Oceans of Hope - Calvert Lakes

After my weeks sailing in Sardinia with Oceans of Hope earlier this year, I decided to sign up for the Oceans of Hope, Lake District outdoor activities weekend in August.

Calvert Trust was founded in 1976, the inspiration of John Fryer-Spedding, whose vision was to enable people with disabilities to benefit from outdoor activities in the countryside.  https://calvertlakes.org.uk

Today Calvert Lakes provides adventure breaks and holidays for people with disabilities. A not-for-profit location in the Lake District, who help children, adults and families with a range of disabilities overcome challenges and experience the benefit of the great outdoors.

On arrival at the centre, on the Friday afternoon,  I met with some of the other participants who would be joining me on the weekend adventures and we enjoyed a lovely warming chat and cup of tea in the gardens.

The facility is on the outskirts of Keswick, with some amazing views over the lakes.  After meeting each other, we were then allocated our rooms,  broken into groups and embarked on a tour of the facilities. Each group is supported by one of the highly trained and knowledgeable staff who would become our facilitator and instructors for the events to come.

I was super impressed with how accessible and supportive the whole facility is with everything you could possibly need for a weekend of outdoor activities regardless of your needs or limitations.

The residential facility has an accessible  reception,  and living facilities,  with lifts, ramps, adaptive beds,  hoisting facilities, wheel chairs,  wet room on suite shower facilities,  on site kitchen and dining area where breakfast, lunch and dinner is served each day.   There is a tv lounge,  a quiet library,  a main lounge and games room, a laundry and drying room, an equipment store,  a sensory room, a hydro pool with amazing views, lighting and sounds, and even a small on site bar to enjoy a relaxing beer or glass of wine with your fellow participants after your busy day of adventures.

Friday evening after our tour,  we enjoyed a 3 course evening meal in the dining area,  followed by some time to relax either in the TV lounge, library, your own room or to the bar with your new found friends for a few refreshments.    Not a late evening though, as the next two days are fairly busy with lots of activities and an early breakfast between 8.00 and 9am.

After breakfast on Saturday my group set off for a country adventure.  Once our scooters, wheelchairs and equipment were loaded into the fully accessible ramped mini bus,  we set off on a short trip.  10 to 15 minutes down the road.  We parked up and enjoyed a leisurely ambient outdoor trail along a board walk observing some bird life, butterfly’s, squirrels and some beautiful countryside.  The trail was accessible for everyone, wheelchairs, scooters and for those who were able to walk.   After our ramble we arrived at a converted rail carriage with a café and enjoyed some refreshments and a cake or scone before we made our way back to the centre.    After our soup and sandwich lunch,  my group then headed to the outdoor rope breakout area in the hills,  where we got kitted up for our afternoon rope pursuits course and zip lines challenge whilst the other groups were busy sailing, or doing archery or other activities.  

Again, I was delighted to see that everybody’s needs were considered and met and every single person participated on all the activities.  The staff leaders and instructors truly are amazing, ensuring we were all fully supported and making sure we were all safe, harnessed and secured safely for our adventures.   A lot of fun and laughter and even some screams were encountered as we each took to the zip slides. 

After returning to our rooms, we then had the opportunity to relax in the hydrotherapy pool for an hour before joining the others for dinner.

Saturday evening was a movie in the lounge area for those who wanted to join, again with the option of a small refreshment from the bar and some popcorn.

On Sunday morning, my team headed to the archery area, again fully accessible and adaptive for everyone, whether you were able to stand, needed to sit in your wheelchair or even needed support with the bow and arrows.   Again a fun morning, followed by a light lunch.

As I had my car with me,  I took the opportunity to drive through to Keswick for a short trip to see around the town with 3 others from my group.   We had a short wander around the busy centre,  and main street,  looked in some shops saw the church tower and enjoyed a relaxing cuppa in a high-street café in the sunshine, before heading back to the centre in preparation for an afternoon of sailing on the lake.

The sailing was again fully supportive for all, with hoisting equipment available on the quayside to ensure all were able to embark on the small sailing boats and enjoy our time on the lake.

With the weather being so lovely, there wasn’t too much wind,  making it a little challenging to get much sailing in,  however the group enjoyed the quietness of the lake, whilst learning a little about the sails and the tiller with everyone getting an opportunity to participate.

Back to the centre, and for those who wanted another swim in the warm hydro pool before our last evening dinner together.  Again, a relaxing evening in the lounge area chatting with others and sharing stories of our adventures.

Monday morning was an early start, breakfast and check out then a fond farewell to each other before we set off on our homeward journeys.

Definitely a great place to visit, try new outdoor activities, things you may have thought might not have been possible and a great way to meet like minded individuals in a safe and inclusive environment.   A well organised weekend by Oceans of Hope 😊

Pam Barclay - Copywright October, 2025

Reproduced here by kind permission of the author