Reviews – The Activity People Blog

Mike tries Archery at our fantastic multi activity venue in Durham

Here at Activity HQ we’re full time adrenaline addicts, so when we got the chance to master the art of archery on Easter Sunday, we polished off the last of our Easter eggs and headed straight for the target range at Archery Durham.

For the inside scoop on all the day’s action we caught up with our resident Robin Hood, Mike..

“Over the past 10 years I’ve tried most of our activities, but I’ve never got round to giving archery a go, so I couldn’t wait to finally try it.

We arrived at our Durham Archery venue fairly early, which meant we had time to squeeze in a bacon butty before our experience, and if you’ve got time I’d definitely recommend visiting the on-site café for a bite to eat.

After our butty break we made our way to the archery range where we were met by an instructor, who gave us a full safety briefing and taught us how to use the bows. Mastering the basics was fairly easy and thanks to the instructor we all knew exactly what we were meant to do – putting his advice into practice and hitting the target was another thing entirely though..

With a bit of practice it wasn’t long before we were all hitting the target, and I could definitely see an improvement because my arrows were getting closer and closer to the centre of the target. The best advice I could give is to relax, I just closed my eyes and imagined I was Robin Hood or The Arrow, and that somehow seemed to work – it’s probably best to open your eyes before firing though!

Overall the experience was really good, but what really made it for me was when the instructor decided to run a bit of a competition between us all. We’re all fairly competitive anyway, so when we got the chance to take part in a shot-off things got really interesting. It turns out watching The Arrow doesn’t automatically turn you into a master archer, but I still managed to come third which I was pretty chuffed with to say it was my first time. I was definitely a lot better than I expected.

The only thing I can really compare archery to is axe throwing or clay pigeon shooting. If you’ve tried either activity you’ll know there’s quite a bit of skill involved, and you need plenty of patience to hit the target – archery’s exactly the same. If you rush your shot you nearly always miss, but that’s all part of the fun if you’re a beginner.

Would I try archery again? Hell yeah!”

If the teams’ trip to the archery range has inspired you to grab a bow and take on the targets, we visited Archery Durham and sampled the 1 hour Archery Action package, which we can’t recommend enough! And before we sign off we’d just like to say a huge thank you to everybody at Archery Durham for an awesome day.

Tom tries axe throwing in Tadcaster..

Autumn is definitely in the air, but it takes more than a drop in temperature and a few leaves to stop us getting our adrenaline fix. So when tom Tom (our Partner Relations Executive) got the chance to visit our axe throwing venue in Tadcaster, we challenged him to unleash his inner axeman and give it a go. Here’s how he got on..

“Axe throwing is definitely one of the most unusual activities we sell, so when I got the chance to give it a go at our Tadcaster venue, I couldn’t wait. Even though I’ve never tried anything like axe throwing before I decided to go for the one hour experience, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The day started with a quick check-in at reception followed by a full safety briefing, and before we knew it it was time to head out to the axe throwing range. Our instructor Rick explained everything really clearly, but because we’d never tried axe throwing before it took a bit of time to get used to. He was really patient with us though and we soon got to grips with the technique, and started hitting the target.

After hitting the target a few times Rick decided to make things even more interesting by throwing in some competitions and games, which really spiced things up. I must admit I was a little bit nervous that my fiancé would beat me, but I just about managed to come out on top. Before the start of our session I was worried an hour of axe throwing might get a bit ‘samey’, but I couldn’t have been more wrong and the time absolutely flew by.

My favourite part of the experience came right at the end of the session when I got to throw two axes at the same time, which felt a bit like something from Lord of the Rings! It wasn’t until the last throw of the day that I managed to stick both axes at the same time though, but when I did it was a great feeling.

Tom’s Fiance, Emma trying out Axe Throwing

I’d definitely recommend an axe throwing experience, it’s totally unique and not like anything I’ve ever tried before – in fact it’s a bit like going back in time! Even though it’s undoubtedly much harder than it looks, it’s more about technique than strength, which means almost anybody can give it a go. The team at Tadcaster were brilliant, and Hazlewood castle is the perfect setting for this kind of target sport. A big thank you to everybody involved, especially our instructor Rick who was friendly and patient throughout.”

If Tom’s axe throwing adventure has inspired you to give it a go, visit our website to find out more about this ancient target sport.

Alex’s Hands On High Ropes Review

alex-e1465378067826-300x300 When we’re not hard at work booking incredible experiences for our customers, we love escaping the office to give them a go ourselves. So for our latest ‘First Person Review’ we sent Sales Agent Alex to take on a high ropes course.

At this point we should probably point out that Alex doesn’t like heights.. or spiders, or bees – but mainly heights. So if he can conquer a high ropes course, anybody can! Here’s how he got on..

“I think it’s fair to say I wasn’t looking forward to my high ropes experience at all, but being a team player I decided to give it a go anyway!

When I arrived at the site I was really nervous, which I think the instructors spotted straight away, so they really went out of their way to reassure me. I could see other people working their way round the course too, so that made me feel a lot better about my chances of survival.

After being fitted with a harness and helmet I was ready to take on the first obstacle, which just so happened to be a 40ft climbing wall – 40ft! With a bit of encouragement I somehow managed to put that to the back of my mind though, and slowly but surely I made my way to the top. 40ft seemed a long way up from the ground, and when I got to the top it was even higher than I’d imagined, but I was glad I’d made it.

1011453_6ffc2123 The second obstacle wasn’t quite as daunting as the climbing wall, but it required a lot more skill. It was a swing bridge that was suspended in mid-air, and as soon as I stepped onto it it started to move. There were gaps in-between each step too, which meant I couldn’t help but look down. Once I’d got the hang of swinging from one step to another though I actually started to enjoy myself, and I made it to the end fairly quickly.

With the bridge crossing conquered I was ready for the last obstacle, which was a zip wire ride back to the safety of solid ground. There was a choice of two zip lines to try: a long one and a short one, and I decided to go for the shortest because it looked like the most fun – and it also got me back to the ground the quickest! The zip line ride was actually really god fun, and if they ever got me up there again I’d definitely give the longer one a go.

After touching back down on the ground I was so relieved my experience was over, and even though I probably wouldn’t do it again I’d definitely recommend it to anybody (even if you’re scared of heights). The instructors at Bedale were really reassuring and they didn’t force anybody to attempt any obstacle they weren’t 100% happy with, which I think makes you want to push yourself even more.

Thank you to everybody at Bedale for an unforgettable day.”

To book your own high ropes experience visit our website today!

Axe Throwing – First person review

When we’re not organising unforgettable experiences for our customers we’re out pushing our own adrenalin levels to the limit, and you’ll find all the latest on our out-of-work adventures right here. So if you’re looking for the inside track on some of our most exciting activities you’re in the right place.

To kick things off we sent our resident IT whiz Etienne axe throwing, and with him due to head down the aisle we thought he was the perfect candidate to test axe throwing’s stress-busting skills! Over to Etienne:

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“With my wedding just a couple of months away I decided to try axe throwing to celebrate my stag do. I can’t say I was nervous about trying axe throwing, but because it was my stag party I was obviously wondering what my mates had in store for me.

The venue I visited was our Tadcaster axe throwing venue, and in total there were eight of us in my stag group. When we arrived our instructor Dom greeted us and briefed us on what to expect, and after we’d signed a form declaring ourselves fit enough to take part we went off to learn the basics.

Our instructor made axe throwing sound really easy, basically you have to hold the axe by the handle and throw it from six paces away from the target. It’s not quite so easy though! We had a couple of practice rounds to get used to the technique, and once we’d sort of mastered it we started to tally up our scores. But it was nothing serious and I just focused on having fun.

Towards the end of the session we were allowed to chuck our axes from much further, which was fun but even harder than before. Those that did manage to hit the target though scored some serious bragging rights, and even though I wasn’t one of them it was still pretty impressive.

Screenshot from 2016-05-04 17-23-32 The one thing that made our experience was our instructor Dom, who was very laid back and more than happy to provide us with tips throughout our session. I definitely improved as the session went on and it was mainly down to his help, in fact I could hit the target fairly comfortably by the end of our experience. So I think I did pretty well.

The experience was really good fun, and even though I didn’t know what to expect I’d definitely try axe throwing again.”

If Etienne’s 1 hour axe throwing experience has inspired you to try this ancient target sport, now is the perfect time to visit one of our 15 axe throwing venues across the country. To find your closest venue simply click here.

Announcing our venue of the month – Shepton Mallet 4×4

We’re delighted to announce The Activity People site of the month for June is Shepton Mallet 4×4!

Located less than half an hour from Bristol this mad and muddy 4×4 centre is the perfect place to put your off-road driving skills to the ultimate test.

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It’s not only the off-road course that makes our Shepton Mallet venue stand out though, it’s team of friendly and experienced instructors who make taking on the course as fun and challenging as possible.

So if you think you can conquer rock crawls, mud runs, tunnels and hill climbs there’s nowhere better to experience 4×4 driving. But don’t just take our word for it here’s what our customers thought:

Chris Eley – Shepton Mallet, 4×4

“Totally awesome experience. Had the best time. 5 Stars. Many thanks to all the staff for making it a great experience.”

Steve Ekless – Shepton Mallet, 4×4

“Had a fantastic hour or two with two guys who enjoyed it as much as I did even though I was driving ! It’s a lot harder than you think when you look at the course and trust me, for the first time an hour is enough! Can’t wait for the next time, bring on the mud and water.”

So for a truly unforgettable stag, hen, birthday or team building event, why not find out if you’ve got what it take to conquer this mad and muddy 4×4 course? With Father’s day just around the corner too, a 4×4 driving experience at our venue of the month is guaranteed to score you some serious brownie points!

First Person Supercar Driving Review

Screenshot from 2016-05-06 17-07-43 Supercar experiences are one of our most popular activities and it’s easy to see why, but we wanted the low-down on exactly what makes them so much fun. So we sent our resident Brummie petrol head Mike to get the inside track.. and after Aston Villa’s car-crash season we thought he might need a little cheering up!

Over to Mike for all the details on his driving experience:

“When I arrived at RAF Elvington for my driving experience a lot of the cars were already out on the track, and they looked amazing. There were supercars everywhere, and they ranged from Ferraris and Lambos to Aston Martins and Audis. Because I’d tried karting, quad biking and 4×4 driving before I wasn’t nervous at all, and to be honest I was just desperate to take some of the cars for a spin.

Choosing which cars to drive was harder than I thought though, but after eyeing them up I decided on a Lamborghini, a McLaren and an Ariel Atom. I’ve always wanted my own Lambo, and after seeing the Ariel Atom tear round the track I couldn’t resist giving it a go.

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The instructor Chris was really helpful and showed me exactly how to get the best out of each car, and once I’d got to grips with the flappy paddle gearbox I was ready to hit the track in my first car of the day. The acceleration in the cars is absolutely insane, and I genuinely couldn’t believe how fast they were. The only thing I can compare it to is a roller coaster ride.. and even that doesn’t come close!

The cars are definitely what makes the experience so much fun, and even if you’ve never Screenshot from 2016-05-06 16-15-07 driven a supercar before you can still hit some serious speeds. Driving the Ariel Atom was just like being let loose in an F1 car, but the other cars were just as much fun and you really notice a difference between them when you’re at the wheel.

The only piece of advice I would give is to make the most of your time at the wheel because it absolutely flies by. The cars are tailor-made for speed too, so don’t be afraid to really push them to the limit – believe me it’s worth it!

I’ll definitely be trying another driving experience and next time I visit the track I’ll be putting the Ferraris and Aston Martins through their paces!”

If like Mike you’ve got a need for speed, why not visit one of our 29 driving experience venues across the UK & Ireland. The venue Mike visited was our York location, and he took part in a 3 Supercar Thrill. To find your nearest venue simply follow this link.