Search for
Search for
Search forActive passion inspired Bruton business
Friday, November 21, 2008, 12:00
He has launched Experience Ardeche from his flat in Bruton in an effort to show others the hidden scenery and views he spent years getting to know as a river leader.
Mr Cummin is qualified as a teacher in outdoor activities including canoeing, archery, quad biking and shooting.
The 35-year-old said: "I worked as a river leader in the Ardeche. That was how I fell in love with the area. It was a great job but absolutely no pay.
"I taught myself to paddle. I did a lot of general activities but canoeing is my passion and speciality."
After being impressed by the hidden areas he uncovered while canoeing through the area, Mr Cummin decided to start up adult adventure breaks for activities, painting and photography.
He said: "I have an intimate knowledge of the area, of things that quite often the locals do not even know.
"The Ardeche is the type of place where you can go to an area and say 'I bet no man has been here before'. So much of it is inaccessible. It is like a lost world.
"There are so many possibilities I can do with the breaks. I enjoy photography and I have an artistic flare. The area captivates so much. It's a place I want other people to be able to explore."
The area contains the largest natural arch in Europe, The Pont d'Arc, as well as the Gorge de L'Ardeche, known as the French Grand Canyon.
The Chauvet Cave in the region contains some of the oldest cave paintings in the world, dated up to 32,000 years old. They were discovered in December 1994 by three cavers, and depict images of animals such as the ibex, mammoth and giant stags.
"They are the oldest cave paintings ever, showing perspective and movement 32,000 years ago," Mr Cummin said.
"What I can offer is my passion for the trip, something I have built over the years through coaching and teaching water sports, but enhanced with a love of the area."
Before launching his holiday website, Mr Cummin worked at the Mill on the Brue outdoor activity centre in Bruton as a senior activities instructor.
He said: "It is a centre for general activities, which include high ropes and canoeing.
"I was in charge of the water sports. I have always enjoyed working with young people and it was great to combine my passion for canoeing."
Early on in his coaching career, Mr Cummin worked with youngsters at the organisation Fairbridge in London.
He said: "We were looking after at-risk young people aged between 13-25; they were people who could have been kicked out of school and on the streets. A lot of them had never seen the sea before. We used to go camping. It was a lot of personal development for them.
"It was very rewarding but very hard work. I felt it was too focused on how many access the course. You need to follow it up and not have just one course."
At 18, he managed his own bookshop in Essex. He still teaches sport at schools in between running his website.
FOR more information, visit the website www.experienceardeche.com
"Knife crime is a scourge which claims too many lives and ruins countless others." James Brokenshire, shadow home affairs minister
Comment on this story