One Magazine’s Esther Baker and family get stuck in at Cullompton’s brand new outdoor adventure trail where kids really can be kids…
Technology is an amazing way to keep our children occupied and entertained, but with children becoming more and more absorbed in their phones, tablets, video games and gadgets, it’s refreshing to see children of all ages interacting with each other whilst running around covered head to toe in mud, enjoying themselves in the wild – welcome to The Bear Trail.
On arrival we were warmly greeted by the owner, Ben, who took great pleasure in showing us what is clearly his pride and joy. His passion for his creation is incredibly infectious, and really helped us to get into the right mindset before embarking on the trail. It’s also worth noting how much Ben prides himself on the quality of his staff who were all polite and energetic, with not a sad face in sight!
The trail includes a series of obstacles for both children and adults to make their way across, under and over. With 16 different obstacles at present, including cargo nets to climb, tunnels to crawl through, zip wires to race on, wobbly bridges to cross plus the ultimate challenge of climbing Bear Mountain, your little ones will love the variety and certainly won’t need rocking to sleep at the end of the day.
Between myself and my sister we had brought six children, ranging in ages from two years old to 15, and I can honestly say that every one of them really enjoyed themselves on every obstacle available. Although some were slightly trickier for the younger ones, they could still have a go and challenge themselves physically and mentally, all while having fun with everyone else so nobody had to feel left out.
The beauty of the Bear Trail stems from its simplicity – children are able to really exercise their imagination and invent their own games using the different areas and obstacles to create their very own unique experience. Whether it’s working together or competing against each other, the Bear Trail really encourages children to push their boundaries of play whilst allowing parents to get involved too or, for those parents abstaining, to be able sit on the grass and relax while still being able to supervise.
A trip to the Bear Trail might leave your children looking, well… like a bear, so fortunately there is an outdoor wash point to hose everyone down if required – a change of clothes is advisable!
Once your hungry bears have worked up an appetite from a day on the trail, you can relax and enjoy lunch from the Bear Cave Café, featuring a newly installed pizza oven which our boys all loved! The café serves a good variety of hot and cold food or there’s also plenty of space for bringing a picnic too.
Ben’s passion for his plans for the near future were equally exciting; increasing the number of obstacles and challenges, creating an area with animals to add to the existing Alpacas, and so much more besides – it really seems like the Bear Trail will be a constantly evolving project which will keep things varied and exciting for returning adventurers!
Ben is also keen for feedback from his visitors. One thing that he says keeps coming up time and time again from the children is ‘more mud!’ Well watch out kids, we’ve got the inside scoop and your wish is about to be granted!
Find out more about The Bear Trail online at: www.thebeartrail.co.uk
