Outdoor Adventure and Environmental Studies

Harness your passion for the outdoors to learn the environmental, societal and therapeutic benefits of nature and the environment.

Nestled in a UNESCO World Heritage site, our Ambleside Campus, located in the scenic Lake District, provides an unparalleled environment for studying biodiversity and immersing yourself in nature. Here, surrounded by therapeutic landscapes, you'll develop the skills needed for a fulfilling career in the great outdoors, using local fells, valleys and waters as your classroom.

Utilise the stores, where a plethora of equipment stands ready for your exploration. From climbing equipment to kayaks, where once validated you will be able to loan the equipment, ensuring an enriched experience in the stunning Lake District, and propelling your studies to new heights.

You will learn from academics with a passion for the environment and adventure, they will offer personalised support to guide you through your academic journey and ensure you make the most from your time in Ambleside.

Course Overview
Where better to study Outdoor Adventure and Environmental Studies than at the heart of nature itself? As a student at our Ambleside campus, you'll be surrounded by mountains, woodlands, rivers and lakes – making for a truly immersive learning experience.

Our course blends adventurous outdoor lifestyles with social and environmental awareness, tackling the ecological and cultural challenges of our time. You'll develop practical outdoor skills while investigating the environmental, ecological, and geographical processes that shape natural landscapes.

You’ll also explore how outdoor experiences can support health and wellbeing, with opportunities to engage in work-based projects in both outdoor and environmental settings. Field trips across the UK are a core part of the course, and you’ll have the chance to travel independently to Picos de Europa in Spain, gaining valuable international experience.

This immersive approach to learning prepares you for a variety of careers in environmental education, conservation, environmental management, or therapeutic outdoor practice.

On this course you will...
• Learn outdoors experientially to develop outdoor skills and explore contemporary environmental questions.



• Work with and for different outdoor and environmental organisations to gain hands-on experience and contacts with potential future employers.



• Explore how the outdoors has heath and wellbeing benefits and therapeutic applications.



• Learn in inspiring locations like the Lake District National Park, North Wales, Scotland, British coastline, and Spain (including a shared international expedition with Spanish students).



• Meet some of the most inspiring people and students, and have unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences.



What you will learn

In the context of this degree, environment has a broad meaning, for example: built, outdoor, indoor, ecological, geological, geographical, social, political, and historical as well as perceived, individual and emotional.

This programme immerses you in outdoor experiences as a vehicle to develop outdoor skills, environmental knowledge, contemporary and creative practice, communication and facilitation skills (working with people), personal ethics, and values. You will gain an understanding of not just the environment, but wider practices and management styles that occur within the UK and the wider world.

You will explore how people, places, and environments interact and develop curiosity, ideas, and a lifelong passion for learning. Our degree is a way of life that fully immerses you in outdoor learning, both theory and practice.

With campuses in the Lake District, Carlisle, Lancaster, Ambleside, Barrow, and London, you’ll be surrounded by natural beauty, supportive communities, and real opportunities.

With strong links to law firms, schools, NHS Trusts, creative agencies, and employers nationwide, we connect your learning directly to your future career.

Ranked the No. 1 university in the Northwest and in the Top 5 in the UK for Graduates into employment or further study within 15 months (97.5% of Graduates – Graduate Outcomes Survey, HESA 2026), Cumbria is a university focused on your future from day one.