Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

Our activities for schools and groups

We have more than 40 challenging and exciting outdoor activities across our 4 centres. From Archery to Zipwire, our selection is sure to engage and inspire our educational and group visitors.
 
If you’re a member of the public looking for adventure, check out what we offer for individuals and families.
 
Activities can be run as short taster sessions as well as longer developmental courses. All are delivered by our qualified and experienced instructors. We combine activity sessions into bespoke programmes to meet the objectives and learning outcomes of your visit.

Essex Outdoors Learning Outcomes

By participating a in trip to Essex Outdoors you will be contributing to the development and well-being of your group.
Our activities support the social, moral and spiritual growth of young people. We encourage the development of their communication and concentration skills, whilst re-engaging their commitment to learning. Pupils will also develop skills of application, comprehension, evaluation and analysis.

Resilience

Being able to accept failure at a task is often one of the hardest things for young people to do. Seeing this as an opportunity for growth is even harder! Essex Outdoors instructors have been trained to ensure that young people participating in our activities are able to develop high levels of resilience and perseverance; as well as developing a sense or humour that will help them to see the lighter side of failing in front of their friends and peers.

Confidence

Although young people often appear outwardly confident, constantly taking and publishing photos of themselves, this confidence is often missing from their academic work. Accepting that perfection cannot always be achieved is a hindrance in the progression of many young people’s academic performance. By taking an attitude of perseverance towards the Essex Outdoors activities, our customers are able to develop their levels of confidence.

Communication

Clear communication skills are vital in any workplace industry and young people need to learn this skill early on. The ability to communicate your ideas and points of view, on a coherent and concise fashion will make you stand out from the crowd. By participating in Essex Outdoors activities your students will develop their ability to communicate successfully in a variety of different situations, including being able to accurately and successfully put across their thoughts and ideas in higher pressured environments.

Team Work

People will naturally take on different roles when working in a team. Successful team work is an essential life skill; it is important to acknowledge that there are many different types of successful team work and that throughout their lives, young people will have to take on different roles. Participating in Essex Outdoors activities will allow your students to experience and excel in a range of different roles within a team.

Problem Solving

Problems pop up every day and having the ability to tackle these challenges face on is very important. Through the development of a wide range of activities that can be differentiated for a variety of levels, Essex Outdoors has specifically designed programmes that encourage the development of problem solving skill sets in young people.

Concentration

Everyone at some point has struggled with concentration. Being able to focus and concentrate on the task in hand is an important skill set that needs to be nurtured and is not just decided by your genes. Irrespective of your ability to concentrate, participating in an Essex Outdoors residential trip can improve young people’s level of concentration; with the most striking levels of improvement often being seen in the young people who have struggled the most.

Commitment

We all know how hard it can be to commit to studying; especially when you have limited interest in your subject area. Research from Learning Away has shown that after a residential trip a high percentage of children feel more committed to their studies. It is common place that the level of maturity of young people increases after they have attended a residential fieldtrip, resulting in an increase in commitment.

Managing Risk

We live in a world where young peoples’ exposure to risk can often be over managed; hindering their ability to learn how to manage risk correctly and ultimately leading to some young people being unable to make good judgement calls. This issue has been addressed in the new Ofsted criteria, and schools are now being encouraged to increase young peoples’ exposure to risk. The activities at Essex Outdoors are designed to expose young people to controlled risks; where they are able to safely ascertain what should and shouldn’t be done and how to successfully reach the goal that they require.

“The pupils enjoy themselves here not only because of the fantastic activities offered but the exceptionally high standard of teaching from the Instructors”

C Drury
Bishops Stortford College

Essex Outdoors offer a varied array of amazing activities.

  • All
  • Abseiling
  • Activity
  • Adventure and Obstacle Courses
  • Aerial Adventure
  • Aerial Trekking
  • All-Terrain Boarding
  • Archery
  • As a Team
  • BMX – Biking
  • Boat Rides
  • Bouldering
  • Bradwell Centre
  • Bridge Build
  • Bumble
  • Bushcraft
  • Canoeing
  • Caving
  • Climbing
  • Coastal discovery
  • Colleges & FE
  • Commitment
  • Communication
  • Concentration
  • Confidence
  • Corporate
  • Danbury Centre
  • Dinghy Sailing
  • Environmental
  • First Aid
  • Forest School
  • Giant Swing
  • Harlow Centre
  • High Ropes
  • In the air
  • Inclusive
  • It’s a Knockout
  • Kayaking
  • Kit Karts
  • Low Ropes
  • Managing Risk
  • Mersea Centre
  • Off road biking
  • On the ground
  • On the water
  • Orienteering and map skills
  • Pedal karts
  • Pioneering – Ballistas
  • Power Kites
  • Powerboating
  • Primary School
  • Problem Solving
  • Raft building
  • Resilience
  • Secondary School
  • Stand up paddleboarding
  • Swimming
  • Team challenge and problem solving
  • Team Work
  • The Lock Climbing Wall Centre
  • Vertical obstacle course
  • Youth Groups
  • Zip wire
boy descending abseiling wall

Abseiling

Abseiling experiences in Essex Test your nerve by lowering yourself over the edge and descending one of our exciting abseiling experiences, controlling your own descent as you go. Very popular with groups abseiling is often incorporated into other sessions, such as climbing or high ropes as a great way to help improve participant’s confidence as …
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girl climbing over poles on obstacle course

Adventure and obstacle courses

Obstacle courses at Essex Outdoors The perfect activity for group work, team building, or just a bit of fun! Our purpose-built obstacle courses promote participation, communication and team building, testing your ability to work with friends and colleagues in a safe but challenging environment. Navigate rope swings, tyre squeezes, tunnels, rope bridges, vertical walls, cargo …
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group of young people on Aerial Adventure course

Aerial adventure

Aerial adventure course in Essex Our high-level Adventure Course encompasses a comprehensive set of 11 challenging elements 13m off the ground and is designed to test your agility and your nerve. Take on the course with your teammates and complete the challenges set for you by your instructor; it's time to work together to test …
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girl in helmet climbing on scramble net

Aerial trekking

Aerial trekking course in Danbury The imposing centrepiece of our Danbury centre is an exciting array of 14 high-level obstacles including cargo nets, balance bars, barrel swings and even a traversing wall,  all designed to challenge your agility and courage. Set out over two levels of increasing difficulty; it is time to stretch your comfort …
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close up of feet on a mountain board

All-terrain boarding

All-terrain boarding in Essex A thrilling combination of snowboarding and off-road skateboarding, ATBs are great for balance and coordination skills. Start off with the basics of posture, balance and steering and how to protect yourself if you fall, and you’ll be zooming down the grassy slopes with style in no time! Clients are kept safe …
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instructor helping boy aim bow and arrow

Archery

Indoor & outdoor archery in Essex Aim for gold on our outdoor and indoor archery ranges. With its unique mix of fun and competition, archery is a popular activity for all ages and abilities, helping to build confidence and improve coordination skills. Sessions are tailored to meet the experience of the group and can offer …
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group of young people with mountain bikes

BMX biking

BMX activity course in Essex Our purpose-built BMX track allows you to experience the thrill of twists turns, jumps and berms,  under the watchful eye of our instructors. Winding 250 metres through natural woodland, you must keep your nerve as banks, lips and jumps appear around each bend. Alternatively, the track can be used to …
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motor boat on the sea

Boat trips and crabbing

Boat trips & crabbing in Essex Say hello to Sammy the seal! Discover the enchanting river Blackwater by taking a boat trip from the jetty at West Mersea or Bradwell. These excursions can be for fun or as part of a lesson on local marine life. They allow groups to experience the natural wonders of …
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teenage boy climbing on a bouldering wall

Bouldering

Bouldering wall in Essex If you like keeping fit and problem-solving, bouldering is the sport for you. Bouldering is an exhilarating and sociable sport where climbers attempt low-level routes without ropes or harnesses. Instead, protection from falls is provided by pads and crash mats. Bouldering "problems" are usually much shorter than rock climbs and often …
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boys tying poles together with ropes

Bridge build

Bridge building games in Essex Can you work as a team to build a bridge across the water? Using the kit provided and skills taught in the session you’ll become budding bridge engineers. Succeed and your team will stay dry, but if you fail to work well together and you may get wet and muddy! …
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surprised boy in water

Bumble

Urban coasteering (Bumble) activities in Essex Our exciting urban version of coasteering. This unique activity is a great way of building confidence in and around water. Participants slide down weirs, play team games in the river or jump in from the banks.  Available during the summer months only. Learning Outcomes Click below to find out …
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close up of starting a fire with sticks

Bushcraft

Bushcraft in Essex Marshmallows at the ready! Depending on the centre we offer either coastal or woodland-based versions. These exciting and informative sessions are very flexible and can incorporate; fire lighting using fire steels and natural materials shelter building and knotwork camp craft . You can also combine a longer session with an overnight camping …
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two boys enjoying canoeing

Canoeing

Canoeing activity days in Essex Test out our fleet of traditional Canadian canoes. Our instructors will guide you through all the basic strokes allowing plenty of time to practice your skills. You'll then be able to explore the local waterways and get up close and personal with some fascinating wildlife! Essex provides the ideal environment …
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group of smiling young adults in helmets

Caving

Caving activities in Essex Work your way through the winding tunnels, chambers and features of our 4 artificial caving courses, avoiding the dead ends to find the exit. Suitable for those with or without a fear of enclosed spaces. Your group will be encouraged to work together to find the quickest way through the maze …
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young person on a climbing wall

Climbing

Indoor and outdoor climbing wall in essex Reach new heights on one of our impressive outdoor towers or indoors at our fourteen-metre high professional climbing wall – “The Lock”. Our climbing walls provide a huge variety of routes to challenge novices and advanced climbers alike. During our instructed sessions, you’ll learn to use climbing equipment …
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view of seashore at mersea island

Coastal discovery

Coastal discovery activites in Essex Blending the best of environmental education and forest school principals with fun activities. Find out the fascinating seashore life of the Blackwater estuary. Sessions can include learning about tides, beaches and marshes finding and identifying coastal plants and sea creatures creating beach art The world really is your oyster in …
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group of young people in a dufour sailing boat

Dinghy sailing

Dinghy sailing activities in Essex It’s all-aboard our Dufour Drakkar boats which combine speed and excitement with stability and capacity. This modern hybrid craft has great upwind performance and an asymmetric spinnaker for exhilarating downwind sailing. Crews can assist with hoisting and trimming sails, helming the boat and learning the basics of sailing. Each boat …
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person preparing to give CPR on a dummy

First aid

First aid training in Essex Our highly interactive introductory First aid lessons for young people are based on British Heart Foundation guidelines. Sessions include plenty to keep the mind and body active and the group will learn everything they need to know to be confident in a basic first aid situation. Areas covered include how …
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young boys in front of campfire

Forest school

Forest school Feel inspired by nature. Forest School involves regular visits to local areas of woodland or coastline. Here children can develop a connection with, and appreciation of, their environment. They’ll enjoy complete freedom – to be creative and explore. They'll also be able to flex their imagination and to play, and to learn using …
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metal pole of giant swing with blue sky and clouds

Giant swing

Giant outdoor swing activity in Essex At 18m tall our twin Giant Swing (3G swing) is an exhilarating activity which encourages participants to set their own goals and push their comfort zones. They'll also build confidence and trust within their group. The group work together to hoist two of their teammates at a time up …
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boy on high ropes course

High ropes

High ropes adventure obstacle course in Essex Each of our centres’ high ropes courses offers a variety of challenging and exciting elements designed to push your comfort zone to see what you can really achieve. Walk the catwalk, take on the Leap of Faith or work alongside your friends to get to the top of …
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high ropes adventure course

High Ropes Adventure Course

High ropes adventure course in Essex Head for the heights of our High Adventure aerial trekking course at Harlow. Coming soon at our Harlow centre this imposing centrepiece is an exciting array of high-level obstacles including cargo nets, balance bars, barrel swings and even a traversing wall,  all designed to challenge your agility and courage. …
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boy and girl on inflatable bungee run

It’s a knockout

It's A Knockout! Inflatable obstacle course in Essex It's bouncy, wet and loads of fun! A range of up to 10 group games emphasises teamwork skills with lots of fun elements mixed in. Try and conquer the water tower, or reach the end of the bungee run. Test your combat skills on the gladiators or …
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two smiling girls in kayaks

Kayaking

Kayaking activities in Essex Test out our fleet of sit-on-top and traditional kayaks. Our instructors will guide you through all the basic strokes allowing plenty of time to practice your skills through fun games and challenges. You’ll then be able to explore the local waterways and get up close and personal with some fascinating wildlife! …
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girl with disability riding a kit cart

Kit karts

Kit karting activites in Essex Kit karts are the perfect mix of a team-building exercise coupled with the excitement of riding your creation down one of our hills. Groups will work in two teams to build soapbox-style go-carts from the kit of parts and instructions supplied by the Instructor. Once the challenge is completed, group …
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instructor helping children on a low ropes course

Low ropes

Low rope activities in Essex The floor is lava! Our low ropes courses have a series of low-level challenges with interconnected ropes, planks, wires and tyres. The aim is to support your teammates to move around the platforms of the course without touching the ground Designed to test and hone the group's cooperation and communication …
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boy riding a mountain bike on a ramp

Off road biking

Off-road cycling activities in Essex Enjoy the ride. Our centres are perfectly situated to cater for all levels of off-road biking. Each site presents plenty of challenges, from obstacle courses to build your skills to gentle woodland trails and more technical routes. And our proximity to some of the best single-track in the country allows …
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hand holding orienteering map

Orienteering and map skills

Orienteering activities in Essex This activity teaches the important life skill of map-reading. Our instructors will guide groups through a series of mini-exercises to introduce; points of the compass and orientating a map interpreting symbols features using scale and pacing Participants then head off to complete courses and challenges of increasing difficulty around our beautiful …
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close up of long grass with dew

Pedal karts

Pedal karting in Essex Ride our pedal-powered go-karts around the specially designed street circuit and race track. These robust karts are suitable for ages 7 to adult and are equipped with forward and reverse gears and brakes. A series of exercises will teach the basic rules of the road and driving etiquette. Riders will also …
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boys tying poles together with ropes

Pioneering

Pioneering activities in Essex Work together to build various structures from a kit of wooden poles, ropes plus tarps and barrels. You'll learn a variety of useful knots and traditional lashing techniques. A medieval-style catapult, a bridge or even a go-kart could be your goal. The session finishes off by testing out your creations - …
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blue skies with fluffy white clouds

Power kites

Power kiting activities in Essex Learn the ropes then take to the skies with one of our powerful aerofoil kites. An exhilarating experience which teaches participants about wind speed and direction. It also promotes communication and cooperation as well as improves confidence. Learning outcomes Click below to find out which learning outcomes this activity promotes. …
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large rigid inflatable boat on the sea

Powerboating

Powerboating in Essex Whether it's riding the waves on one of our Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) or gaining a nationally recognised qualification on one of our RYA Powerboat courses, Essex Outdoors has the powerboating experience for you! An activity can fill a whole morning or afternoon for up to 20 people. We take our boat …
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ropes and poles of raft building

Raft building

Raft building activities in Essex Build your own river-going vessel from a selection of tested items such as barrels, ropes and wooden planks. You'll learn some useful knot work and traditional techniques to construct your craft. An ideal session for enhancing team-building skills, communication, planning and resource management. Available during the summer months only. Learning …
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boys stand up paddle boarding

Stand up paddle boarding (SUP)

Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) for schools and groups in Essex The latest addition to our paddle sports line-up - the exciting sport of stand-up paddle boarding - or SUP - is an excellent way to develop water confidence, and build core strength and balance. You’ll be on your feet and exploring the beautiful rivers, creeks …
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underwater view of girl with sunglasses on

Swimming

Swimming activity days in Essex At Mersea, our 25m long, 1 metre deep heated outdoor pool can be hired for a swim or with our pool games for a fun session. All sessions are supervised by a qualified Lifeguard. Learning outcomes Click below to find out which learning outcomes this activity promotes. Resilience Being able …
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group doing problem solving activity

Team challenge and problem solving

Team challenge and problem solving From mental puzzles through to team challenges, we'll test your ability to work together, communicate and think fast. Spider's web, mazes, blindfold trails and sheep pens are just some of the tools used to test your problem solving skills. The activities not only offer the opportunity for groups to go …
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instructor helping boy attach climbing harness

Vertical obstacle course

Vertical obstacle course in Essex At over 13 meters high, this climbing-based obstacle course will test the physical and mental agility of even the most adventurous participants. There are 7 elements to try in all, including human Tetris and the wall of tyres. What is the best route to the top? Can you find a …
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smiling girl on zipwire

Zip wire

Zip wire activities in Essex A fun personal challenge. Participants are connected to a wire 12 metres above the ground, before stepping out into thin air and embarking on a 100m descent. The experience will have you pleading for a second go! Learning outcomes Click below to find out which learning outcomes this activity promotes. …
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