Fancy pushing your boundaries a little with a different type of holiday to look forward to this summer? Would you like to try a different experience, or go even further to become an adrenaline pumped adventurer? After our long lockdown winter, hopefully vaccines will have kicked in and we can look ahead to lighter days and a well-deserved break. Here are some alternative holiday ideas for anyone thinking about the summer, who wants to be inspired to try something a little different for their camping, caravanning or motorhoming holiday…
“SUP”ing in a Scottish Loch!
Stand Up Paddle Boarding or “SUP”ing is growing in popularity and being able to begin your first adventure in the spectacularly scenic and historic surrounding of Glencoe could be one of the best aquatic experiences you’ve had! From as little as £30 per person, you can choose from different paddleboard activities from the “Loch Leven Discovery” experience where you can learn the basics on a tour of Loch Leven, to a more private adventure, soaking up the mountains surrounding you, whilst exercising and learning a new skill. Visit Rugged Paddleboard to find out more about this fantastic activity. Having kayaked a few summers ago across Loch Leven, I can vouch for the beauty of these picturesque surroundings. We’ve stayed in many places nearby, but I can recommend nearby Bunree, where you can stay with the Caravan and Motorhome Club or Oban Camping and Caravanning Site, both of which offer a friendly welcome. They are situated next to forests and lochs and there are plenty of walking, cycling trails and other mountain adventures on your doorstep.
Vineyards, mountain boarding and a step back in time in Shropshire!
Fancy an adventure and culture combo? Start with the action-packed adventures available at The Edge Adventure activity centre at Much Wenlock. Here, you can Segway, mountain board, zip wire and quad bike, before scaling the heights of Jacob’s Ladder. This activity centre based at Newton House Farm in Much Wenlock, also offers caravan and camping accommodation on its site too. Not far away at Wroxeter you can indulge in a vineyard tour at Wroxeter Roman Vineyard followed by a cultural visit of the Roman ruins at Wroxeter Roman City, just a few minutes up the road. If you are happy with a very basic stopover, overlooking a field of alpacas, try where we stopped over in May a few years back at Glebe Farm Certified Location, where for only £12 a night you are close to both of these contrasting attractions. What a treat!
Two Welsh waterways in one!
Experience two contrasting water-based experiences near Llangollen in North Wales. Begin with a white water rafting adventure courtesy of River Active Llangollen, starting at the Horseshoe Falls with a guided safety briefing before you start your adrenaline filled venture along the River Dee. The following day you can opt for a much more serene experience guaranteed to give you beautiful views along the route of the 11-mile World Heritage Site route travelling along the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. You can hire a horse drawn boat for a full day or opt for a shorter cruise along the canal instead by visiting Llangollen Wharf. There are also plenty of castles to visit nearby at Chirk and Dinas Bran, whilst you are not too far away by car from the highest mountain in Wales, Snowdon. Abbey Grange Campsite is located near the centre of these activities. Alternatively, the all singing and all dancing Plassey Leisure Park, complete with swimming pool, leisure centre and retail village is only 18 minutes’ drive away. Plassey offers pitches, glamping accommodation and holiday homes for family fun.
Sports to make you scream in the Lakes!
From the Via Ferrata Xtreme challenge to the Infinity Bridge Step where you can push yourself across a single wire strung across a gorge 2000 feet above the valley floor, the experiences and activities available at Honister.com are definitely not for the faint hearted! You can choose to attempt single or multiple activities, including vertical climbs and cliff edge ladders whilst taking in the beautiful views of Buttermere and Loweswater nearby. This slate mine found at the head of Honister Pass in the Lake District, provides any daring adventurer to try out a range of adrenalin inducing indoor and outdoor activities. It is also home to the last working slate mine in England. If you’re feeling hungry after all that, you can enjoy a delicious lunch at the Sky Hi Cafe, the highest cafe in the Lake District, where dogs and humans are welcome! The Lake District is famous for plenty of other reasons too, from Beatrix Potter to Alfred Wainwright and there are many other outside activities nearby for any outside enthusiast. VisitLakeDistrict has lots of other ideas to help you to make the most of your stay. As regular visitors to the Lake District in our caravan we would recommend Coniston Park Coppice as a great sheltered site which offers plenty of walks to the lake and nearby Coniston from the site. It suits families as well as couples wanting a more chilled break, who can benefit from the diverse choice of different pitches available, as well as glampers and campers.
Buzzing or Baking along the British south coast!
Lastly, for something totally different, try your hand at a beekeeping course, cooking, gardening, or bakery session at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage near Axminster in Dorset. Famous for his war on plastic, cookery books and tv series, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage business encourages visitors to buy in to the best of sustainable living, gardening and cooking and offers a diverse array of courses and gastronomic experiences for any taste. You can also enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labour at a dining event or at his River Cottage Kitchen in nearby at Axminster town centre. Dorset offers tourists a rich array of sites to visit, ranging from the large stretch of the stunning Jurassic Coastline, a World Heritage Site, to museums, harbours and historic towns such as Dorchester and Blandford Forum. There are plenty of camp sites for all tastes and budgets too. The Caravan and Motorhome Club has an excellent selection which can be found by clicking this link.
Whatever your plans are for the summer, stay safe and check out the latest Covid-19 advice in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales before you go…. Enjoy!
For more ideas on outside adventures, follow me at alifeoutsideblog.com. Check out the resources section of my website for more information about places to visit. If you liked what you’ve read, don’t forget to like or share this page too!
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