With summer swiftly approaching and the national lockdowns finally beginning to ease, Packet reporter Ryan Morwood went to try out the climbing activities on offer at Cornwall's Via Ferrata.

Nestled in amongst an old granite quarry is Via Ferrata, a high-wire climbing course that takes inspiration (and its name) from the method used by troops to cross the Alps in World War 1 - using metal steps, ladders, suspension bridges and zip-wires.

The 60-acre site opened last summer and features some spectacular views of Falmouth bay and the Lizard Peninsula.

However, once the course began, the views looking out from the site became less of a priority and the views directly beneath my feet are what tended to be a focal point.

After gearing up and getting our safety briefing from instructors Gary and Hollie, we were shown how to navigate the joints connecting the wires around the cliff face - by angling our safety hook to fit through the thinner part of the clamp attaching the wires to the cliff face.

The first quarry we navigated was used to teach us the basics of how to via ferrata and test our ability to both lean out form the cliff and dangle from the wires, both of which felt unnatural at first but would soon become handy tricks for traversing the side of the old quarry.

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After the first half of climbing the first section we reached the wire suspension bridge, which was also the first time I realised I'd started to look down quite a lot.

After inching the first few steps onto the wire bridge, my mind was suddenly flooded with my entire life's experience of gravity and how it tended to work.

One foot after the other, steadily but surely, I began to look forward and not down, ignoring the terrible swaying that had suddenly begun now that there was more than one of us crossing at the same time.

After a few more steps, however, I'd found a rhythm and the rest of the bridge passed fairly easily.

Once that was done it was purely a case of climbing back up to the area we had started in, completing the first course.

By now I thought of myself as a cross between Sir Edmund Hilary and Spiderman and was thoroughly enjoying the process of finding a foothold, reaching up to grab the metal rails and hoisting myself into the next challenge.

Falmouth Packet: Via Ferrata: Well worth itVia Ferrata: Well worth it

Once we'd all finished, it was time to move on to the next part of our course, after a short loo break of course.

The second course we did was a little longer and involved a bit more climbing, which by this time I was absolutely buzzing for.

We didn't go all the way round the perimeter of the second quarry, instead we would go all the way along one face, then climb up a little higher and go back the other way, then repeat this until we reached the top.

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One of the hardest parts of this course was navigating the junctions that connected the guide wires.

In order to get our safety hooks over them, we needed to figure out how to thread the clip through the junction connector, which our instructor Hollie had previously warned us would be a chalenge if we hadn't come across one before.

It was.

After fiddling about for longer than I'm comfortable admitting, I was guided through the process and eventually let loose on the next section of rock face, somewhat questioning whether being a reporter had adequately equipped my problem solving skills.

After more climbing and ascending we reached the top and were told it might be a little too windy to do the zip line, however, because we'd been such a switched on group, the instructors were willing to give it a go.

We did eventually get to do the zip line and the views were quite something.

I cannot recommend enough zipping through the air tens of feet above an old quarry, this was definitely something I want to do again.

Overall, my experience at Via Ferrata was absolutely brilliant.

The way the course is set out means that people of all abilities are able to learn and then thoroughly enjoy the activities on offer and the instructors were both knowledgeable and approachable.

All of the proceeds from Via Ferrata also go towards BF Adventure, a Cornish charity that provides outdoor experiences for vulnerable young people, so what better reason to put your hand in your pocket and have a great time?

I will definitely be looking to have another go very soon.