Thoughts from a Trainee Instructor….

Posted on by Gareth Davies

Written by Arthur Fearnall.

I moved to the Arete Centre in April 2019 to begin my Trainee Scheme, having graduated from the University of Central Lancashire the year before with a degree in Adventure Sports Coaching it was the next logical step in my career progression. I soon found that Llanrug offered the ideal location to get out and about on adventures, as you’re never more than 45 minutes from the coastline of Anglesey or the mountains and rivers of Snowdonia.

The appeal of the Arete Centre is the wide variety of activities they offer, including those not covered by NGBs such as Coasteering and Gorge Walking. I’m constantly having to explain to my friends and family that all our activities take place off-site using the natural environment of the National Park. It’s this ability to get involved on an almost daily basis with all the activities that Arete offers, that has created the opportunity to build and develop a wide array of both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills for the outdoors.


During my year at Arete Centre I was able to achieve my DofE expedition assessor qualification and got to work with numerous DofE groups throughout the summer. I passed my Rock Climbing Instructor Assessment in February and developed my own personal skills in Sea Kayaking and Canoeing. However, the real appeal behind working at centre is the family ethos and sense of team spirit that brings everyone together; whether that be on our staff climbing trip to Malta, or just having some banter with the instructors and kitchen staff.

During my first month I was busy one morning prepping my kit for a day sea kayaking, when Rod, one of the senior instructors pulled into the centre. Unplanned, he was also going sea kayaking and with out hesitation invited me along as well. For me this personifies that ‘family ethos’ of Arete, as well as the ability to work alongside and benefit from the wealth of knowledge and experience at the centre.

Come September I start my PGCE in Outdoor Activities at the University of Bangor, but as I’ll only be living a short 10 minute cycle from the centre I can safely say that Arete hasn’t seen the last of me.

3,716 thoughts on “Thoughts from a Trainee Instructor….”

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