- In these particular events, kayaking and canoeing are split in to separate classes
- Other outdoor pursuits include hill walking, potholing and mountaineering. See Water Sports for fishing, rowing, surfing, swimming, lifesaving and water skiing
Did you know...?
- The UK's leading whitewater centre is in North Wales. It is called the Canolfan Tryweryn (CT) National White Water Centre
