Rail against the sofa this summer holiday and book in to one of these activity-led breaks for wet and wild adventures by the sea. Words: Jessica Johnson and Madeleine Barber
Celtic Quest Coasteering
Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire
WHY HERE?
Prepare to rock-hop, adventure swim and hurl yourself – from graduating cliffy heights – into the choppy sea below. Owner and adrenaline junkie Cleopatra Browne runs Celtic Quest Coasteering with four seasoned guides, who seek out the best secret coves, lagoons and rocks for exhilarating big-wave leaps. The weight of buoyancy aids (a mandatory safety requirement along with wetsuits and helmets) means more cautious participants can float gently on the incoming tide. The adventure centre is linked with the Celtic Bunkhouses up the road and FBM Holidays that offers characterful cottages for hire on a self-catering basis around the Pembrokeshire coast.
WHERE’S THE NEAREST BEACH?
Saunter along the Coast Path for 20 minutes and you arrive at Abereiddy, home to last year’s Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
The Escape package costs £139 per person. It includes a half day of coasteering, a half day of kayaking and two nights’ bed and breakfast, plus a hog roast.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 01348 881530 or visit celticquestcoasteering.com.
Laggan Outdoor Activity Centre
Castle Douglas, Dumfries
WHY HERE?
This centre started by offering archery in a simple cowshed in 2007, and has added new activities to its repertoire every year since. Now hosting an 820-metre double zip wire with panoramic views of the Scottish coastline, Laggan Outdoor is a hub for adrenaline-hunting families. Soon they’ll be welcoming glass-roofed octagonal glamping pods so that visitors can jump out of one pod and into another with their 150 metre-long mountain balling trail. For less dizzying experiences, try their segways, sledging and mountain-boarding.
WHERE’S THE NEAREST BEACH?
It’s just over one mile to sandy Mossyard Beach, where there is additional accommodation.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Each pod sleeps four to six people and prices start from £60 per night.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 01557 840217 or visit lagganoutdoor.co.uk.
PSL Osmington Bay
Dorset
WHY HERE?
Discover the Jurassic Coast at Osmington Bay’s clifftop PGL Centre. With over 31 activities to choose from, visitors can wake up to sea views before heading out dragon-boating, mountain- biking, trapezing and abseiling. Watersports take place on the Isle of Portland and families all over the country can enjoy PGL’s wide range of activities at their 16 centres spread nationwide. Try their Multi Activity Holidays, where your break will be planned with a mix of daily activities.
WHERE’S THE NEAREST BEACH?
The centre lies nearby its own private pebble beach.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Prices start from £279 for adults and £229 for children (5-18) for four nights, in two- and four-bedroom chalets.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 0844 371 0101 or visit pgl.co.uk.
Looking for the perfect holiday right at the water’s edge? Discover our collection of exclusive cruise trips around the British Isles here.
Mylor Harbourside Cottages
Falmouth, Cornwall
WHY HERE?
Set in the heart of a vibrant working harbour and internationally renowned boatyard, these four-star self-catering holiday cottages offer a perfect base for adventuring on the high seas. A hub of watersports providers cater to all needs and abilities; get to grips with boat maintenance or learn to windsurf, sail, kayak or kitesurf. For a gentle tour of the town, hire a boat and paddle around the tiny villages and hidden creeks. The cottages are in striking distance of this August’s Tall Ships Regatta; walk half a mile around Trefusis Headland for perfect views or watch from a bobbing boat available to hire during the event.
WHERE’S THE NEAREST BEACH?
The cottages sit yards from Mylor Beach.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
A week’s stay for four people starts from £950.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 01326 372121 or visit mylorharbourside.com.
The Park, Mawgan Porth
Newquay, Cornwall
WHY HERE?
Learn to surf, or improve your board skills on the Cornish waves with former European surfing champion, Grishka Roberts. The park’s all-new Surf and Stay package provides guests with tuition, boards and wetsuits plus a three-night stay in the resort’s five-star surrounds. Choose from a luxury Eco Terrace complete with hot tub and log-burning stove, or embrace the outdoors in a yurt or retro airstream, nestled in 27 acres of coastal woodland. For a post-surf wind down, tack on a sports massage to your stay or indulge in a luxury hamper packed with local breads and a selection of homemade jams.
WHERE’S THE NEAREST BEACH?
Right on your doorstep. The park is just 100 metres from Mawgan Porth Beach.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Long weekend Surf and Stay packages start from £250 per person.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 01637 860322 or visit mawganporth.co.uk.
Clearsky Adventure Centre
Strangford, Northern Ireland
WHY HERE?
For the thrill of shooting arrows at Winterfell. The centre’s medieval walls, sprawling castle estate and sweeping views were used as location filming for recent HBO cult series Game of Thrones. Now, visitors can re-trace the steps of the Stark family and battle it out with archery lessons in the 16th-century courtyard, tour the filming hotspots by bike or dive head first into a programme of exhilarating watersports. After scrambling rock faces, jumping off piers, building rafts or kayaking out to sea with seals, nomadic visitors can paddle out across Strangford Lough to their own uninhabited salt island where a stone bothy awaits. If a few home comforts are in order, pitch up in a glamping pod on-site.
WHERE’S THE NEAREST BEACH?
The centre is a stone’s throw away from Tyrella Beach.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Family weekend adventure packages start from £99 per person. A bothy sleeps up to 15 people.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 02843 723933 or visit clearsky-adventure.com.
Kingswood Centre
West Runton, Norfolk
WHY HERE?
Once a girls’ boarding school, now a diverse activity centre, West Runton welcomes school parties from the British Isles and beyond. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Site of Specific Scientific Interest, the centre is rich with educational value. Curious explorers can scour rockpools and study their ‘alien’ finds or learn how to survive in the wilderness like Bear Grylls. Alternatively, choose from caving, aeroball, circus skills, fencing, go-karting and quad-biking, or beach games like Frisbee, volleyball, rounders and cricket. Seafarers can dabble in kayaking, canoeing and raft-building too, while adrenaline-seekers take on ‘the descender’; a 10-metre free-fall originally designed for military use.
WHERE’S THE NEAREST BEACH?
Perched high on a clifftop overlooking the North Norfolk coastline, visitors wake up to sandy shores and sweeping sea views.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Prices start from £30 per child per night. The centre sleeps 400 people, with rooms of two to 16.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 0800 655 6564 or visit kingswood.co.uk.
DESTINATION ACTION!
We scout out some fun-filled activity-led getaways by the sea
