PGL Holidays – All you need to know before you go

For the last long weekend in August, we took the boys to Barton Hall in Devon which is an activity holiday designed for families. Having never really done this sort of activity holiday before I was a little worried about how the boys would react to it. Since I knew it would push them and us out of our comfort zone. Of course, I need not have worried. Not only did they really enjoy it but they slept almost the entire five-hour car drive home. Evidence that they thoroughly wore themselves out on our PGL family holiday and really enjoyed the PGL activities. Read all about our PGL Family adventures:

For the last long weekend in August, we took the boys to Barton Hall in Devon on PGL adventure holidays which is an activity holiday designed for families. Having never really done this sort of activity holiday before I was a little worried about how the boys would react to it. Since I knew it would push them and us out of our comfort zone. Of course, I need not have worried. Not only did they really enjoy it but they slept almost the entire five-hour car drive home. Evidence that they thoroughly wore themselves out on our PGL family holiday and really enjoyed the PGL activities.

Who are PGL

PGL stands for Parents Get Lost, the company has traditionally provided activity holidays for groups of school children on school trips. Both here in the UK and in France. Designed to keep young people between the ages of 8 and 16 constantly active and out of trouble. While providing lots of fun things to do and pushing them out of their comfort zone to try new activities. They are a popular choice in schools and many children of the 90s will probably remember going on one themselves. More recently they have opened up some of their locations to provide families with the chance to do the same via a short break – Family adventure holidays.

What is a PGL Family Holiday?

An all-inclusive PGL Holiday is designed for families to be able to take part in the same long list of activities in a family adventure holiday format. And learn new skills. But slightly modified to give some time to relax between the activities. When you arrive you are given your schedule. A timetable of events which details each of your activity sessions, meal times and any free time you have. There is not a huge amount of free time but you are also not under any pressure to do all of the sessions if you want to take a break. Rather than take part in these activities with school friends you take part with other families. 

With effort made to ensure the groups you are placed in contain children of similar ages. The hope is that they form some friendships so that they can play together outside of the organised activities and give parents a chance to relax. Or meet other parents. This definitely happened with the boys, who made some lovely friends. 

Where is PGL in the UK?

Although PGL has various locations across the UK and in France there are three PGL centre that specialise in family breaks. Caythrope Court in Lincolnshire, Windmill Hill in East Sussex and Barton Hall in Devon. We opted for the last one attracted by the large heated pool. It was also the perfect place to give us the opportunity to extend our break as the area has some amazing beaches as well as some days in Devon.

What age is a PGL Holiday suitable for?

Although the school sessions are designed for over 8 year olds. Family adventure sessions can take younger children. Harry was six when we visited and I would suggest this is probably the lowest age you would want to consider. Of course, it depends on the child, Harry is a particularly adventurous six-year-old. Read – NO FEAR! And happily propelled himself down a 30ft abseiling tower (alone) and jumped out a three-storey building attached to a zip line, also alone. 

With parents on hand to assist and as long as the safety equipment fits (all of it is fully adjustable) PGL are happy for the younger kids to get involved in the PGL activities. The only restriction we came across was axe throwing. This is a new activity to Barton Hall, and due to the length and size of the axe the minimum age is 10. However, they are looking at getting smaller axes to open it up to a wider age range.

How long can you stay and when can you go?

For our PGL family adventure we stayed for three nights going from Friday to Monday. For our first visit, this was perfect as we were all exhausted by the end of it. Although the kids would have liked to have stayed for longer. They also offer two-night breaks (Friday to Sunday), four-night mid-week breaks (Monday to Friday) and seven-night breaks (Friday to Saturday). Family breaks only operate during the school holidays from Easter through to October.

What is included in a PGL Family Holiday?

Almost everything, the only thing that is not included are drinks outside of that with your meal and any alcohol you may want. This includes free parking at your accommodation, your accommodation including bedding and towels, all the activities and necessary safety equipment. A schedule of entertainment during the early evening for the children and then later into the evening for the adults. Although the children also joined in on quiz night and bingo night when we stayed. As well as three meals a day, hot and cold soft drinks with these meals. There are also drinking water taps around the property to fill up bottles. And finally access to the outdoor heated swimming pool.

What is not included?

If you want to purchase additional drinks with meals such as beer or wine  on your PGL family adventures then you will need to pay for these. They had a wide selection of soft drinks, wine, beer, cider and spirits. A bottle of wine ranged from £16 to £25 and a branded large bottle of beer such as Doombar cost under £5. Considering it is a captive audience it is very well priced. There are also coffee, soft drinks and snacks machines which operate on cards. The bar also offered some snacks such as Pringles and crisps (£1 each), softly whipped ice cream (£2.60 each) and pizzas (£8.50 each). 

There is a small shop selling essentials that you may have forgotten such as suncream and some toiletries. They also had a range of water shoes (a necessity see below), towels and swimwear. As well as sweets and small gifts ideal to spend pocket money on. It feels like a tuck shop which would make sense considering their main market historically. 

Other than drinks at the bar, we spent very little during our time away with PGL Holidays. 

What activities may you get up to on a PGL Holiday?

Although broadly the same, PGL activities do vary between centres with many great things to choose from. You are given a schedule when you arrive  on your PGL family adventures. When we asked there was not any flexibility in the non-stop activities. So if there I something you particularly want to do that is advertised at the location you are visiting then it is worth calling ahead to see if you can have it added. You take part in the activities in a small group with the group leaders being the activity instructors. Most are young adults giving expert tuition, there was a really supportive environment and it was obvious that they are used to helping children. 

Our activities on our PGL family adventures

Over three days we had the following PGL activities scheduled:

• Orienteering – we looked for different points around the campus, each with a different point value.
• Vertical Challenge – a series of climbing nets and tyres which you climb up like the high ropes but vertically.
• Zip Wire – stepping out of a three-storey building and flying down the longest zip line we have ever been on.
• Survivor – learn all about the different types of shelter you can build and try out lighting fires with a flint and steel.
• Giant Swing – as it sounds! Only you can choose how high you go which is good if you have a fear of heights
• Abseiling – down a 40ft tower.
• Sensory Trail – going into the woods with goggles covering your eyes and following a rope around an obstacle course.

Other PGL activities include rock climbing and raft building everything was in the great outdoors. In addition to this, there were also free sessions. The activity for the free sessions varies by day. We had tag archery, axe throwing and rifle shooting. All of which we really enjoyed. There really is something for the whole family although we did not do any indoor activities on our break. 

Outdoor Swimming Pool

Part of the reason we chose this PGL family adventures locations is because of the outside heated swimming pool in which the boys spent as much time as possible in. The opening hours were really good as it was often open around 7.30 am which meant that if you wanted to you could get a swim in before the day began. And it stayed open until around 9 pm which meant the boys could enjoy a late night swim if they wanted. Which we did one night. Also during the day, they had two sessions on want inflatables. These were called Beauty and The Beast. 

Inflatables

When we arrived Harry was given a yellow wrist band which signified that he was not a strong swimmer. This meant that he could not go on The Beast inflatable which was on every evening from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm. He could however go on Beauty which was a smaller version of the same thing. However, he couldn’t go on it in his armbands. Which consequently meant he never got a try. They did have three lifeguards on and they said as a parent we could stay close to the inflatable in the pool. But the inflatable is two-sided and it would only take a second for him to go off the other side to you and… well.

It’s a risk we were not prepared to take. The reason armbands were not allowed on is because it may damage it. But watching the staff walking all over it when they put it away you have to question it. Plus where everything else is so safety orientated it seems an odd policy. 

Charlie went on The Beast a couple of times and absolutely loved it. Annoyingly both inflatables are on during the precise one-hour meal slot. Something to do with lifeguard rotas. Which is fair enough (the lifeguards were very good when we were there). But it makes meal times a real rush and I think it is something they should review. Even just making the meal time slot half an hour later would mean that doing both becomes more feasible. Getting young children dried and changed always takes longer than it should. 

Games

As well as the PGL activities there are plenty of games for kids to get involved with. In the bar, there are board games of all shapes and sizes. Around the house, there are giant sets of chess, draughts and connect four. We also saw badminton nets and frisbee golf. In the sports courts, there are plenty of balls and play equipment for the kids to mess around with. The kids loved that they could go and play an impromptu game of cricket with their new friends. 

Evening Entertainment

In the evenings there are two different sets of entertainment. These are displayed on the board in the reception area. There is something between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm for the kids. Such as a disco or sports night where all the kids play games with the input of the staff. So mum and dad can put their feet up. Then the later evening entertainment which included quizzes and bingo when we visited. 

What do you need to pack?

Old clothes with trainers and closed shoes. It is best to have some long sleeve tops and also long shorts that cover the thighs so that when you put a harness on it doesn’t come into contact with the skin. Swim stuff and things you are happy to wear if you fall into the lake when you do the water activities. Plus water shoes. For ladies, if you tend to use a clip in your hair then you all need hard bands so that you can tie your hair up under a helmet. 

There is a full packing list on the PGL website and you are sent details with your booking. As well as being given a recommendation for what to wear for the activities when you arrive. We noticed the shop sold water shoes. Although people changed in the evenings it was still very casual. That’s if you have time to squeeze in a shower between the end of your activity and dinner.

What is the accommodation like?

You have to remember that the accommodation was built to house tweens and teenagers. So rooms are generally dorm-style sleeping four or six people. We stayed in a standard six-person family room. Which was three sets of metal bunk beds. To be honest they were pretty ropey. On the basis that they were missing screws and so squeaked all night through when you have a little person sleeping above you on the top bunk. The bathroom could also do with a deep clean. But the linen was nice and crisp and the duvets and pillows good quality. I would recommend spending the extra money and booking a family plus room where the adults can sleep in twin beds and have a higher standard of en suite bathrooms. 

What is the food like on a PGL Holiday?

Think kids canteen food located in a separate building. There is a menu at the entrance which tells you the meals for the whole week. Plus a board that tells you the individual allergens for each option. Each mealtime there was something for vegetarians and vegans. I think they had four different sausages at breakfast time! Our favourite meals were breakfast and lunch. Each table has a pitcher of water or orange juice. Around the outside of the canteen, there are coffee and tea machines both of which are already made. Plus a chilled orange squash and water machine. 

Breakfast

This was by far our favourite meal. You could get a cooked breakfast each morning if you would like. Plus there are lots of cereal options, yoghurts and fresh fruit. The variety of fresh fruit is really good including soft fruits and berries. Plus there is toast and pastries of some sort. I was very impressed with the different milk options. Especially as Harry has oat or soya milk and it is the first time I have seen soya yoghurts available. 

Lunch

Was equally as good with masses of salad available normally with a meat side of some sort. There was a cooked option of course although it tended to be hot dogs or sausage rolls. There is also a sandwich bar where you can make your own sandwiches with various fillings. As we visited in the Summer there was only one choice of soup. There was also a selection of fruit such as bananas, apples, oranges and pears. On Sunday they did a full roast 

Dinner

Was pretty average. Some of the salad bar was available in the evening as well. Mains normally included a pasta dish or some sort. Harry was most impressed with this because the sauce was served separately so it meant the was happy with plain pasta. The main tended to be some sort of fried food. Served with rice or potatoes of some sort with cooked vegetables. One night because of juggling swimming and dinner we opted for pizza in the bar. 

Our favourite parts of our PGL Holiday at Barton Hall in Devon

We did have a good time on our PGL Holiday and made some amazing memories. The boys absolutely loved our PGL family adventures and had so much fun. We really enjoyed the abseiling, zip lines, axe throwing and the outside pool. But the thing which really sands PGL Holiday apart is the people. The staff are brilliant, the PGL instructors are so friendly and amazing with the kids. There is absolutely no pressure to do any of the activities. If the children (or adults) change their minds halfway through then there is no fuss at all. The staff deliberately go out of their way to engage the children by playing giant chess and making up silly stories. 

The other is the friendships you make. As you are put together in groups for the activities after the first day the kids become friends. This is encouraged by placing families with similar-aged children together. Not only does this mean any waiting around during the PGL activities is not met with I’m bored! But also in the evenings that they are often playing together. 

I was also impressed by the secure environment that is created. You can not enter or leave without a code giving me peace of mind that the boys were happy and safe, One thing less to worry about when Charlie goes on his year six residential and one of the kids’ camp packages. He is already declaring it will be an adventure of a lifetime. 

PGL Discount Code – PGL Family Holidays

For further information and to book your PGL family holidays online on their website. If you use the code SOCIAL25 you will get 25% off your booking. The discount will automatically be applied at the checkout. Charlie has also gone on a school break with at one of the other activity centres and had an equally excellent time full of PGL magic. So much so that he can not wait for more PGL family adventures with PGL holiday camps. 

The boys had a great time. Have you been on a PGL holiday? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below

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