A company for canoeing, kayaking and stand up paddleboarding. Crafts for hire, plus tuition and guided tours available.
There are a number of guided tours on kayak and canoes or you can hire the craft and go out paddling by yourself.
Nature Trail
Nature Trail
What is it?
A nature trail is a planned outdoor walking route, along which are posts marking varying points of interest for people to stop and observe. They can include things such as nature, environmental features and objects of technological and cultural importance, and generally the marker posts have some information displayed for the walkers’ perusal.
What does it involve?
These sorts of trails can involve many different things, but they are all generally based around walking on a circuitous route or from point A to B. The lengths of the trails can vary from reasonably short 30 minute walks to taking many hours to complete – there are different types to include all sorts of different features.
Why do it and what are the benefits?
A nature trail is a great and easy way to get interested in the surrounding environment! The presented information means it requires no research on the things around you, so it’s hassle free and a alternative way of learning.
What equipment do we need?
You shouldn’t need any equipment other than appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear!
Who is it suitable for?
As long as you make sure the length and intensity of the nature trail is suitable for the ages of the students, it should be suitable for pretty much anyone!
Costs?
Most nature trails are generally free to access, but more specialist walks may have a guide available, which would have some costs! Make sure to check ahead of time.
Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)
Nature trails can take you a reasonable distance away from any towns, so if you have students with unpredictable medical conditions you must ensure you can call for medical help and that assistance can access your location easily! Also, young children should always be supervised carefully when in an unsecured outdoor location!
How do we include?
The nature of the outdoors means that the terrain can be rough or unpredictable, so those with physical disabilities may have issues navigating the route. Check with the trail’s organisers to find out the specific details.
Doing it abroad?
Foreign nature trails will be fascinating! They can give you a chance to see and learn about some of the features of different countries while seeing them in real life as opposed to pictures in books. Do some research beforehand to see what is going to be available in the area!
Main website:
See specific venue websites for information about their nature trails.
Venues with this Activity
Classic south Lakeland countryside with views of the fells and lakes
The western shore of Windermere is perfect for a car-free adventure for all the family. Why not travel over on the ferry from Bowness? In less than 15 minutes you’ll leave the busy eastern shore behind you and arrive at the naturally beautiful west shore.
From here you can discover the mystical heights of Claife Viewing Station and learn about its colourful history.
Dramatic chalk cliffs with acres of open downland and coastal views
Bembridge and Culver Downs form a dramatic promontory at the east end of the Isle of Wight. The cliffs are part of the same chalk ridge that forms the Needles and cliffs of Tennyson Down in the west. Feel the wind in your hair and admire the views over Sandown Bay and the Solent from this high point perched on top of the cliffs.
Towering cliffs, coves and a wooded valley within Exmoor National Park
The Heddon Valley set in the West Exmoor coast was the favourite landscape of the Romantic Poets.
Famous for our red squirrels, wildlife and Scouting
Brownsea Island is dramatically located in Poole Harbour, with spectacular views across to the Purbeck Hills.
Rising from the east shore of Loch Lomond to a height of 974m (3,193ft), Ben Lomond offers exhilarating walking and spectacular views across Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.
Tranquil area of dramatic fells, farms and woodland, encompassing three lakes
Buttermere in Old English means 'the lake by the dairy pastures'. Large numbers of Vikings settled in Cumbria during the 9th and 10th centuries and many names in the area are of Norse origin.
Home of the Wild Ennerdale project with 30 miles of traffic-free paths
Lying on the north western edge of the Lake District National Park, Ennerdale is home to some of England’s most vibrant natural environments and one of the longest running wild land restoration projects in the UK.
A spectacular landscape of curious contrasts
The St Just coast boasts spectacular cliffs which lead from turbulent Atlantic seas, to a flat plateau of granite, capped by small agricultural fields. Here, since the Bronze Age, tin has been pulled and pushed out of the earth.
Valleys of many delights
The valleys descend from the highest and wildest mountains all the way to the beautiful sandy beaches on Cumbria’s peaceful western coast. The landscape provides everything from grandeur and beauty to tranquillity and remoteness.
Beautiful wooded valley with 19th-century Gibson Mill at its heart
A beauty spot of the South Pennines with more than 160 hectares (400 acres) of unspoilt woodland.
As well as being the home of the northern hairy wood ant, there are tumbling streams, glorious waterfalls and stacks of millstone grit, all crisscrossed by more than 15 miles (24km) of footpaths.
If you are visiting nearby Stourhead then why not walk half a mile or so to see one of the great follies of the UK.
Spectacular and varied lakeland landscape around Derwentwater
Derwentwater is often called the 'Queen of the Lakes', and as you canoe between the islands with your picnic at the ready it's easy to see why. The friendly staff at our shop and information centre on the Keswick Foreshore will help you out with local knowledge about canoeing, interesting things to see and walks to do.
Adventures in the Wild!
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget. We pay meticulous attention to the details, making sure our pastoral care is second to none, our activities are both exciting and educational, and the whole experience of working with
Houghton House today is the shell of a 17th century mansion commanding magnificent views, reputedly the inspiration for the ‘House Beautiful’ in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
Unspoilt island, home to a fascinating array of wildlife amidst dramatic scenery
Undisturbed by cars, the island encompasses a small village with an inn and Victorian church, and the 13th-century Marisco Castle.
There's also a disused lighthouse to discover. Called the Old Light, it offers superb views over the north part of the island.
Heather-clad moors of Kinder to the gritstone tors of Derwent Edge
The wild Pennine moorlands are of international importance for their populations of breeding birds and mosaic of habitats.
Streams of lichen-rich sarsen stones
Sheltered valleys containing well developed 'boulder streams' of sarsen stones. Sarsen stones are of ecological interest for the lichens and mosses they support as well as geological importance.
The sites were purchased in 1908 following a public appeal and were our first countryside properties in Wiltshire. Prior to this, sarsen stones were removed to provide building materials.
One of the largest remaining areas of heathland in East Hampshire
Ludshott Common covers 285 ha (705 acres) and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Protection Area (SPA) because of its wildlife.
The closest you'll get to true wilderness in Essex
A remote island in the Blackwater Estuary and cut off at high tide, visiting Northey's a unique pleasure.
Northey was to become the oldest recorded battlefield in Britain when Viking raiders used the island as a base during the Battle of Maldon in AD991, an encounter also mentioned in England's earliest known poem.
A Georgian country estate in west London
A short hop from central London by tube but a world apart. Stroll up the tree-lined drive, past the grazing Charolais cattle and you'd think you're in the country, not urban Hounslow.
Surrounded by gardens, park and farmland, Osterley is one of the last surviving country estates in London.
Sometimes described as ‘the islands at the edge of the world’, the archipelago of St Kilda is located 41 miles west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Formed from the rim of an ancient volcano, it is the remotest part of the British Isles.
Explore the landscape and childhood home of famed local author Thomas Hardy.
"It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot" - such were the words of Queen Victoria after her first visit to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
No trip to the island would be complete without a visit to this royal seaside palace where Queen Victoria lived with her beloved Prince Albert and their nine children.
Spectacular 18th-century mansion with Adam interiors and parkland
Take a trip back in time to the 1760s at this spectacular Neo-classical mansion framed by historic parkland.
Designed for lavish entertaining and displaying an extensive collection of paintings, sculpture and original furnishings, Kedleston is a stunning example of the work of architect Robert Adam.
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The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
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