Teaching and Walking

Teaching

On offer, there are 36 lesson hours (of 45 minutes) for the two-week course. These lessons will take place mainly in the morning with walks in the afternoon. The lessons will be in a form in which students will be able to refresh and extend their English word power in an entertaining way. Including this, there will be information about the area, discussion and language games. The aim of the lessons is to relate English to personal interests and needs and to use and develop English in relation to important situations. English learning, of course, continues throughout the day together with walking guides.

We have now successfully organized these courses for the past 28 years and we think that people with at least a good understanding of spoken English and perhaps a fairly good conversational level in English (higher intermediate and above) can best benefit from them and be able to keep to an environment of total English with no other languages.

The courses will be taught by myself personally. I am a qualified secondary school teacher with now many years of experience in the teaching of English at all levels to businesses, teachers and students.  I have a small language school in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

For my holiday courses, I try to bring with me my most interesting and useful material.

Teaching facilities

In the Lake District, the lessons will take place in an attractive room in the same house in which people stay. 

Walking

During the afternoon, walks will be offered which show a rich variety of farmland, moorland, mountains and sea. The course members should be used to walking up to 3 or 4 hours per day (perhaps more on full days.)

Arrival

A short walk up surrounding hills to look down on the lake and surrounding places of interest. A walk around the village to describe the history and interesting places to go and eat.

Week 1

Monday

A local walk from the house to Tarn Hows; one of the most attractive lakes in the Lake District. The walk will continue from here up to a viewpoint where there will be a view of four of the Lake District lakes as well as a panorama of its highest mountains. (Walking 3 hours)

Tuesday

The walk will start at the bottom of Coniston lake and follow a ridge above the lake with an excellent view of the lake and mountains on one side and the Grizedale Forest ( the largest forest in Cumbria) on the other, The walk will drop down to Ruskin house, café (lovely cakes) and art centre. From here there will be a boat across the lake back to Coniston or the possibility to continue around the lake. (Walking 2 ½ hours or 3 ½ (can take the ferry across Coniston lake to shorten this route).

Wednesday

Here there will be the afternoon off for people to settle into the area.

Thursday

This will be a full day walking. Starting in Wast Water – the deepest and most dramatic of all the lakes in the Lake District. We walk back to the Langdale valley the deepest and most dramatic valley.

Walking time 5 hrs.  Anotherwalk will be on offer along the river and lake at Wast Water – 2 ½ hrs.

Friday

First trip to the sea- long beaches, a white-sand massive range of sand dunes and of course ponds and lakes. Walking time 2 ½ hrs.

Weekend- people can experience the Lake District on foot, bus, train or boat or just relax at Beechtree house.

Itinerary

English and walking 2020.  12 to 25 July

This year as last year we will be centered in the English Lake District as this gives the greatest variety of walks from the area in which you would stay.  Again we include it all; Lakes, mountains, valley, shorelines, coastal areas and the sea.  Also, an important part is attractive stone-built villages and towns, attractive railway journeys- circular -along the coast and back through the Yorkshire national park and historic buildings.

A rough itinerary stands below – which of course can be altered at the time from the group’s preferences and the weather.

All the mentioned walks are half-day walks except for two full-day walks which are mentioned in the description.

We are very flexible with walks and often there will be an alternative program for people who would prefer, on the day, to do a shorter walk or to even something else.

You will be often escorted by myself and a number of local people.

A walk to a large stone ring (older than Stone Henge and one of four stone rings in the Lake District) and over coastal hills with views over the sea. We should be able to see the Isle of Man or even the coast of Ireland on a clear day. 4hrs if the group walks back to Coniston. For some members of the group, this can be shortened to 2 ½ hrs.

To Beatrix Potter’s village ( Beatrix Potter started the animation of animals and made the Lake District into a national park)  but rather than going into the house we will walk through this attractive village past favorite lake and then down to the shores of Lake Windermere – the largest lake in  England. We will then walk along the shore to complete a circle. Approx. 2 ½ hrs.

This will be a trip across to the east coast visiting the medieval town of Durham on the way and then to a walk along Hadrian’s Wall (a roman wall) along the Scottish border. Walking time (2 hrs. main walk and with a number of shorter walks)

To limestone hills (the Lake District is made of volcanic stone) with their strange shape and forms above the sea at Morecambe. Perhaps later a walk along the promenade at Morecambe again overlooking the sea. (2  ½hrs + walk along the promenade)

An afternoon to relax have a cup of tea and get ready for home.