Bowles provides high quality outdoor education. We do this through passionate, well qualified staff, fantastic activities, amazing facilities, home cooked food and an ethos of learning and development throughout everything we do.
Extremely experienced, motivated and well qualified staff
The role our instructors will play in the quality of your visit is crucial. This is why we ensure that the Bowles instructional team is one of the best that you can find. Our instructor team is highly experienced and is the reason that many schools return year after year. We recruit for the right attitude and approach and then we train staff in the full range of activities that we offer. All our staff are fully qualified and trained in outdoor education, are passionate about the outdoors, and about supporting children to achieve their potential. Many of our staff hold high level qualifications above and beyond the minimum requirements that other centres offer. We also employ a number of qualified teachers within our staff team and all staff take part in regular staff training and CPD events.
Home from home
At Bowles we understand it’s not just the activities that make up your residential experience. Bowles provides three home cooked meals a day with free fruit available. We have a modern dormitory/chalet block that can hold up to 120 people with 7 beds in each room. In addition our Lodge building can hold up to 40 people depending on the arrangements of the beds ~(2-4 bed in each room), with the added bonus of en-suite showers and toilets. We have our own woodlands which the residents can use, plus various indoor games rooms and two all-weather play areas along with a beautiful rock amphitheatre.
8 hours of adventurous activities each day
A normal (activity packed) Bowles day starts with breakfast at 8am followed by the first activity at 9.15am. The final activity of the day ends at 21.15. There is a 1 hour lunch break and a 2 hour dinner break (which includes some free time and the option of a free swim in our indoor pool). The rest of the time the young people will be taking part in activities such as skiing, kayaking, climbing, zipwire, ropes courses and teambuilding. Most of our activities are floodlit and can still be done in the evenings when the days are shorter.
Amazing activities and equipment
Bowles is extremely lucky to own its own sandstone cliff with over 200 climbing routes, two dry ski slopes, an indoor heated swimming pool, various ropes courses, purpose-built team building activities, an archery range and an orienteering course. We also have use of our own private lake and access to local rivers. Our equipment is some of the best around and well maintained to the highest standards. We are proud to have a fleet of Jackson Kayaks in the pool, designed specifically for children (regarded as some of the best boats money can buy). Our team building equipment is more than just a rope and a plank of wood, we have real swamps to cross and our own forest with numerous team building challenges and tasks.
Every industry accreditation for safety
Bowles is fully licensed by the AALA and we hold the Gold Standard from AHOEC. In addition we have been awarded the Adventure Mark Certificate and the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge. Bowles has an excellent safety record and rest assured that safety is our number one priority.
Peace of mind for parents
You can be reassured that your children will be looked after by our highly qualified, experienced and mature instructors working within our comprehensive safety management system.
WARNING! – you may experience real changes in your children. Don’t tell them, but we make them clean up after themselves – children have even been known to come home and clear the table!