Guided study tour programmes in the Lake District and Cumbria

Hidden Lakeland Long Tern Study for Japanese Students

The stunning natural beauty of the English Lake District provides a wonderful destination for attractive and innovative study abroad programmes for Japanese students visiting the UK.

Combined with the rich cultural and literary heritage, wealth of places of historical interest and natural diversity, this World Heritage Site makes a great choice for Japanese universities seeking to enhance their global offering through English-language educational and international cultural exchange activities designed to complement their existing programmes.

We welcome enquiries from any university and can provide options for one to two-week study tour programmes in the Lake District and the surrounding region.

Hidden Lakeland work with an extensive range of partner organisations in Cumbria to provide a ‘full service’ offering, including:

  • Transfers from Windermere station
  • Affordable accommodation in the heart of the Lake District, at the University of Cumbria’s campus in Ambleside
  • Sustainable transport between accommodation and attractions and places of interest
  • Structured course content encompassing themes such as literature and environmentalism, tourism, Sustainable Development Goals, zero-carbon societies, conservation and sustainable communities
  • Innovative programme content featuring specialist lectures and workshops from experts / practitioners from the academic, business, local government and charity sectors
  • Options to participate in voluntary activities, English language study and international exchange, to deepen knowledge and intercultural awareness
  • Fully guided themed excursions supplementing the study programme delivered by guides with a proven track record of delivering educational programmes and tours
  • Supporting course material to meet your students’ needs
  • Return transfers as required

By arranging accommodation and transport provision and visits to all attractions alongside itinerary design and the provision of specialist lectures, Hidden Lakeland offers a one-stop-shop approach to organising and running tours that saves on hands-on involvement and administrative headaches for the universities selecting our programmes.

Staff, teachers, and parents alike can enjoy peace of mind, knowing that full pastoral as well as academic support is available to students in Japanese where needed.

Download Long-Term Study Programmes for Japanese Students (PDF)

What time of year should we visit?

There are things to do in the Lake District at any time of year. Autumn and spring can be particular attractive.

What size of groups can be accommodated?

We can accommodate groups of 8 to 20 members, depending on the accommodation provider and method of transportation chosen for your visit.

What age ranges are these suitable for?

Our one to two-week study programmes target students from 18-years-old onwards. Study programmes where at least one member of staff from the student’s home institution is present could be designed for younger children (ie, high-school students from 15- to 18-years-old) upon request.

What kind of students will benefit most from Hidden Lakeland’s weekend study tours?

These tours will be of interest to students with an interest in English, geography, local community, environmental communication, conservation, nature and literature, tourism and sustainable tourism.

What additional activities can be included?

Language tuition and communication workshops are available upon request, along with a host of additional outdoor activities which include but are not limited to hiking, canoeing, cycling, sailing, ghyll scrambling. All the partners chosen to provide such activities have the relevant qualifications and accreditation to ensure students’ safety, education and enjoyment.

Are Hidden Lakeland qualified and accredited to provide these activities?

Hidden Lakeland partners exclusively with qualified and accredited providers to implement safe and exciting activity programmes of the highest standard, led and facilitated by Hidden Lakeland’s founder, Dr Tracey Gannon.

Tracey has a BA in English Literature and a PhD in Japanese Literature from the University of Cambridge and MA degrees in Japanese Studies and Japanese Literature awarded by the University of Sheffield and Ritsumeikan University respectively, as well as extensive experience teaching environmental communication and sustainability to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Kyoto.

She spearheaded the Tertiary Education for Sustainable Development Initiative – a Japanese government-funded model approach for tertiary-level sustainability education – from 2011 to 2015; she also served as an international adviser on a Super Global High School sustainability education project for 15- to 18-year-olds at Shiga Prefectural Moriyama High School from 2014 to 2017.

Tracey co-organised her first ten-day sustainability tour for students during this period – bringing 17 students from Shiga Prefectural Moriyama High School to the UK in 2016.