Stewart R Cunningham Outdoor Centres is an established business with a history of over thirty years trading independently in the outdoor sector. The business is still owned and run by the Cunningham family and continues to develop, aiming to reward customer loyalty by offering the best choice to the outdoor enthisiast, backed by excellent customer service. We've included a history of the company, with the milestones in its 36 year development.

Ambleside (1971-present)

1971: Stewart and Pamela Cunningham bought 1 Rydal Road, Ambleside. At this time the property was a cottage and had formerly been a Cobbler's shop. 6 weeks later trading as a gift shop began from the premises under the name Bridge Cottage Crafts. 

1976: 2 Rydal Road (May Turners sweet shops) was acquired. This purchase was made to give extra space for the planned switch to the outdoor retail sector. Alterations were carried out to merge the premises and Stewart R Cunningham Outdoor Centre opened for business.

 1987: The opportunity to expand with the purchase of 3 Rydal Road, formerly a petrol station and forecourt, allowed the store to offer an even better choice of products for the outdoor enthusiast. In the past the premises had been a wheelwright's workshop and this is evident from the display of historic machinery in what is now the rucksack room.

2001: Ionian House was converted from a guest house into offices and a Jack Wolfskin concept "shop-in-shop", an area of the store given over exclusively to the Jack Wolfskin brand.In addition, the buildings were extended to the rear, creating the large, spacious store we now enjoy, with its ample natural light and 300-year old well located within the building.

Also in 2001, A Taste of Lakeland speciality food hall and tearoom was built on the forecourt of 3 Rydal Rd. This building won the civic award for the sensitive way in which it blended with the existing architecture.  The tearoom is ideal for refreshments before or after a days walking (or shopping). Amongst our customers we can count no less a figure than Gordon Ramsey, who called in several times whilst knocking the nearby Glass House restaurant into shape!

2004: We added a covered patio area for the tearoom which has also been used for food tasting days.

2006: The store underwent a makeover, with a new book department and lounge area, as well as the tearoom being extended and rebranded as the Stewart R Cunningham Outdoor Centres Cafe.

We are very proud of this, our flagship store and head office, and feel privileged to trade in such picturesque surroundings and in a town that  hasgrown over the past 37 years into a major destination for walking in the Lake District

 Hawes (1980-present)

1980:  Bought and began trading from a large double fronted shop known as the Emporium on Market Place, Hawes. The shop had formerly been a grocery shop and a pub with cellars. The rear of the shop had been a salt store and the room above had been the rehearsal space for Hawes Silver Band.

in 1984and again in 1994 the shop underwent major alterations,  creating a holiday cottage to the rear (details here).

Hawes is a on the popular Pennine Way route and a convenient stopping off point along the way. Viewers of the drama All Creatures Great And Small will find the area familiar  - it was filmed in and around the village. 

Kirkby Lonsdale (1983 - 1988) 

The Kirkby Lonsdale branch was a former haberdashery shop on two floors, but owing to its small size it was sold in 1988 to fund the purchase of 3 Rydal Road.

Betws-y-Coed (1994-present) 

The Betws store stands on the banks of the Afon Llungwy next to the pont-y-Pair bridge.  The store was purchased in 1994 as a gift shop. It was Walls ice cream's biggest account in Wales, and all of this had to be sold off, together with the gift stock. Following a refit the shop opened in 1994.

Major milestones in the shop's development include the building of a large extension in 1999 together with the conversion of the upstairs flat into a boot room and rucksack area. A refit has just been completed (Jan 2007) with Jack Wolfskin designed shopfittings being installed to create a shop area specific to the leading German outdoor brand.

The website is also managed from Betws, it was launched in 1997 and underwent a total redevelopment in August 2006 using sophisticated content management software and up-to-date security measures and dedicated hosting.

The store has won several awards in its 13 year history, including Go Outdoors Welsh retailer of the year in 2002 and Paramo's Premier Retailer of the year in 2005/06 and 2006/07.

Grasmere (2000 - present) 

The grasmere store was originally run as a sattelite store to Ambleside, however in 2005 it underwent a relaunch as Jack Wolfskin Grasmere ,and is the UK's only dedicated Jack Wolfskin retailer.

Grasmere is on Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk and the village is also famous as Wordsworth's home; the poet's family graves are in the local churchyard.

Newton Stewart (2005 - Present) 

 Our most northerly store, Newton Stewart is a town in the Galloway Hills of southwestern Scotland. The store was bought as 3 high street units in a poor state of repair which were renovated and converted into one large spacious store on two levels.

The area is billed as Scotland's best kept secret, and contains 24 2000ft plus peaks from which some stunning views can be gained - on a clear day the Highlands, the Isle of Man, Ireland and the Lake District can all be seen.

Phase two of the development begins in spring 2007 but it's a secret so I'll say no more about it!