Meet the Staff

ProAdventure is run by husband and Wife Peter and Lesley Carol with a team of adventurous staff.

ProAdventure has grown out of Peter’s 30 years of experience of working in outdoor adventure training and holidays and Lesley Carol’s 30+ years of customer service experience.

Peter Carol is highly trained and qualified in leading and coaching in the outdoors, and ran an outdoor adventure activity business for 25 years. Originally training in Mathematical Engineering, Peter chose a less corporate route and has now lived in North Wales for most of his life.

Lesley Carol has spent all of her life adventuring. She has expeditioned in the UK and Chile and has qualified as a Canoe River Leader. She also trained as a Mountain Leader and Nordic Walking Coach and holds the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Together with their outdoorsy staff team Peter and Lesley run a shop that is a treasure trove of interesting, practical, unusual and high quality outdoor adventure gear, camping and outdoor living equipment, clothing and tents.

Tom Bentley

My mother always used to say that I was ‘born in a barn’ because I would leave all the doors open. To this day I struggle to close doors as I like to feel the breeze and the connection to the outside. I was born in Oswestry Shropshire but moved to Glyn Ceiriog just before my fourth birthday. I was probably the last generation to grow up without much modern technology.

Glyn Ceiriog is a small little village in the Berwyn Mountain range in North Wales. We could pick up three channels on TV and apart from that there was very little to do except play outside and explore the hills. We used to have a curfew of when the street lights came on and from the age of 10 could regularly be found miles away from home exploring. Probably considered dangerous by today’s parenting standards, but that was the norm back then. My first true love was Mountain Biking. I got my first proper bike at Christmas when I was 10, a stunning black British Eagle, which was way too big for me, but I didn’t care. I remember skipping Xmas dinner to go ride around Nantyr Forest and I have been hooked ever since.

For a career I never really wanted to go down the instructor route, possibly due to getting frustrated by slowcoaches and lacking some empathy! I am also not a big fan of water as I get cold very easily, twice having hypothermia. I don’t mind being cold as I can always put on some warmer layers and I don’t mind being wet when its not cold. However, if I’m wet and cold, I get very naggy and will often spit my dummy out and want to go home, not great if you are a river guide in North Wales! I have always loved selling things and the outdoors, so what better way to combine both and work for an outdoor equipment shop.

I have always liked to try new things and experiences and have had many during the years, including living in Northern Finland for three months during Autumn/Winter, highlights were a three-day sea kayaking trip camping on small islands along the way, it was dry, so I didn’t mind being cold. Also meeting some hunters during the Elk season and trying fresh Elk by the campfire after warming up in traditional log fired Finnish Sauna.

A trip to Ecuador saw me descend Cotapaxi Volcano on my bike and enjoying a rafting trip on the Quijos River on class 4-5 rapids, it was hot, so I didn’t mind being wet.

I currently live in Llangollen, with my wife, step daughter and Jack Russell dog and enjoy summer camping, dog walking and of course Mountain Biking!!!!

Who would be your dream dinner guest?
Bill Hicks (Don’t watch if easily offended)

Did you have a childhood role model?
Steve Pete

What is your favourite outdoor item?
My Paramo Jackets!

One skill or talent that will surprise people you know?
I can juggle (my life and balls!!)

If you had to survive on a desert island what 5 items would you take from the shop?
SAS Survival Guide, Gransfors Small Forest Axe, Tentipi Safir 9 (with all the extras), LedLenser MT14 Torch, Netherton 12” glamping pan.

Ray Lindley

Having spent lots of my childhood outdoors, I started walking the hills, camping, mountain biking, climbing and even kayaking as a teenager. Through the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and my Sixth Form College I learned skills and began travelling further afield to climb and walk in Snowdonia the Peak District, the Lake District, and ski in Scotland and Norway.

Over the following years I have studied Outdoor Education, Climbed rock and Ice in the US, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Norway, as well as all over the U.K.

For a couple of years I volunteered with the local Mountain Rescue team N.E.W.S.A.R.

I currently volunteer with the Scouts, helping with training and Duke of Edinburgh expeditions amongst other things.

I am qualified as a Mountain Leader and a Rock Climbing Instructor and am working towards becoming a Mountaineering Instructor.

My climbing has not been restricted to Rock and Ice, it has also included tree climbing having spent 10yrs working as an arborist.

Somehow, along the way, I managed to find the time to get married and have 3 children.

Sarah

I’ve hiked up Snowdon many times now. To see the sun rise and even carrying up a 200kg metal T-rex sculpture (with a team of people for charity), but mostly just for fun.

My favourite route up is the Rhyd Ddu path as it is quieter than the Pyg and Llanberis routes. I’ve enjoyed walks up Cader Idris and Y Garn with its breath-taking views over the Ogwen Valley. Snowdonia really does make you feel small, with a landscape so EPIC!

Over the years I’ve come to realise that when you’re hiking over 1000m above sea level or to the most remote parts of Wales, you need kit you can trust and are comfortable in and this is how I became to know about Proadventure.

Clive Gibney

As a kid I loved being outside. “I’m going out do my work” I would say to my parents. Then proceeded to dig in the sand pit for hours, or build another den. I had limited access to technology then, however as I moved into my teens that changed and my life was consumed by Gears of War and Call of Duty.

Seven years ago I accidentally rode, or rather fell, down a mountain bike downhill trail in my local woods. When I’d reached the bottom my dads bike was in bits, chain snapped, wheels bent and the v-brakes melted. Within two weeks I had a bike with some suspension, round wheels and most importantly brakes!
Those few minutes that it took me to reach the bottom completely redefined who I am today. With my love for the outdoors rekindled, my life had changed forever.

Now
I now work as an outdoor instructor and raft guide in North Wales, whilst also maintaining a part time job here at Pro Adventure. Working in the shop forces me to rest my body, although not always the case! Like any outdoor enthusiast I love talking outdoor kit. Being through my Mountain Leader, Rock Climbing Instructor and Canoe & Kayak coaching awards has given me lots of knowledge to help customers choose the right product.

Having been bitten by the climbing bug after a long love, hate, fall relationship I am currently working towards my MIA. Its a great excuse to go climbing right?!

Who would be your dream dinner guest?
David Attenborough

Did you have a childhood role model?
I have little interest in football these days as there much more superior sports (IMO). However Steven Gerrard was and still is one of the greatest role models for kids and adults like. A true leader by example.

Unfortunately I didn’t know what white water kayaking was when i was a kid or Evan Garcia would be firmly at the top of the list.

What is your favourite outdoor item?
I’m struggling to narrow it down to one item however I couldn’t go far with out my Nanopresso. Everything is easier after coffee! A special mention to Horizon socks, Paramo and my Primus ETA Solo stove.

One skill or talent that will surprise people you know?
Pretty skilled at levitating a malteser before i munch it!

If you had to survive on a tropical island what 5 items would you take from the shop?
Gransfors Scandinavian Forest Axe, Casstrom Lars Falt Knife, Wilmas Tinderbox kit, Petromax FT6 Dutch Oven, Signal Mirror

Laura

I grew up in the Midlands countryside, building dens and enjoying weekend walks/hikes with my family. My love for other outdoor activities came when I went to University - I joined climbing/mountaineering and archery clubs. After university I came to live in rural North Wales with my other half. I carried on doing hiking/mountaineering and picked up woodworking/carving, camping and bushcraft.

I’ve spent many nights outdoors with various sleep systems – in a hammock, ground camping in a bivi bag, on a camp bed under a tarp and in a tent. I have even tagged along on a Canoe/wild camping trip to Norway without having done any canoeing before!

Nowadays you’ll mostly find me enjoying walking the family dog and looking after various animals - I live and work on a farm (when not working at Pro Adventure!).

Pro Adventure was the one shop I knew in Llangollen, as it has so much awesome stuff and caters for a lot of the activities I do! When I found out they were looking for staff, I snapped up the opportunity! Pete and Lesley (the owners of ProAdventure) are committed to being an eco friendlier business, which is something I am passionate about as well (and why I use regenerative farming practices at home). I am really happy to be working for a local independent company who shares the same values as I do.

If you had to survive on a desert island what 5 items would you take from the shop?

SAS Survival Guide, Gransfors Small Forest Axe, Tentipi Safir 9 (with a floor, drying rail and stove…does that still count as one item?!), LedLenser MT14 Torch, Netherton 12” glamping pan

Top 3 Favourite brands?

Woolpower - partly because of the name! Also because wool is a natural material, as well as being wonderfully breathable and cosy.

Close second is Petromax, as I like having a fire when camping and prefer cooking with cast iron equipment

Thirdly Paramo - although I only have a few paramo items, I am glad of how ethical/eco-friendly they are and they perform so well!

Beckie

I think because my father spent so much time out in the elements as an agricultural worker, he wasn’t keen on the idea of adventurous outdoor activities in his time off, and in the village where I grew up, these didn’t seem to be available to me. Dad challenged the status quo when he saw the damage that some pesticides were doing and campaigned successfully, for change. Like him, I have always loved the natural environment and so after studying art I went on to gain a degree in Environmental Planning and a PGDip distinction in Countryside Management. My postgrad studies involved being out on the hill most days, mountain camping in snow storms, kayaking, biviing and lots of standing on waterlogged moors identifying mosses. I managed to fit in some long distance walking and lots of stone wall building, hedgelaying, hurdle making, bird box and polecat surveying and much more in my spare time. I moved to Llangollen in the mid 90’s to work at the YHA Activity Centre where I first met Lesley and Pete. The next summer was spent living in a one room log cabin in the Vermont hills working at a forest and farmland centre with just a plank of wood for a bed, with lots of outdoor work and hiking the trails, followed by camping and travelling. Many years later, much conservation volunteering and the diverse CV of a rural employee I gave up my ALN role at a local school to work here with Lesley an Pete. It is a lovely place to work, with friendly colleagues and bosses whose admirable ethics and high standards run through every part of the business.