I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting into when Craig Forde, manager of Llangollen-based Safe and Sound Outdoors, asked me if I wanted to try out gorge walking.

That was about a month ago and when the day eventually came for me to join him for an afternoon in a gorge, I still wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Indeed, when my colleagues in the office had asked me in the morning what I was doing that day, my response drew nothing but blank looks.

Gorge walking is one of the least well-known outdoor activities.

The term 'walking', for me, generally conjures an image of a nice leisurely stroll in the country on a summer's day – so that bit didn't sound too bad.

However, the fact that it was in a 'gorge' did make me wonder if that it might not be quite that placid.

Craig told me that I was going to be joining a group of teachers from Shrewsbury who were on a team-building exercise, but were happy to let me tag along.

He added that I should bring an old pair of trainers and a spare T-
shirt.

The old trainers seemed to make sense – it had been raining and the ground would undoubtedly be muddy, but in that case wouldn't a pair of boots be more appropriate? And why a spare T-shirt?

Surely, even in the heaviest of showers, a mackintosh or some other waterproof garment would eliminate the need for any change of under-clothing.

Anyway, I followed instructions and arrived at the Bridge End hotel in Llangollen in time to meet the group.

The teachers – four women and one man – having not long finished a light lunch, were eager to get on, so we left straight away.

We made our way to the village of Cynwyd, near Corwen and then proceeded up a steep hill into a forest.

We arrived at our destination and Craig and his fellow instructor, Jim Pearce, jumped out of the van and opened their back door.

The open doors revealed rows of wetsuits, helmets and buoyancy aids hanging in the back. At that point I conceded that this was not going to be the leisurely stroll I had secretly hoped for.

We were soon kitted out in the less than flattering gear and making our way down a path towards the sound of water.

Craig had given us a safety briefing and told us that if there was anything that we didn't feel comfortable with to let him know as there was always an alternative. I was beginning to get an idea of what lay ahead.

As we reached the river, we met another group of people in similar outfits, walking back up the hill.

They looked very wet, slightly weary but all wore beaming smiles, which suggested that whatever they had just undertaken they had enjoyed it.

A few minutes later we were in a river. We were making our way down stream, wading through the flowing river.

At first, the water came up to our waists. It was cold, but not too cold and the wetsuit soon started to do its job.

It was a natural river bed and so the floor was uneven; there were points where the water got much deeper and we often found its level suddenly, and rather unnervingly, reaching our necks.

Craig had forewarned us about this, though, and, although some of the group seemed a bit nervous at first, plenty of encouragement from the two instructors meant that soon everybody appeared to be settling into it.

The first 'obstacle' we reached was a man-made cascade. "Right, we're going to slide down this on our bums," said Craig.

"Make sure that you bend your knees as you come down to give you some cushioning when you reach the pool at the bottom.

"It is fairly deep but I'll go first and wait for you." So he did and one by one the group followed it down.

It turned out to be a fun exercise and one or two of the teachers, who now seemed to be really enjoying it, asked if we could do it again. But we pressed on.

"There's plenty more." Craig added with a smile. And he wasn't lying.

Because this was a team-building exercise, Craig had come up with some activities that would encourage the group to work 'as a team'.

We came to a natural 'slide'. It was a fairly narrow section, about five feet high and the water was faster flowing than it had been at the previous cascade.

Craig led the way and one by one the group followed.

Again the brief slide proved to be great fun for the person sliding and for those watching.

However, once we had all descended, Craig announced that the group were now going to attempt to go back up the fast flowing waterfall, working together to make sure everyone got there safely.

The one male teacher, Jonathan Penrose, went up first, taking time to find a secure foothold and hoisting himself up using the rocks either side.

He sat on top of the waterfall with his feet firmly supporting him.

Craig moved to the bottom and one by one the group helped each other to scramble up the slide.

Apart from Craig and Jim, I was the last up. It may not have been the most graceful ascent but, once at the top, there was a real sense of achievement looking down on where we had just been.

After that, we got out of the river and walked down the adjacent field to another section downstream.

The group now seemed to be really enjoying themselves and when we came to the next set of obstacles – a series of slides that were tackled either on one's front or backside – there was no hesitation from anyone.

Afterwards we proceeded to the last activity of the day. This was a jump from a rock into a waterfall plunge pool below.

Again this was done with a new-found confidence from the members of the group.

Afterwards we made our way back up to where we had started – very wet, slightly weary but all wearing a beaming smile.

* Safe and Sound outdoors' cater for individuals, families and large groups such as stag and hen parties.

The company specialises in team-building exercises and offer a wide range of activities including abseiling, high ropes courses, bushcraft, climbing, go karting, mountain biking, paintballing, mountain boarding, canoeing, white water rafting, hill walking, mine exploration and, of course, gorge walking. For more information, visit
www.sasoutdoors.co.uk or phone Craig on 07732 635 766.