When you arrive a Barton Hall PGL you are given a programme for the Tuesday until Friday lunchtime and allocated a group number – these are the people you will be with throughout your stay. The schedule includes three activities and one "flexi" session a day. At our introductory session I immediately noticed that children under six would not be allowed to participate in quad biking. When I pointed this out I was told it would be okay.
For us Tuesday began with a "flexi" session which was a complete waste as the swimming pool was closed and another family beat us to the table tennis. We played a couple of games of giant Connect Four in the "Chill Zone" then just wandered around.
We found our group for the second session: three families including a four-year-old, three aged five (including Harriet), a seven-year-old and two aged nine. Four adults completed the group. I have no head for heights and having seen the activities on offer, knew I faced some personal challenges. The first was the climbing wall. Harriet gamely climbed as high as she could. I fell almost at the first hurdle but had to try again for a photo opportunity.
The afternoon kicked off with the Trapeze which I couldn't even contemplate (I was not the only one). Harriet tried but was unable to make the climb up to the platform. Others in our party had more success. However we were disappointed that we couldn't take the smaller children quad biking meaning some of the adults missed out too. Harriet and I enjoyed a swim in the heated pool.
Day two included the Giant Swing which was fun and required no specific skill and Raft Building which I really enjoyed. Harriet decided against the raft and went in the canoe with one of our instructors. The last session was Jacob's Ladder which was another none started for a few of us including the younger children. I asked if we could try out the mountain bikes as Harriet cannot yet ride without stabilisers. It was a useful exercise as none of the bikes was small enough for the younger children so we had to forgo that session the next day.
You'll notice the recurring theme when I say that Abseiling was beyond a few of us but Archery was a hit with almost everyone. In fact I was able to arrange another session for Harriet and me during what should have been the Mountain Biking session. It's amazing what some extra tuition can do and we really improved our aim.
Our final sessions were the Zip Wire which I loved and Aeroball. Sadly the fact that the younger children had to be helped down from the wire, meant we ran out of time and the adults only had one go. The Aeroball on an enclosed trampoline was great fun if exhausting and we all got drenched in the rain.
In all the sessions the emphasis was on safety and the expertise of the instructors was impressive. They was also considerate and kind with wimps like me and did encourage you to try to go further.
The package we had was a set programme and it was a "one size fits all" which I felt could have been tailored a little more to families who have younger children with them. Four of our group could not take part in the Quad or Mountain Biking.
The swimming pool was a great attraction for us which we took advantage of during our "flexi" sessions (except the first one). During one session were were the only ones swimming in the rain so it gave Harriet the opportunity to swim the length – a perfect confidence booster for when her swimming lessons start again.
While having a "flexi" session gave us the opportunity to swim, it would have been nice if two were combined so that you had one morning or afternoon completely free to explore Torquay.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Anne and Harriet were given a complimentary stay at PGL Barton Hall in order to review the facilities. Staff were not aware Anne would be writing about the experience.
For more information or to book a Family Activity Adventure Holiday visit PGL.