Last Chance to See Kendal In Scotland!

This weekend sees the last couple of Scottish dates in the Kendal Mountain Festival Tour calendar for this year. Inverness (13th May) and Banchory (14th May) are hosting two nights of adventure films and inspiring speakers – don’t miss out before the Tour heads south!

Climber and jungle explorer to speak in Banchory and Inverness

An inspirational climber who conquered the jungle to climb ‘The Lost World’, Mount Roraima in the Amazon rainforest, is visiting Inverness and Banchory to talk about her exploits.

Anna Taylor, who last year also completed a human powered link-up of all 83 of the UK’s ‘Classic Rock’ routes, is speaking as part of the Kendal Mountain Festival UK Tour and will share the joys and moments of despair that make up these gruelling challenges.

The 24-year-old Lake District-based climber was part of a major expedition in 2019 led by fellow Cumbrian, Leo Houlding, where they made the first free-climbing ascent of the 600m main prow of Mount Roraima. The 2,810m high tepui sits between Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana and is the location that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel ‘The Lost World’ and the Pixar animated movie ‘Up’. The team completed a 53km jungle trek to get to the base, while avoiding the more dangerous local wildlife such as snakes, tarantulas and scorpions. Once on the wall, the climbers lived on portaledges hanging hundreds of metres above the jungle, while the tropical climate presented regular deluges of heavy rain.

Closer to home, last year Taylor became the first person to complete a self-powered round of every route that features in Classic Rock, the iconic book written by Ken Wilson. Carrying all her kit, Taylor cycled 2,400km and climbed over 10,000m during a journey that lasted 62 days and saw her climb most of the 83 routes solo, without ropes.

Taylor will be speaking at One Touch Theatre at Eden Court, Inverness on the 13th May, and The Barn Arts, Banchory on the 14th of May.

Those attending the Inverness event will also be hearing from ÁBAN – the Adventure Learning Community who work with schools, community groups and other charities to offer positive outdoor adventures for children and families in need.

• Tickets for Inverness are available via the Tour website kendalmountaintour.com/tickets or by calling the One Touch Theatre at Eden Court box office on Box Office: 01463 234 234.
• Tickets for Banchory are available via the Tour website kendalmountaintour.com/tickets or by calling the The Barn Arts box office on Box Office 01330 825431

Can’t make these? Here’s the rest of the Tour:

• Coventry: Friday 20th May
• Norwich: Saturday 21st May
• Whitehaven: Sunday 22nd May
• Whitley Bay: Friday 3rd June
• Nottingham: Wednesday 15th June
• Exeter: Thursday 16th June
• Llanelli: Friday 17th June
• Canterbury: Wednesday 22nd June
• Brighton: Thursday 23rd June
• Kings Lynn: 24th June
• Kendal: Wednesday 29th June

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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