North Yorkshire outdoor adventure centre secures £66k EU funding for major extension

How Stean Gorge, the outdoor adventure centre and visitor attraction near Harrogate, has been awarded a £66k EU grant which will part-fund a £175k extension to the centre.

How Stean Gorge’s new 1,000 sq ft extension will include floor-to-ceiling glass walls looking out into the gorge canopy and a cantilevered glass floor enabling visitors to see down into the depths of the ravine.

The new facility, due for completion in April next year, will be used for corporate and educational away-day sessions as well as special events, weddings and private dining.

The 20m-deep, 1km-long limestone gorge, which was acquired by owners Stan and Ann Beer and Keith Boardall in 2007, has been developed from a walk-through cave and footpath into a full outdoor pursuits centre with a campsite, two bunkbarns and community Post Office.

The centre offers adventure activities such as canoeing, gorge scrambling, abseiling and caving to corporate groups, families, as well as stag and hen parties, and has one of only two high-wire ‘via ferrata’ climbing courses in England.

Stan Beer said: “We’re really proud to have designed a space that has a real wow factor and makes the most of this incredibly special place.

“The outdoor adventure aspect of the business has increased dramatically in recent years and we have also outgrown our current indoor capacity as the popularity of the restaurant has taken off.

“The fantastic new extension will help position How Stean to expand into new markets, increase bookings and encourage longer visitor stays, which will all boost the long-term sustainability and profitability of this rural business.”

The extension, designed by Nidderdale architectural designer James Robinson, will also create two new jobs, taking the workforce at the gorge to 12.

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