Outdoor Education Centres celebrate 60 years
Mountain biking
A celebration of 60 years of outdoor education took place on Saturday (10/10/26) marking a milestone for the North Wales Outdoor Education Service and its two residential centres at Nant Bwlch yr Haearn (Nant BH) and Pentrellyncymer.
The event, which took place at Nant BH Outdoor Education Centre near Llanrwst on Saturday, was attended by past and present staff along with former attendees who have benefited from the host of activities offered by the two centres over the years.
The Centres are managed by Conwy County Borough Council. They provide high quality outdoor learning and residential experiences through a range of outdoor activities which are on offer to young people from across North Wales.
At Nant BH the old school building, which originally served the local mining community, was repurposed and has been added to over the decades. Now the centre’s facilities are praised by those who attend a wide range of residential courses for school groups, regular day courses for groups with specific needs and referral work with families.
Pentrellyncymer Centre near Cerrigydrudion has continued to develop school residential courses with a range of exciting activities including canoeing on Llyn Brenig and mountain biking.
Cllr Aaron Wynne, Conwy’s Cabinet Member for Education, said, “We’re proud that these two centres have offered a wealth of experiences for children from across the six North Wales Local Authorities. Having enjoyed visits to both Nant BH and Pentrellyncymer as a child myself, I know first-hand the positive impact these experiences can have on young people. So many people who had attended residential courses at the Centres over the years were at the event on Saturday, and had benefited from the time they had spent there.”
Both centres operate at the very highest standards in terms of quality and safety and are recognised by the AHOEC Gold Standard accreditation, Learning Outside the classroom Quality badge and current AALA Licence.
Alongside the residential offer for schools, the Outdoor Education Service continues to expand work with social services and is looking forward to an exciting new partnership with Bangor University delivering outdoor programmes to families as a health intervention.
Contact Nant BH or Pentrellyncymer by email: nwoes@conwy.gov.uk or call Nant BH Centre on 01492 640735
Nant BH and Pentre — Homepage
Posted on 16/10/2026