Family Activity Holiday Centres

Specialist Reports Activity Holidays Activity Holidays Family Activity Holiday Centres 

Adventure Cornwall

Lombard Farm, Mixtow, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1NA
tel: 01726 870844

A family-run business owned by David and Catherine Collin who have three children. David leads activities in Canadian canoeing on the Fowey River, rock climbing and abseiling on Bodmin Moor and moorland expeditions on Dartmoor, including overnight wild camping.

Location Based close to the town of Fowey and the Fowey River, Cornwall.

Dates Year-round.

Activities Family or small group tailor-made adventure days, including paddling on the river Fowey in a Canadian canoe, guided Dartmoor 'expeditions', or rock climbing on Bodmin Moor. The activity is tailored to suit the participant and make the experience enjoyable; however, there is a requirement to be relatively fit and not be suffering from any medical condition that might be exacerbated by physical exertion.

Ages 4+.

Accommodation Two 4-star self-catering cottages each sleeping up to six, suitable in both summer and winter, with underfloor heating and wood burning stoves. There is also a small camping area available in the summer.

Sample Price Cottages up to £1,160 for a week in high season; activities from £35 per person for half a day (25% discount for under 18s).

Adventure International

The Waterfront Centre, Belle Vue, Bude, Cornwall EX23 8JP
tel: 08707 775111

An activity centre offering family weeks during the school summer holidays.

Location Bude, Cornwall.

Dates School summer holidays (usually last week of July and all of August).

Activities Canoeing, abseiling, climbing, surfing, body boarding, assault course, high ropes, team challenge, caving and more.

Ages Activities are for children aged 8+.

Accommodation Twin and family rooms available.

Sample Price £205 per week per adult, £175 for children 8-16 years, £99 for 3-7 years, under 3s free. Price includes all food, accommodation, activities for over-8s, instruction and equipment.

Alp Active

Unit 10, Chesterton Mill, French's Rd, Cambridge CB4 3NP
(0845) 120 9872
alpactive
A family specialist set up in 1990, also running a mountain bike companybased in Les Gets. Two British resort directors live in the village and canoffer the advantage of their experience of the area. The company specialises in mountain biking and trained guides are available to show guests the best routes around the area.Location Les Gets, not far from Morzine.
Location Les Gets, not far from Morzine, with a second centre due to open at Lake Annecy.
Dates Mid-June to mid-September.
Activities Work on a pick and mix basis with access to free lake swimming, lake play area with zip wire, junior play park etc, archery, grass skiing, grass scooters, telecabine and chair lift rides, children's merry go round, and tourist train rides. Also available are canyoning (12+, involves abseiling, wading, sliding and jumping down a gorge and waterfalls), white water rafting including an option specifically for children 7-12 years, kayak rafting (14+), hydrospeed (12+), via ferrata (11+, cliff ascents attached to a fixed cable), pony trekking (8+), mountain biking (12+ or special sessions for 8+), mountain discovery trek (6+), adventure park (8+, an assault course), golf, day excursion to Chamonix, Annecy or Geneva, and tennis. For young children there's trampolining, a bouncy castle, electric fly, and crazy golf. Note that all activities must be paid for.
Ages From babies up, the range of activity options increasing as the children get older.
Accommodation Self-catering apartments or catered chalets. Up to 18 guests stay in the chalets, which are run by a chef and two hosts. There is a three-course evening meal with wine and earlier option for children if wished. Chalets have grassy areas for ball games.Extras Each chalet has access to cots, bedding and other equipment. There is also a selection of toys and games suitable for all age groups.
Childcare A guide price for the kids' clubs would be £75 for two days, £105
for three, and £150 for five. Participation includes a free Les Gets Magic Pass offering archery, glass skiing, grass scooters, cable cars and chair lift, merry-go-round, Petit train around the village, music museum, and unlimited use of the swimming lake and play area. The clubs run five days a week 10am to 4pm (Wednesday is staff day off); age grouping is flexible depending on the children and activities available, but is roughly 4-6 and 7-12. Activity leaders organise games, sports and play themes. For babies and toddlers, there's a creche service (prices to be confirmed). Evening babysitting is available for a further fee. Staff are a mix of qualified childcarers and experienced play leaders.
Extras Each chalet has access to cots and bedding, high chairs, bottles, teats and sterilisers, trainer cups, plastic spoons, bowls, a selection of baby foods, drinks, milk powder, off the shelf children medicines, nappies sold at cost, baby wipes, tissues, talcum powder, potties, stairgates, fireguards, plastic Pelican bibs, baby bouncer, night lights, baby alarms. In addition playrooms have toys for all ages, books, games, paints, paper, small chairs, small table, TV, video players, children's films and cartoons. Ferry crossings, flights and stopover hotels can be arranged.
Sample Price In August in a catered chalet: £425 for an adult for one week, £315 for a child 2-12 years. These prices include a Dover-Calais ferry crossing or an airport transfer for those who choose to fly to Geneva. Stop-over hotels en-route can be arranged.

Bowles Outdoor Centre

Sandhill Lane, Eridge Green, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9LW
(01892) 665 665
Describing itself as one of the south of England's leading residential outdoor centres, operating since the late ‘60s, with both day and residential courses. Mainly catering to schools, 'in all situations we are very conscious of our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards of safety. There is a comprehensive list of safety precautions which parents and participants are welcome to inspect,' says the brochure. Bowles is a British Canoe Union-approved centre and caters to a maximum of 94 at any one time with groups no larger than 12, or eight for canoeing.
Location The centre is in Eridge Green, five miles south of Tunbridge Wells.
Dates On demand for groups of four or more.
Activities Climbing, abseiling, skiing, orienteering, rope courses and kayaking in the site's pool or in the river. Tailor-made options for a day, weekend or longer can include whatever mix of activities are required.
Ages 9+.
Accommodation Available on site where in addition to dormitory accommodation there is lodge accommodation with en suite double and single rooms. Dormitories sleep four.
Sample Price A peak period weekend break (two nights at the centre) of multi-activities for a group of ten or more would cost £125 for under 18s and £150 for adults, including all activities, food and accommodation. There is a supplement for small groups of 20% for a group of six; quotes for other numbers are available on request. For more information see Holiday Camps.

Brancaster Millennium Activity Centre

Dial House, Brancaster Staithe, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8BW
(01485) 210 719
nationaltrust.org.uk/brancaster
Location In a recently renovated 17th-century building with views over salt marshes and sand dunes.
Dates Days, weekends and weeks at February half term, Easter, May half term and in the summer are designed for families. There are also arts and crafts days for children only during half terms.
Activities On the family courses sailing, kayaking, cycling and more.
Ages 8-14.
Accommodation Bedrooms with en suite bathroom or shower and washbasin. Food freshly cooked, locally produced on the premises.
Sample Price For a week in August £148-£221 per person, depending on age. There is a discount for those not participating in the activities.

Gwersyll Yr Urdd

Llangronnog, Llandysul, Ceredigion SA44 6AE
(01239) 654 473
urdd.org
A centre in operation since 1932, catering for up to 350 people.
Location West Wales coast.
Dates Family weekends take place at Easter, August bank holiday, and New Year.
Activities Skiing, horse riding, swimming, go-karting, rollerblading, tobogganing, rope course, quad biking, folk dancing.
Ages From newborn welcome but no babysitting available. Children from 8 can participate in supervised activities without parents. Otherwise, will aim to let children participate as much as possible, for example sitting on the go-kart or quad bike together with an older one. Horse riding have had children from 3 years, with an adult walking either side.
Accommodation Each family has its own en suite room, sleeping up to six. Four meals provided each day.
Sample Price Two nights adults £96 with four meals per day, activities and accommodation, children 8-16 years £75, 4-7 years £56, 2-3 £38, under 2 free.

Marlborough College

Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1PA
(01672) 892 388
marlboroughcollege
A summer school which sees around 3,000 visitors a year over the three weeks it operates at the end of July into the beginning of August. There are both courses for adults and for 'young people and children'. Evening entertainment includes two Gala Performances per week plus lectures, recitals and other options. Younger visitors are divided into
Junior Troopers (3-6 years), Children's Activities (6-10 years), Young Adventurers (10-12 years), and teenagers (13-17 years) although these last may be sub-divided for some activities so that they can find their level.
Location Marlborough.
Dates Three weeks from mid-July into beginning of August.
Activities A wide range from pottery to clowning, cooking, fly fishing, jazz dance, shooting, photography, multi-sport, paper engineering, outdoor adventure, golf, karate, tennis, graphic design, woodland installation and style and makeup for teenage girls. For the adult the range is around three times as large with options including arts and crafts, landscapes and architecture, literature and creative writing, languages, history, art history and culture, music, theatre and dance, technology and science, body and mind, life skills and careers, sports, games, hobbies and country pursuits.
Ages 3+.
Accommodation Modern purpose-built or recently refurbished houses with kitchenettes, meeting areas, TV and games rooms, with a choice of single or twin rooms, young people's dormitories and family rooms.
Sample Price A week's accommodation and board in a family room is £229 per adult and £125 per child. On top of this, courses for both adults and kids start at £110 for five half days.

Outdoor Adventure

Atlantic Court, Widemouth Bay, nr Bude, Cornwall EX23 0DF
(01288) 362 900
outdooradventure
An outdoor activity centre approved by the Royal Yachting Association, British Surfing Association, British Canoe Union and AALA.
Location Cornwall.
Dates Last week of July and all of August.
Activities Surfing, body boarding, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, climbing, abseiling, coasteering and coastal walking.
Ages If participating 7+, younger if parents can provide care.
Accommodation In the centre overlooking the bay which houses up to 40 guests. Facilities include residents' bar and patio, video and TV room, drying room, laundry, showers, pay phone, secure equipment store and climbing wall.
Sample Price For an adult on a three-day course would be £249 including all board, lodgings, tuition fees and equipment hire, £105 for a non-participating adult, £175 for a participating child to 16 years, £90 non-participating child. Five-day prices also available.

PGL Family Active

PGL Activity Holidays, Alton Court, Penyard Lane, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 5GL.
(08700) 507 507
pgl
Specialist operator PGL Travel offers activity holidays for the whole family - from the youngest to the oldest, single parents and grandparents - at 11 centres across the UK and France. Whether it's an action-packed weekend away, Easter, Christmas, half-term or summer break, each PGL centre provides full-board accommodation and fully supervised activities. For single-parent families it's an ideal opportunity to socialise with other families, and if the parent and children occupy the same room there is no single supplement.
Location Chateau de Grande Romaine in Paris; Hameau les Ages in the Dordogne; Chateau du Tertre in Normandy; Barton Hall in South Devon; Loch Ranza on the Isle of Arran in Scotland; Boreatton Park in Shropshire; Caythorpe Court in Lincolnshire; Marchants Hill in Surrey; Little Canada on the Isle of Wight; Osmington Bay in Dorset; Dalguise in Perthshire.
Dates Varies according to the centre. Some are summer-only, others all-seasons.
Activities A vast array which varies according to the centre, but can include raft building, canoeing, abseiling, zip wire, boules, ball sports, climbing, orienteering, swimming, trapeze, dragon boating, initiative exercises, mountain biking, sailing, windsurfing, beach games, camp craft, dry slope skiing, circus skills and fishing. You do need to be able to swim 25m to take part in some water activities.
Ages Ideal for children over 6. Younger children and babies are welcome, but may not be able to take part in many activities. Baby equipment including cots is available at some centres; request details when booking. No child care is available.
Accommodation Clean and basic rather than luxurious and some rooms have bunk beds. Bedding is supplied but you will need to bring your own towels. Rooms are either en suite or have a private bathroom nearby with the exception of The Campsite at Boreatton Park where there is a shower/toilet block for the exclusive use of Family Active guests.
Sample Price Seven nights in August at Chateau de Grande Romaine (self-drive) costs £366 per adult, £345 for a child aged 6-18 and £165 aged 2-5. Three nights at Barton Hall costs £167 per adult; £121 per child aged 6-18 and £74 aged 2-5. Accommodation, all meals, daytime activities, instruction, equipment, use of centre facilities and a social evening programme of treasure hunts, team games and discos are included in the price. Most holidays are self-drive, but coach travel is available to two of the centres in France.

Raasay Outdoor Centre

Raasay House, Isle of Raasay, by Kyle, Scotland IV40 8PB
(01478) 660 266
raasay-house
An RYA- and AALA-licensed centre running since the mid ‘80s, which prides itself on 'a flexible and individual service'.
Location On the Scottish island of Raasay just to the east of Skye. The centre provides a guide to the island's walks and forest trails. All transport on the island is provided.
Dates Mid-March to late October.
Activities Multi-Activity Adventures covers sailing, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, abseiling, coasteering, crating, archery, orienteering and island expeditions in a programme that runs throughout the day and late into the evening. In addition, half- and full-day activities are also available for those staying on Raasay or on a quick visit from Skye.
Ages The centre welcomes all ages. Multi-Activity Adventures are suitable for adults and children 8+. Children are welcome to come with their parents or unaccompanied. For under 8s there are 'fun days' which include treasure hunts for the Silver Troll.
Accommodation Based in a 250-year-old mansion, with a variety of accommodation options from camping at £5 per person per night, to full board at £45 per person per night, under 16s £35. In the evenings there's live music and food at the licensed Dolphin Caf?.
Sample Price Based in a 250-year-old mansion, with a variety of accommodation options from camping at £6 per person per night, to full board at £44 per person per night, under 12s £35. In the evenings there's live music and food at the licensed Dolphin Caf?.Sample Price A three-day course for an adult would cost £225, for a child under 12 £200.

Skern Lodge

Appledore, Bideford, North Devon EX39 1NG
(01237) 475 992
skernlodge
Operating since 1976, an independent, privately owned organisation, with an emphasis on safety, encouraging guests to have fun and adventures, and to learn something new. All instructional and most support staff are first aid trained. On site facilities include a swimming pool.
Location North Devon, in 15 acres of grounds by a river estuary, which opens to the Atlantic.
Dates Around 13 family breaks from Easter to September, including weekends and weeks.
Activities Include abseiling, archery, kayaking, coastal walking, crabbing, boogie boarding, surfing, orienteering, off-road cycling, climbing, high ropes, and overnight bivouacking.
Ages From 8 years.
Accommodation Rooms sleeping two to eight, generally with pine bunk beds.
Sample Price For a weekend £110 per person, children with parents 20% discount, including two nights' accommodation, full board and all activities.