Craggan Outdoors News

After a the record month in June & very busy July, August proved to be something of a steadier month, with numbers just about ahead of August ‘09. Looks like a lot of people took their summer (have we had one?) breaks earlier rather than later this year.

Performance by the Craggan Outdoors team remained strong, with an average customer rating for the month of 9.4-out-of-10, with this based on 97 post-visit feedback forms. As ever a monthly draw has been held from all the feedback forms submitted during the month of August. The lucky winner this time around is Key Community Support from Thurso, a group of adults with additional needs that visited Craggan Outdoors on 11th / 12th / 13th August to do archery, canoeing on the River Spey & pony trekking.

Gail Clark who organised the booking wrote the following on her feedback form: “The most memorable part for us was the professionalism of the staff & their friendliness. All our activities went very smoothly, & the staff dealt with our group with ease, something that we know from experience that all centres cannot do.” Working with this group was certainly one of the highlights of the season for the Craggan Outdoors team, & we hope to see them back again in 2011.

Other ’snapshot’ comments from August included: “Gorge walking….the most mazing experience”, “Excellent from start to finish”, “Fond memories to take home”, “All round great experience”, “Relaxed, friendly & supportive atmosphere”, “The challenge, the encouragement, the achievement”, & finally “I loved it all!”

September is traditionally the quietest month of the spring / summer / autumn season, so if you like what you see from the feedback of prior visitors & our website, then why not get in touch & see how you can get some great outdoor activity experiences at Craggan Outdoors?

Preparations for the 2009 season continue apace! As part of those preparations Craggan Outdoors is pleased to announce the addition of three new activities - indoor climbing, yoga and massage - that are all now available to book.

Indoor climbing now complements the outdoor rock climbing that the centre has long offered. The wall offers a great opportunity for those that are new to climbing to learn the basic techniques whilst away from the vagaries of the Scottish weather, and with the comfort of being just a few feet off the ground, with a padded floor for extra reassurance. Prices start at £25 per person for a 1 hour instructor-led session.

Yoga is renowned for promoting health & well-being, so we think that it’s a great fit (excuse the pun) with our more energetic activities.  Great for improving energy levels, muscle tone, joint mobility, suppleness and core body strength, yoga can be a perfect start or finish to a day, weekend or week of activities. Over the course of an hour, morning or afternoon, our qualified instructor will guide you through elements of a range of yoga styles, including Ashtanga, Iyengar and Shadow. Prices start at £20 for a 1-hour instructor-led session.

There can’t be a better way to recover from a day or weekend of outdoor exertion than with a massage. Our qualified masseuse can offer either a remedial and sports massage to aid recovery from the aches, pains and strains of activity, or a relaxing Swedish Ling massage to end your day in style. Indian head massage is also available. Prices start at £29 for a half-hour session.

Commenting on the new activities, owner and Managing Director Keith Ballam said: “We are really excited to have added these three new options to our already wide range of activities. We feel that they are an extremely complementary fit with what the centre already had on offer, and give enhanced quality and choice for new customers, whilst offering something new to try for repeat clients.” He concluded: “We expect to add another two or three activities by the start of the season at Easter, so watch this space for further announcements!”