Family fun with activities galore on PGL break

More often than not we are merely the taxi drivers, while the kids have all the fun. Not any more.

PGL, long synonymous with school adventure holidays, has now spread its wings and is offering Family Active breaks where everyone can take part.

No longer can the kids claim that PGL stands for Parents Get Lost. Now the parents are joining in with a vengeance and having just as good a time, if not more so, than the youngsters.

We embarked on a break at PGL's Boreatton Park site in Shrewsbury with our children Emily, eight, and Jamie, six, thinking it would it would be a great experience for them and the chance to try some more unusual activities.

Little did we realise how it would also be a great experience for us grown-ups too, giving us the chance to forget all the cares and responsibilities of adult life and take part in the activities at the same level as our children.

The first major challenge we encountered as adults, however, came before the activities got under way.

Soon after arrival it became clear we were expected to relinquish control to our group leaders. It comes as something of a shock to find we have a strict timetable for activities and mealtimes, and hardly any free time. The first instinct is to say hang on, when do I get chance to relax, have a cuppa, read a book?

But as soon as we surrendered, spared the responsibilities of watching the time and wondering what to do for tea, we were able to enjoy ourselves on the same terms as the children.

We arrived on a Monday afternoon and were shown to our cabin, basically two sets of bunkbeds and a bathroom. But as we realised there was going to be little time to spend in there other than to sleep, it was perfectly adequate. We were then taken up to the canteen for our evening meal. The food was tasty and there was plenty of it, even for fussy children.

Returning to our cabin complex for the after-dinner activity, we were organised into groups for a 'find the photograph' hunt which was a perfect ice-breaker. No time for polite introductions, we all had to muck in together straight away.

When we did find a small window for relaxation, we were delighted to discover we could use the teachers' lounge, complete with sofas, a television and drinks facilities.

The first morning we were up early for breakfast before heading, with our group of four families, for our first activity, the giant swing. This was simply the best fun anyone can have in a harness.

You are hoisted up to the sky then asked to pull a small piece of string with lets you go.

I admit I did feel a little trepidation but with eight-year-old Emily next to me clearly enjoying every second, I tried not to let it show.

We then moved onto abseiling. The youngsters, still on a high from the giant swing, were eager to get stuck in and Emily shocked us all by not only going first but showing no fear as she stepped backwards to the edge of the tower and wasted no time in abseiling down it.

Jamie was quick to follow, also showing no sign of nerves.

The feeling of achievement had begun and didn't stop all week as we ploughed through the activities: Canoeing, zip wire, orienteering, climbing, fencing, rifle shooting, quad biking, archery and much more.

The weather turned wintry one morning but we were told activities stop for no weather other than lightning.

As the snow fell we got to know our fellow guests a little better during initiative exercises in the puzzle park. One of the challenges involved trying to get all 11 of us onto a small wooden square. At least it was warm.

Later we had to climb a 20ft pole in the forest, stand on a tiny square at the top then leap to grab a trapeze. Undaunted, our six-year-old, Jamie, made it to the top no problem.

Raft building was not an activity I was particularly looking forward to, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the week.

Each group had to design and build their raft and then compete in games on the water, with most people ending up soaked.

Luckily, there are huge drying rooms available where guests can leave wet clothes overnight to dry.

None of the activities would have been half as much fun of it hadn't been for the instructors.

All of them seem to possess endless patience and enthusiasm and an uncanny ability to get even the most reluctant child (or parent) to join in.

Safety is clearly at the forefront of their minds, but somehow they manage to make it seem as though that is the last thing they are thinking of.

Fun was the priority and the youngsters, normally bombarded with rules and restrictions, were encouraged to be free to play however they wanted.

We parents took a back seat and soon realised nothing bad is really going to happen if your child tips a welly full of water over his head for getting a quiz question wrong (as Jamie did after a suggestion from an instructor, to his and everyone else's delight).

The National Trust recently published a list of the top 50 things every child should do before they reach the age of 12, including climbing a tree, building a den, skimming a stone and throwing snow.

Anyone who fancies ticking off a whole load of them in one go should try a PGL trip. It's a perfect step back in time where children can be children, and parents can too.

Fact file:

• For 2013, PGL Holidays is offering ‘Family Active’ two, four and seven-night breaks at nine UK adventure centres as well as four in France.

• The four-night stay at the Boreatton Park adventure centre in Shropshire – as enjoyed by Sally-Anne Youll and family – will cost from £255 per adult and £229 per child (six-18 years) inclusive of full-board accommodation and all activities. Children aged two-to-six years holiday free of charge.

• Call 0844 371 2424 or visit www.pgl.co.uk