Under normal circumstances giving a small boy, especially my eight-year-old, a loaded rifle would be just asking for trouble, writes Sarah Moran. But he takes aim and fires, hitting a paper target about 20ft away and as he turns his face is filled with a beaming smile.

Take the plunge – go rafting with the family and see if you stay dry

Success at last – he’s been trying to get a shot on target for the last 10 minutes or so and now he’s done it.

This was our first activity on our action-packed holiday at the Boreatton Park adventure centre in the lovely Shropshire countryside nerar Shrewsbury.

PGL are well-known for the school trips they run around the country where youngsters get to spread their wings a bit and try their hand at challenges.

But this holiday was a family one, so we were all there, me, my husband, son and daughter, ready and willing to take on some new challenges.

We were being put up in cabins, with the children getting bunk beds, and although the accommodation was basic, it was warm and more than adequate after a tough day getting muddy and tired.

We were in a group of 20 fellow adventurers; half being children aged from eight to 15, the rest their parents most of whom, like me were a bit hesitant about some of the more daring sounding activities on the itinerary.

The rifle shooting was a great opener, with all of our group hitting the targets within a few minutes of being shown the basics by a trained instructor.

Then we were off to the Giant Swing, which was, indeed, a giant swing.

We were harnessed onto it two at a time then the rest of the group winched each pair 30ft up before a cord was pulled, releasing the swing to do its thing, accompanied in my case with some serious screaming.

And all this, before lunch – which like the breakfasts and dinners are hearty and hot, and included in the package.

The afternoon brought more high-flying fun with the trapeze. I sat out on this one but cheered on the rest of our group as they scrambled up a 15ft wooden pole, clambered onto a small platform and then, with a harness on, leapt to grab on to a trapeze.

We rounded off our first full day with some archery and dodgeball, which became a firm favourite especially with the children who relished being able to lob balls at their parents – all in the name of good fun.

The next day brought sunshine which was just as well as we were tasked with raft-building. With just a load of barrels, logs and ropes we created our craft and set sail on the lake. The adults on one raft were very focused on staying dry while the children on the other raft were equally as determined to get as wet as possible and were soon tumbling into the water, squealing with laughter.

Keeping with the water-borne theme we also tried canoeing which again gave the children the chance to get soaking wet, while the grown-ups were more interested in spotting the kingfishers on the riverbank

The mansion house at Boreatton Park, near Shrewsbury

Back on dry land we completed a challenge course and got all Errol Flynn with some fencing before trying the activity which would prove the greatest challenge, for me and my fear of heights, the High Ropes.

Having climbed a wooden tower about 30ft high the task was to navigate a series of tightropes suspended high above the countryside. With the wind howling and the rain lashing I was just about to call it quits before I’d even started when my spirit of adventure kicked in and I just went for it.

The sense of achievement that finishing the challenge gave was enormous and with my confidence bolstered, the next day I was happy to whizz off, twice, on a zip wire with barely a second thought.

The itinerary is packed with even more to do in the evenings with such activities as aeroball and a treasure hunt. And later all the families would round off the day in the bar with bingo, a quiz or games

With so much to do, and such a variety of activities, there’s no chance for anyone to get bored and with all the meals catered for there are no arguments about washing up – just leaving everyone time to enjoy themselves and try things they never thought they could do.

From rifle-shooting to raft-building, abseiling to archery, this PGL holiday is a sure-fire family success.

Fact file:

• For 2012, PGL Holidays is offering ‘Family Active’ breaks and holidays at nine UK adventure centres as well as five in France.
• The four-night stay at the Boreatton Park adventure centre enjoyed by Sarah Moran and family will cost a total of £948 for two adults and two children, inclusive of full-board accommodation and all activities.
• Call 0844 371 2424 or see www.pgl.co.uk for more details