residential school activity trips

Outdoor Education for Schools & Colleges

Residential courses and day visits at our stunning venue.

Schools return to Bowles year after year because of the positive impact our courses have on the children which in turn translates back to outcomes at school and at home.

At Bowles, we focus on both activity skills and personal development so pupils get a a well-rounded educational experience whilst having fun, trying new activities and feeling great about the challenges they have overcome, the new skills they have learned and the friends they have made along the way.

A course at Bowles benefits from a unique range of challenging outdoor activities, an inspirational setting, well-designed facilities and most important of all, our dedicated, experienced and caring staff team. Activities include: rock climbing on our sandstone crag, skiing and sledging on our two slopes, kayaking in our indoor heated pool, and on local rivers and lakes as well as team activities on and offsite. All of this is supported by healthy, homecooked food.

Outdoor learning in a beautiful venue

So much of life is now virtual or synthetic, therefore children can miss out on many things of real importance – real experiences, real activities, real relationships and real food – but not at Bowles!

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Kayak games at an outdoor venue

Personal Development

A child’s development at Bowles arises not just through the adventurous activities, but through learning to work as part of a team, communicating with others, assessing risks, challenging themselves and making decisions. Our low student to instructor ratios, small group sizes and staff continuity mean that we can focus on bringing out the best in every young person.

Learning outside the classroom for both pupils and teachers

Bowles champions high quality learning outside of school for all young people. We work with school staff and management and leadership teams to help create the best staff teams possible. Inset days are excellent opportunities to inspire your team at Bowles.

Day visits

The outdoors is the perfect place for fun, educational and of course safe experiences. A day course at Bowles is a perfect way to provide enrichment, socialisation, exercise and fun for your pupils; providing students with some social development and experiences they deserve.

GCSEand BTEC outdoor activities

GCSE & BTEC courses

A number of secondary schools visit Bowles as part of their ongoing studies. There are many practical activities on the syllabus that can be completed at Bowles. We are able to offer training and assessments in many adventurous sports for both GCSE and BTEC.

Teacher CPD

We provide training to TAs, trainee teachers and existing teaching staff both onsite at Bowles and offsite at the school itself.  

We deliver everything from experiential icebreaker days for newly formed staff groups, to bespoke packages of student activities that can be taken away and delivered by the teachers themselves within their school.  

Outdoor activites

Why Bowles?

Bowles prides itself on being more than the typical outdoor centre, we believe in using outdoor environments and activities to educate as well as have fun. Click on the links below to find out how Bowles stands out.