School & Youth Corporate Training Events Activities Accommodation Ropes Course RIB
Activities & Accommodation
ACTIVITIES ROPES COURSE ACCOMMODATION PARTIES LOCATIONS SAFETY
The table below outlines our most popular activities.
Call Brenscombe for more details and costs on 'made to measure' activity programmes.
All prices are based on a minimum group size of 10.
Smaller groups can be taken but the price per person will increase accordingly.
90 minute session on our 17ft abseil tower on site at Brenscombe. Great for learning the techniques! You can also make use of our climbing tower and traversing wall.
90 minute session at Brenscombe or on Burnbake Meadow. Learn basic skills before competing in the Robin Hood Challenge.
60 minute team challenge on our mini low ropes 'assault course' on site at Brenscombe. Great for children's groups.
3 hour session that will coach you in bushcraft skills such as fire lighting, shelter building, plant life and other useful skills. The session can be tailored to meet your requirements.
3 hour session of kayaking or open canoeing in Poole Harbour or on the River Frome. Learn the basic skills, paddle around the islands of the Harbour, or receive coaching for various awards.
3 hour session at Dancing Ledge, our stunning coastal climbing area on the Jurassic Coastline near Swanage.
90 minute sessions with two dragon boats racing each other in Poole Harbour. Each crew learns a variety of racing and drumming techniques before competing on our fixed course.
1 to 3 hour sessions for youth groups testing and developing their initiative on a series of problem solving challenges around the Centre.
60 minute sessions of shooting at Brenscombe or on the Meadow at Burnbake. Using specially adapted shotguns that fire light beams on the flying targets. Scores are recorded electronically from a variety of stances to give final scores.
3 hour session of cycling on tracks and trails in the forest. Sessions can be guided or set up or a route set up for orienteering on a beautiful and flat (ish) area.
MOUNTAIN BIKING - Cycle Skills
60 minute session for young children to learn handling skills before testing themselves on a challenge circuit.
2 hour session that takes place in the evenings amongst the countryside around the Centre.
NORDIC WALKING
Various coaching sessions and walks in the local forests and coastline
2 or 3 hour session or orienteering has small groups competing in the local woods and hills to visit as many locations as possible. Map reading skills are taught before hand and practice sessions at Brenscombe can be set up beforehand.
PIONEERING
1 or 2 hour session of building various structures from ropes and wooden poles.
POWER BOAT DRIVING
1 to 3 hour session around the Dorset Coast, Isle of Wight and the Solent. From fast blasts to coastal orienteering to wake boarding. Just let us know what you want! Other charters are also available.
2 hour session on the River Frome or Poole Harbour. Teams learn rope skill sand then build their rafts before taking to the water to test their constructions.
90 minute session at Brenscombe, shooting air rifles at a range of targets
1 - 3 hour sessions at Brenscombe. Used for groups of people wanting to develop their teamwork skills and leadership skills. Great for organizations on our development programmes.
Half day or full day walks in the area Routes available in the woods, the hills or coastline. Enjoy the countryside as well as learn navigation skills.
3 hour sessions using our power boat for sessions in Poole Harbour water-ski area or Studland Bay.
2.5 hour sessions in Poole Harbour. Coaching available for people with a range of experience.
HALF DAY PACKAGE
3 hour session at Brenscombe. Great for youth groups and children's birthday parties. You can choose 3 activities from:
Climbing Tower
Abseil Tower
Archery
Air Rifle Target Shooting
Low Challenge Course
Initiative Challenges
Pioneering
Nordic
Walking
Brenscombe Outdoor Centre have introduced Nordic Walking in and around the World Heritage Site of the Isle of Purbeck
Nordic
Walking uses specifically designed poles to engage the upper body during
fitness walking. Nordic Walking was first used as a summer training method
by cross-country skiers. It was then developed into a fitness exercise
with specific training equipment in co-operation with the Finnish sports
equipment manufacturer Exel Oyj, researchers in sports medicine,
and other fitness professionals. Nordic Walking was first launched in
Finland in 1997. It has rapidly increased in popularity and today Nordic
Walking is well-known fitness sports.
For
more details and proposed dates please contact:
Jeffrey Morris
Activity
Manager
Health
facts
-
Normal walking heart rate is 130 beats/minute and in Nordic Walking 147 beats per minute (i.e. increase is 13%)
-
Energy consumption increases when using poles by 20% compared with ordinary walking without poles
-
Up to 46% increase in energy consumption (Cooper Institute research, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sports)
-
Releases pain and muscle tension in the neck/shoulder region
-
The lateral mobility of the neck and spine increases significantly
-
The muscles most actively involved are the forearm extensor and flexor muscles, shoulder, pectoral back muscles
-
Does not aggravate joints and knees - reduces the load on knees and other joints
-
Consumes approximately 400 calories per hour (compared with 280 calories per hour for normal walking)
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Poles are a safety factor on slippery surfaces
Our Ropes Course is one of the largest in Europe with other 55 challenges and can cope with groups of 8 to 120 people. Group sizes vary from 5 to 10 people depending upon your preferred staffing ratio. (the smaller the ratio the more time everyone has on the challenges).
HIGH ROPES - POLES COURSE
Large poles course up to 30ft in height with incline log, gladiator rings, low catwalk, high catwalk, 4-man high all-aboard, 6-man high all-aboard, 2 climbing walls, abseil platforms, peg-pole with trapeze and a Jacob's ladder.
HIGH ROPES - TREE COURSE
Challenges set around the woods and rhododendrons up to 45ft in height, including beer-crate challenge, ball touch,
2 double trapezes, pamper pole with trapeze, catwalk, high wild-woozy and topaz.
HIGH ROPES - COWS TAIL COURSE
A 3-teir cows tail course up to 50ft high with 13 challenges on route.
HIGH ROPES - ZIP WIRE
55ft high and 300ft long!
LOW ROPES
Team challenges spread around the woods to many to describe! Favorites include spiders web, Mohawk walk, giant's finger, peg-pole traverse, criss-cross and many more...
LOW ROPES CHALLENGE COURSE
A series of low rope challenges put together to form a team assault course with a twist!
Accommodation is designed to be flexible. At our maximum capacity is 80 people with most rooms will take 4 persons bunk beds. There are 22 bedrooms (3 accessible by wheelchair). Décor is smart, warm and co-ordinated. All beds have individual reading lights and each room has ample storage space and adjustable thermostatic heating.
The dining room seats 65 (for larger groups, we run timings for meals) and produces a wide range of home cooked meals.
CHILD PACKAGE
Multiple occupancy of rooms. Make your own beds on arrival (except staff). Cooked breakfast, packed lunch and two course evening meal. Suitable for school and youth groups.
YOUTH PACKAGE (14+)
Multiple occupancy of rooms. Make your own beds on arrival (except staff). Enhanced cooked breakfast, packed lunch and two course evening meal. Suitable for school and youth groups.
ADULT PACKAGE
Multiple occupancy of rooms, beds made before arrival, enhanced cooked breakfast, packed lunch and 3 course evening meal with tea and coffee available 24 hrs a day.
CORPORATE PACKAGE
Single or twin rooms (depending upon availability), beds made before arrival, enhanced cooked breakfast, cooked lunch and 3 course evening meal with tea and coffee available 24 hrs a day. Full use of facilities and visual aids.
We regularly host birthday parties for children and for adult groups at the Centre. For children's parties, the half day package is very popular combined with use of our lounge for a party with food and birthday cakes. Adult birthday parties tend to make use of our ropes course or other activities including chartering our R.I.B. powerboat.
We can provide activity programmes for both Stag and Hen parties on the Isle of Purbeck and accommodation for Hen Parties only. Programmes are designed on your requirements such as what activities you would like, your budget, etc. We provide experienced staff with these groups that are good at providing safe instruction as well as an entertaining 'atmosphere' during the day. Accommodation can also be arranged at other hotels and guests houses. Call the office for more details.
We use a variety of locations in and around the Isle of Purbeck. Most are within 5 minutes drive of Brenscombe and with the remainder being within 10 minutes.
Poole Harbour
The second largest natural harbour in the world is used for the bulk of our water sports sessions. It is ideal for these as we use the south side of the harbour which has limited access to other water users and also has a number of islands for exploring around by canoe.
Andy Farrer - www.lens-flair.co.uk
Cleavel Point
This is our own beach area in Poole Harbour and forms part of Newton Bay. This helps to provide sheltered water access and is also great for raft building.
Studland Bay
Just outside the Harbour, we use this area from Old Harry to Bournemouth Pier for our Power Boating.
Andy
Farrer - www.lens-flair.co.uk
River Frome
In Wareham, we use the river near the quay for water sports sessions if we need more sheltered areas during poor weather conditions or if we fancied running a session on the river instead of the harbour.
Rempstone Forest
Our camping area is in the forest as well as our huge ropes course. As well as these, we use the forest or mountain biking and bridge building over one of its lakes.
Andy
Farrer - www.lens-flair.co.uk
Purbeck Hills
The hills are on our doorstep and we use parts of the Purbecks for hill walks, navigation exercises and orienteering.
Wareham Forest
For longer day walks or part of an expedition, we use this Forest as it provides a greater range of access to forestry areas on footpaths and bridle paths.
Dancing Ledge
This is a stunning part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coastline. We have access arranged with the National Trust to Dancing Ledge to run our climbing and abseiling sessions over looking the sea.
Burnbake Meadow
Situated in Rempstone Forest, near our ropes course. This large meadow is used for camping as well as a venue for a lot of our corporate events. It is ideal for motor sports, archery, laser clay target shooting and falconry.
All our activity staff are qualified first aiders and carry first aid kits an all sessions. Each activity session will be run by qualified and experienced instructors, conforming to National Governing Body Awards where they exist (such as climbing, kayaking, power boating, etc) or trained and assessed via an in-house training programme at Brenscombe where no such awards exist (such as team tasks, initiative exercises, etc). Copies of qualifications can be provided if requested.
All our equipment is regularly checked and maintained. Activities such as the ropes course have external inspectors to check the equipment. We also have regular inspections from the local authorities and AALA. Details of which can be provided upon request.
When not on activity sessions, the group leaders are responsible for the care of the group. Assistance can be provided with first aid, directions to the local cottage hospital (10 minute drive), etc by the Centre Warden.
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"The children have benefited greatly from all the experiences you have arranged for them - generations of our pupils owe a great big vote of thanks to you and your superb staff. I can think of no other Centre that offers so much and in such a friendly, caring and safe manner"
St James School Dorset |
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