Bushcraft Sleepover Promises A Wild Night In Dalby Forest

Adults are being invited to hear the call of the wild and spend the night in the big dark forest fending for themselves.

The Forestry Commission is staging a unique sleepover bushcraft event for grown ups involving building a des res shelter from natural materials, foraging for food and learning how to identify animal tracks on the estate in 3,440 hectare (8,600 acre) Dalby Forest, near Pickering, North Yorkshire.

The event takes place on 20 March and again on 15 May and 18 September.

Forest chiefs have staged similar smaller scale day-time events for youngsters for many years and even come up with National Den Building Day to celebrate the great outdoors. But as ranger Mark Barker explained, it wasn’t just children that came along.

“We found that the adults were just as enthusiastic as the kids, which got us thinking there’s scope here to do something quite ambitious. Interest in bushcraft has never been higher thanks to such gurus as Ray Mears. But it also fits in with a growing belief that we must live more in harmony with our environment and learn to husband natural resources. And of course, bushcraft is such tremendous fun and total escapism, a world away from the rat race.”

Last year’s first ever adult bushcraft event in Dalby was quickly oversubscribed. The cost of shoddy workmanship when making a shelter out of brash and branches is a damp night, so rustic bolt holes turned out to be miracles of improvised construction.

Mark has been with the Forestry Commission for 10 years and previously was in the army. Learning outdoor skills and self-sufficiency has become a way of life and a passion he wants to pass on to others.

The event costs £35 and booking is essential on 01751 460295 or 472771.

FREE Family Outdoor Adventure Day - Saturday 24th April 2010

A fun outdoor adventure day out for the family! Come along and try sailing, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, caving, bushcraft and bell boating. Activities are bookable in person on the day.

Participants must be 9 years or over and under 18's need parental consent. Consent forms will be available on the day or can be downloaded from their website.

For more information on this event and a full schedule of activities, clubs and courses available please visit http://www.hymb.com or call 01992 628 403.

Adventure Day Flyer: http://www.hymb.com/openday.pdf

Top 5 Adventure Holidays for Kids!

Author: MyFamilyUK

A child’s sense of adventure is a wonderful thing, and what better way to indulge it than in a summer activity camp?

Many traditional centres now offer their activities to families so that mum and dad can rediscover their inner child, and swap the daily grind for high adventure – healthy for mind, body and soul!

1) PGL

www.pgl.co.uk

This is a great expereince for the whole family, where you can have fun together or individually: it's up to you. There are 12 adventure locations across the countr, and there's even a family-only centre, Loch Ranza, on the Isle of Arran off Scotland’s West coast. Of course, holidays for school groups still operate and all the usual suspects (abseiling, fiendish assault courses and so on) are available whether kids come as a class or with their folks.

2) The Venture Centre

www.adventure-centre.co.uk

The unique location of this centre on the Isle of Man makes it an ideal venue for all the outdoor pursuits that are offered. Glens, fields and lakes provide the setting for most of the activities here, while older group members can go kayaking along the coastline.

Adventure courses specifically for families (based on a minimum of two adults and two kids) are available. All meals are prepared and served by the staff, bunkhouse accommodation and all local transport is included and the activity programme consists of three activities per day.

3) Kingswood Centres

www.kingswood.co.uk Kingswood Centres organise fantastic residential educational visits and school trips that focus on team-building, bonding and physical exercise. There’s endless amounts of cool activities for kids including a Laser Zone, quad-biking, a miniature castle and blindfold obstacle courses.

4) Woodland Ways

www.woodland-ways.co.uk

Woodland Ways offer Family Bushcraft courses in the wild. You’ll learn how to work in harmony with nature and its changing seasons, learning skills like how to purify your water, prepare food outdoors, light your own fire, track and make your own shelter – which you'll sleep in overnight. You'll also spend your time animal tracking, making campfires and playing Bushcraft games.

5) ATE Residential Summer Camps

www.ate.org.uk

Kids can enjoy loads of fun activities at ATE. Midnight stargazing, making chocolate board-games and den-building in woods, are just a few. Each site has its own attractions, from swimming pools to castles and country houses. Operating over Easter and Summer, ATE offer loads of different “Superweeks” with activities ranging from Arts and Crafts to ATE Olympics and even a Spy School.

Further Information

For further information and more great ideas about kids' holidays, log on to www.myfamilyuk.com. We've got loads of tips, treats and games to keep kids occupied over the holidays, as well as articles on how to plan fun family getaways.

About the Author:

My Family UK is a brand new website that is turning the online focus back onto families. We're dedicated to helping you and your family have fun together, supporting your through a solid collection of articles, tips and ideas on everything from holidays to relaxation, from health to insurance. Visit www.myfamilyuk.com now!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Top 5 Adventure Holidays for Kids!