Your Visit

Thousands of people visit the Raymond Priestley Centre each year. Below, you will find general information on group trips and what to bring - each visit is as unique as the group that attends so some details may be different!

For more information, please look at our Canvas Induction course. If you cannot access it, please contact your course leader.

What to bring

Below is information about what you need to bring, and what the centre provides. Please make sure you follow the instructions. 

You do not need to buy any new equipment or outfits for your trip.

You SHOULD bring:

  • A towel and personal toiletries.MRC Impact resized
  • Sleepwear.
  • Several changes of clothes to use (such as activewear you don’t mind becoming muddy or wet).
  • A swimming costume/underwear to wear under wetsuits as you may choose a water-based activity.
  • Casual clothes to wear around the Centre when activities have finished.
  • A jumper, or fleece to provide a warmer layer of clothing.
  • Thick socks that you can wear inside of walking boots.
  • Training shoes to wear that you don’t mind getting muddy or wet.
  • Sufficient supply of any medication you normally take e.g. for managing asthma, or diabetes.
  • Shoes for wearing indoors such as flip flops/sliders, slippers, or plimsolls.

The weather is known to change quickly in the Lake District - bring the following:

  • A woolly hat, gloves, a warm coat, sufficient layers.
  • A sunhat, sunscreen, and sunglasses.

These will be useful regardless of season - it might be cold at the top of a mountain in August, or sunny in January!

You DO NOT need to bring:

  • Bedding and laundryConiston 5
  • Outdoor equipment such as walking boots, waterproofs, wetsuits, buoyancy aids, wellies etc. The centre has a fully stocked equipment room.

You do not need to buy any new equipment or outfits for the trip. However, you are welcome to bring your own walking boots and waterproofs provided you already own them.

Contacting us

If you have any questions, you can contact the centre via our email or calling us.

Email us

You can call us on 015394 41364.

If you are a student, the first port of call for queries will be your course trip organiser.

Most FAQs are answered via the Canvas course Induction to the Raymond Priestley Centre - please check with your course trip organiser if you cannot access it.

Getting to us

For University of Birmingham course trips, you will travel up by coach. Your course trip organiser will provide the details.

Our address is:Location OS Map

Raymond Priestley Centre,

University of Birmingham

Torver,

Coniston,

Cumbria

LA21 8AX

We are located in the Lake District, which is a protected national park, a place of outstanding beauty and a UNESCO world heritage site. We are lucky enough to be situated on the shore of Coniston Water, within sight of the famous 'Old Man of Coniston' mountain.

 Official Lake District Tourist website