Caravan adventure holidays

Believe it or not, there are some misguided folk who think that caravanners are a pretty staid lot. They’ll love nothing better than to pitch their ‘van only to spend the next two weeks lazing in deckchairs under the awning and doing precious little else.

While there may be a place for that perfect relaxation from time to time, we have news for those who typecast caravanners as a lazy bunch – there are also great caravan adventure holidays, packed with as much fun, excitement, and adrenaline as anyone might want.

Let’s take a look at just a few ideas that might have you scuttling to stow those deck chairs firmly away. Just the thought of them might already get your heart rate pounding anew with the prospect of giving your limbs a workout.

Survival

You’ve seen the TV shows – now how about discovering your inner Bear Grylls?

Forest Holidays offer basic and extended survival courses in the company of your own personal Forest Ranger who will teach you about some of the skills you may need to survive in the wild – from building a shelter, lighting a fire without matches, brewing up your pine needle tea and foraging for other forms of sustenance.

The courses are run in some of Britain’s more remote forests and glens – from Ardgartan Argyll to Thorpe Forest, and including Cropton, Deerpark, Blackwood Forest, the Forest of Dean, Keldy, Sherwood Forest, and Strathyre.

There are touring caravan sites close to all of these sites – if you are planning to survive at Ardgartan, for example, try the Camping and Caravanning Club site at Luss, on the western shores of Loch Lomond. If your choice is Thorpe Forest in Norfolk, you’ll find the Caravan Club’s Thetford Forest Club Site set in the Forestry Commission’s deep woodland.

But if you live in London or the southeast of England, you won’t have to travel far to engage in wilderness training. Polaris Bushcraft, for instance, runs courses in survival techniques in isolated woodland in Hertfordshire – only half an hour’s drive from the M25.

Seafaring

If it’s a taste of life on the ocean wave you crave, why not consider a training course in driving a powerboat?

The Aquasafe Powerboat School offers just such courses and operates out of the yacht haven in Lymington in Hampshire, or just a little further along the south coast at Poole in Dorset. Both Poole and Lymington are only a stone’s throw from the wooded peace and quiet of the New Forest, so you can spend your days riding the waves in the Solent and retire to your caravan to relax in the evenings.

You’ll find plenty of room at Setthorns Campsite, for example, which has 237 pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents and is situated in the heart of the New Forest, halfway between Lymington and the Forest town of Lyndhurst.

Ride the surf

Want to ride the crest of the wave? Have surfboard, will do.

Beginners, intermediates, and seasoned surfers alike can all pick a spot practically anywhere along Britain’s seemingly endless coastline.

If it’s the (very slightly) warmer waters you’re after – and why not spoil yourself a little, too – then you might head for the south coast for the excitement and adventure of surfing.

Joss Bay in Kent, for example, is but a short train ride from London but has been a favourite among surfers for more than 40 years. The Joss Bay Surf School caters to all abilities and ages while teaching you to surf or paddleboard – let your next adventure begin.

The award-winning Nethercourt Touring Park near Ramsgate is open all year and might serve as your handy base away from the surf school.

Fistral Beach at Newquay in Cornwall lays claim as the home of British surfing – a boast proudly maintained by the Fistral Beach Surf School.

Pitch your touring caravan at nearby Trevella Park, where a huge range of facilities is offered for the whole family.

Want more ideas? Then why not revisit our entertaining guide: Caravanning for adrenaline junkies – where to go and where to pitch up in the UK.