Sport Activity

From the list below choose one of the sport activities that you can do in Britain. Follow the link in the description and find out additional information about it (where to stay, what to eat, etc.)

You have 20 minutes to find out all the information that you believe to be useful when travelling abrouad. Prepare to present in front of your classmates.


Sea kayaking, Highlands of Scotland (wildernessscotland.com)

Difficulty: easy/moderate
Suitable for 16-plus (with accompanying adult)
Wilderness Scotland has an introductory kayaking trip in the Torridon region, which blends kayaking with gentle hiking, making it ideal for beginners and those looking to hone their paddling skills. As well as four days on the water, paddling past remote bays and the uninhabited islands of Scotland’s west coast, potentially spotting sea eagles and porpoises, the trip includes a guided walk from the village of Gairloch, a good place to spot whales.

 

River swimming, Oxfordshire (swimtrek.com)

Difficulty: challenging
Suitable for 16-plus
Clean, calm water flanked by countryside makes an open-water swimming trip on the Thames a tempting prospect for anyone looking to dip their toe in the sport. Unlike with sea swimming, this itinerary from SwimTrek takes place in sheltered water. It traces the riverbank from Buscot Lock, near Lechlade, to Buckland Marsh, near Faringdon, along England’s most famous waterway. You should have a basic understanding of open-water swimming and be capable of completing the daily distance of 6km, which is broken down into smaller sections. Guides and a safety team are on hand throughout. 

 

Wild camping, Glenfeshie, Cairngorms (Outdooraccess-scotland.scot)

Difficulty: easy
Suitable for all ages
For a true sense of freedom, it’s hard to beat wild camping. Pitching up away from designated sites is illegal almost everywhere in England and Wales but it’s legal in much of Scotland. A night under canvas in Glenfeshie, with its tumbling waterfalls and mountain vistas, offers an uplifting sense of remoteness. Home to one of the country’s most successful “rewilding” projects, it’s also the starting point for many walking routes, so you can hike straight from your tent. Scope out your potential pitch on an OS map, keep away from paths and bogs (green slashes), and check guidelines in the Open Access Code.

 

 

 

 

Coasteering, Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim (causewaycoasteering.com)

Difficulty: moderate/challenging
Suitable for 7-plus (with accompanying adult)
Coasteering involves exploring the shoreline by leaping, scrambling and swimming – with optional cliff jumping. Causeway Coasteering offers guided sessions along the rugged Causeway coast, with its basalt columns and turquoise water. Clad in wetsuits, buoyancy aids and helmets, you’ll plunge and splash your way through hidden coves and islands, with a local guide pointing out interesting objects and giving tips. As well as testing your limits, it offers a refreshingly different, up-close angle on the coastline and its wildlife.

 

Rock climbing taster day, Snowdonia (gaiaadventures.co.uk)

Difficulty: moderate
Suitable for 10-plus
Ever wondered whether you could master your fears and learn to ascend vertical rock walls? Gaia Adventures offers bespoke climbing taster days for those who are new to the sport, covering everything from rope skills to belaying (holding the rope for others) and abseiling safely down the rock face. Guided by an experienced instructor (maximum group size of six to each guide), it will challenge your brain and body, as you climb smaller mountains and cliffs, such as Tryfan, and slate quarries on the flanks of Elidir Fawr, overlooking Snowdon. Technical kit is provided – and hopefully you’ll feel confident enough to climb without supervision at an indoor climbing wall after the course.

 

Trail running, Devon (wildrunning.co.uk)

Difficulty: challenging
Suitable for +17s
Scampering across a desolate landscape, rarely using footpaths, beats the monotonous pounding of city pavements – it is an exhilarating form of escapism. Wild Running offers bespoke, guided trail runs for all abilities around Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks and on the South West Coast Path. Founded by former international athlete Ceri Rees, the company also offers group holidays, including a weekend Dartmouth Running Holiday that sees you run between six and 12 miles daily, staying in a riverside apartment overlooking the Dart estuary.

 

Hiking, Yorkshire Dales (hfholidays.co.uk)

Difficulty: moderate
Suitable for all ages
The rugged Yorkshire Dales offers some of the UK’s best walking, though knowing how, when and where to go can be daunting for first-timers. Ease yourself in with a trip led by experienced guides from walking specialist HF Holidays, which offers a range of holidays, such as three-, four- and seven-night guided walking breaks at Malhamdale. Guests choose from three different walks each day, ranging from easy six-mile stretches to more challenging 13-milers. Highlights include Malham Tarn, with its ancient limestone pastures, and the panoramic views from Simon’s Seat.

 

Surfing, North Yorkshire (saltburn-surf.co.uk)

Difficulty: moderate
Suitable for +8s
Few things leave you feeling as connected to nature as surfing – whether you’re floundering about in the breakers or riding the waves. One of the original centres of the north-east surf scene, Saltburn-on-Sea may be a few degrees chillier than Cornwall but in the right conditions it can be world class. Decent beginner waves are usually found on either side of the pier and the vibe is friendly on the water, even when it’s busy. Saltburn Surf School has been operating since 1983 and its staff are the go-to people for advice on boards and conditions. 



Paragliding, Surrey (greendragons.co.uk)

Difficulty: easy/moderate
Suitable for all ages (under-18s need parental consent)
If soaring 500ft above the Surrey countryside while hanging from a material canopy sounds like your idea of fun, paragliding is the sport for you. Thankfully, no experience or skills are required if you book a tandem flight with an outfit such as Green Dragons, in Woldingham (eight miles south of Croydon), which has been operating for 44 years. Strapped to a qualified instructor, the hardest part as a passenger is quelling your nerves as you swoop through the air, riding thermals in almost total silence, watching the landscape of the North Downs unfold beneath your shaking feet.

 

Bouldering, Swanage and Portland, Dorset  (jurassicclimbing.co.uk)

Difficulty: moderate
Suitable for 6-plus
Fossil hunting may be the Jurassic Coast’s main claim to fame but its ancient crags are also home to some fantastic climbing routes. Bouldering is a good place for newbies to start, as you scale smaller rocks without needing to learn how to use ropes. Jurassic Climbing runs introductory days for groups of up to 10 people, with guides choosing the best crags around Swanage and Portland to suit your ability, teaching you how to land safely and climb properly. These sessions are available for all abilities, with coaching offered on a one-to-one basis, or with one coach for groups of up to four climbers.

 

Guided walk, Morecambe Bay (guideoversands.co.uk)

Difficulty: easy
Suitable for all ages
The Morecambe Bay sands are notorious for quicksand and fast-flowing tides. Guide Over Sands Trust provides guides offering safe passage of both the Kent and Leven estuaries on sponsored charity walks, setting off from Arnside and Canal Foot respectively. They last around three to four hours, depending on the weather, and lead you into the Lake District. 

 

Windsurfing, Norfolk ( hunstantonwatersports.com)

Difficulty: moderate
Suitable for +11s
Fringed by gold sand beaches, the north coast of Norfolk boasts stellar windsurfing spots stretching from Hunstanton to Great Yarmouth. Beginners can learn in safe, shallow waters with Hunstanton Watersports, where initial lessons take place on a sheltered lake before you transfer your skills to the sea. Half-day, group taster sessions cover kit basics, as well as launching, landing, sailing across the wind and turning around. Equipment, wetsuits and buoyancy aids are provided.



Packrafting, Snowdonia (tirio.co.uk)

Difficulty: easy to challenging
Suitable for +8s and +12s
Packrafting – which involves trekking into the wilderness with a small, stowable boat in your rucksack – allows you to reach places that are normally too remote. Husband-and-wife team Jason and Marianne Taylor set up Tirio in 2017, offering options from half-day tours (ideal for families and those looking for a basic intro), to 25-mile multi-day trips with wild camping in secluded woodland in the Conwy valley – requiring a decent level of fitness to hike, paddle and carry around 12kg of equipment.



Snorkelling and wildlife, Hebrides (baskingsharkscotland.co.uk)

Difficulty: easy
Suitable for 8-plus (under-16s must be accompanied by an adult)
The Oban and Lorn coastline has an abundance of wildlife to discover, which you can do on a snorkel and wildlife tour with Basking Shark Scotland. Departing from Oban, the two-day tour (one-day tours for 2018 are sold out) is based on the 13 mile-long Isle of Coll, just off Mull, where there are 23 beaches and plenty of wildlife, including basking sharks, otters, grey seals, porpoises and bottlenose dolphins. The most memorable encounters happen underwater, as you snorkel past starfish, sea-urchins, kelp forests and rays, with a guide and marine biologist on hand throughout.