The 50 Best: Active days out (1-25)

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1. KITE SURFING, POOLE

Since its invention in France around five years ago, kite surfing has become popular in countries with a surfing tradition. It involves standing on a small board and grasping 30m lines attached to a power kite. Surfers can steer as they skim along the waves and the large kite permits them to do acrobatics such as jumps, spins and loops. Windtek runs one-day courses for beginners with theory, technique and then the excitement of a practical session.
Where: Windtek, 109 Portland Rd, Weymouth, Dorset (01305 787900; www.windtek.co.uk)
When: call for dates
How much: Beginner day course £95

2. BIRDS OF PREY, NEWENT

More than 90 different species of birds of prey, including falcons, eagles, owls and hawks, can be spotted at the National Birds of Prey Centre, where daily flying demonstrations are organised for visitors. For a hands-on encounter with these avian hunters, the Centre offers its Bird of Prey Experience Days. The day involves bird-handling, learning to tie a falconer's knot, flying birds to the fist, and ultimately standing in a field as a falcon flies at high speed towards a swinging lure.
Where: National Birds of Prey Centre, Newent, Gloucestershire (0870 990 1992; www.nbpc.co.uk)
When: General admission daily 10.30am-5.30pm, Feb-Oct, Experience Days Thur-Sat.
How much: £125 per person

3. XSCAPE, CASTLEFORD

With the UK's longest indoor snow slope you can ski, sled or snowboard year round regardless of what the weather is doing. For further ice-capades, there is a 16m indoor ice-climbing wall (Europe's tallest) with vertical faces for several abilities of climber. But here it's not all chills; there is also an aerial assault course, indoor skate park and laser-zone.
Where: Colorado Way, Glasshoughton, Castleford, West Yorks (0871 200 3221; www.xscape.co.uk); also in Glasgow and Milton Keynes
When: Daily, attractions have separate opening hours
How much: Attractions have separate admission prices, from £7

4. ABSEILING, PEAK DISTRICT

Abseiling comes from a German word meaning "to rope down" and it involves descending a cable in increments down a building or rockface. Outdoor Instruction runs activities in the Peak District including standard cliff-top abseiling, but for a more adventurous version, they can take participants to do it underground, through waterfalls or in total darkness. Talk to one of the instructors and they will arrange a day to suit you.
Where: Outdoor Instruction (07710 456732; www.outdoorinstruction.co.uk)
When: Dates to suit clients
How much: from £120

5. SPY ACADEMY, HORTON

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to discover the secret agents' tricks during this day-long intensive training session. You will use the items on an undercover operative's shopping list - bugs and listening devices, lock-picking gadgets and covert cameras. And for those times you are faced with an arch enemy, you can add axe throwing and a number of unarmed combat techniques to your skills. Do you have a cool enough nerve to succeed in the bomb deactivation challenge?
Where: Spy Games, Brafield Rd, Horton, Northampton (0845 130 3007; www.spy-games.com)
When: Sat-Sun Mar-Oct
How much: from £99

6. WHITEWATER RAFTING, AVIEMORE

Whitewater rafting is an exhilarating activity that takes place in an inflatable craft on a wild river. Participants kitted out with helmets and buoyancy aids have to paddle like billy-o as the boat crashes through turbulent rapids and negotiates powerful whirlpools. Full on Adventure organises whitewater activities on Scotland's best rafting river, the Findhorn, in utterly glorious scenery. No previous experience necessary. Bring a change of clothes - you will get wet.
Where: Full on Adventure, 24 Cairngorm Ave, Aviemore (07885 835838; www.fullonadventure.co.uk)
When: dates to suit client
How much: £75 per person

7. MICROLIGHT, MIDDLE STOKE

Flying a microlight is an exciting and economical intro to the skies. Medway Microlights offers novices the opportunity to learn the basics and see if they want to move on to a full training course. This introduction demonstrates how to use dual controls - make all the checks then take off! Then, cruising 2,000ft above the River Medway, the instructor will hand over the controls and you learn basic manoeuvres such as turning, climbing and descending - unfortunately back to the bounds of Earth.
Where: Medway Microlights, Burrows Lane, Middle Stoke, Rochester, Kent (01634 270236; www.ravenmad.co.uk)
When: Dates to suit client
How much: 30-min flight £50, 60-min £100

8. BEECRAIGS COUNTRY PARK, LINLITHGOW

For a birthday party or group outing with an active outdoor component, Beecraigs Country Park, set in the picturesque Bathgate Hills, is a great destination. West Lothian Council runs a number of recreational courses at weekends for the general public and groups within the 370-hectare park and at nearby venues. Activities include target archery, kayaking, climbing, orienteering (and skiing in winter). It's a popular service, so early booking is essential.
Where: Linlithgow, West Lothian (01506 844516; www.beecraigs.com )
When: call for dates
How much: general park entry free, day courses adult £20, child £14

9. BUNGEE JUMP, ROTHERHAM

Many readers may have already tried bungee jumping. But how many have done it indoors and in darkness? That's the new attraction at Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, the home to one of only two indoor bungee-jumping facilities in the world. Climb in semi-darkness 40m up the Face of Steel as music pumps from speakers, spotlights whirl and dry ice swirls. Gaze over the edge. Dare you jump?
Where: Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham (Abyss Hotline 07000 286433; www.visitmagna.co.uk). Organised by UK Bungee Jumps (www.ukbungee.co.uk)
When: 23 Apr, 20 May, and each month thereafter
How much: £49

10. KNIGHT SCHOOL, WARWICK

How did those medieval knights manage to clunk around in that heavy metal? Find out during an enormously entertaining day with The Knights of Middle England. You wear a suit of armour and learn how to compete in a tournament. Mounted on a horse, you have to pick up targets using your lance, and finally meet the Black Knight in a contact joust. Knock him down, and you get a knighthood.
Where: The Knights of Middle England, Warwick International School of Riding, Guys Cliffe, Coventry Road, Warwick (01926 400401; www.knightsofmiddleengland.co.uk)
When: call for dates
How much: from £165

11. KAYAK SURFING, OBAN

If you envy dolphins with their ability to jump and fly over waves, then kayak surfing is for you. Riding a wave at speed inside the fibreglass craft is an intense adrenalin rush and for the initiated, manoeuvres such as the Bouncer or Tail Slash are possible. Hebridean Pursuits offers one-on-one training for absolute beginners in the sea around Oban and Tiree where neophytes learn the sport's theory and practice. Helmets, buoyancy aids and a boat are provided - wetsuits are not.
Where: Hebridean Pursuits, Grosvenor Crescent, Connel, Oban, Argylle (01631 710317; www.hebrideanpursuits.com)
When: Dates to suit the client
How much: £150 for one-on-one training

12. PARACHUTE JUMP, ATTLEBOROUGH

1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 - that's what first-time parachutists recite as they wait for the canopy to open. Being ready for a jump takes a day of training and then comes the heart-in-mouth denouement. The action of falling from a plane automatically operates the chute and then the jumper has the delightful sensation of drifting gently to earth from 1,200m. It is surprisingly quiet up there and the journey is far too short. No wonder most people go back for more.
Where: UK Parachuting, Old Buckenham Airfield, Attleborough, Norfolk (01953 861030; www.ukparachuting.co.uk)
When: Mon-Fri year-round, depending on weather.
How much: from £145.

13. GO APE HIGH TREE ADVENTURE, SHERWOOD PINES FOREST

The 99 per cent of DNA that humans share with chimpanzees should become apparent at Go Ape. This is a high-wire forest adventure where participants, in a harness, traverse the trees just below the canopy by way of scramble nets, rope bridges, zip slides and Tarzan swings. It's an adrenalin-filled activity for individuals and families. With over 1,200 hectares of woods and open heath, Sherwood Pines Forest is the largest public woodland in the East Midlands.
Where: Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Old Clipstone, Nottinghamshire (0870 444 5562; www.goape.co.uk) and several other UK locations.
When: daily 9am-5pm Mar-Oct
How much: adults £20, child £15

14. MOUNTAIN BOARDING, VARIOUS LOCATIONS

This new action sport is catching on because it can be done at any time of the year and in most weather. Anyone familiar with in-line skates or snowboards will be a natural. The board itself resembles a long skateboard with large wheels and bindings to strap the feet into. Any grassy or dirt slope is fair game as a mountain-board setting - it's even better if it has ramps for jumps. Check the websites for organised mountain boarding locations.
Where: various locations (www.ridethehill.com, or www.sw-mbc.co.uk)
When: Call for dates to suit
How much: from £5

15. CIRCUS SKILLS, LONDON N1

Forget Cirque du Soleil, this is Cirque du Hoxton, offering a one-day training course that teaches all the classic circus skills. Start off with feet on the ground and juggling; move on to acrobatic balancing where you build a human pyramid; master stilt walking; then the adrenalin-buzz-inducing flying trapeze, and finally one of the most challenging activities requiring concentration, focus and balance - tightwire walking. Now you're ready to pack your trunk and say hello to the circus.
Where: The Circus Space, Coronet Street, London N1 (020-7613 4141; www.thecircusspace.co.uk)
When: once a month 10.45am-5.15pm
How much: £95

16. COASTEERING, NORTH WALES COAST

Coasteering is a combination of high-adrenalin activities practised on rocky coastlines. No two coasteering sites are the same, but participants may find themselves climbing through natural rock arches, wave dodging, jumping from cliffs into the water, swimming into sea caves and even consorting with seals. Clad in a wetsuit, buoyancy aid, helmet and stout shoes, coasteers explore the geology in a way that cannot be done by boat. Popular locations include the coasts of Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire.
Where: Snowdonia Adventures, Glasfryn Shop, High St, Barmouth, Gwynedd (01341 281500; www.snowdonia-adventures.co.uk)
When: dates to suit clients
How much: from £40 per day

17. DOLPHIN SPOTTING, MORAY FORTH COAST

Keep your eyes peeled for a pod of bottlenose dolphins resident in the Moray Firth. The best way of spotting them is aboard the Gemini Explorer, captained by highly experienced skippers and the largest wildlife-watching boat on Britain's east coast. The Moray Firth is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so the aquatic wildlife benefits from a superb backdrop. Gemini Explorer regularly encounters seals, harbour porpoise, and the occasional minke whale and basking shark.
Where: Gemini Explorer, 2 Red Craig, Burghead, Morayshire (0774 762 6280; www.geminiexplorer.co.uk)
When: year round - call for availability and weather conditions
How much: adult £25, under-16s £18 (children under 7 at the skipper's discretion)

18. LANDMARK FOREST CENTRE, CARRBRIDGE

Jumping, sliding and climbing are the buzzwords at Landmark Forest Centre. A wooded adventureland offers a wide variety of installations that children will find irresistible. In the Spiral Tower there are tunnels, ladders, nets and a tube slide. At Ropeworx visitors take a trek high up in the trees, balancing on thin steel cables. And at Skydive, two tall masts which people climb up just so they can throw themselves off (attached to harness and cable, of course!).
Where: Landmark Forest Centre, Carrbridge, Inverness-shire (0800 731 3446; www.landmark-centre.co.uk)
When: daily, hours vary through the year
How much: adult £9.45, child £7.40

19. WEASLING, SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

As the name may suggest, weasling involves participants squirming and wriggling as they scramble through a labyrinth of underground tunnels, squeezing into tight spaces between boulders and out the other side. But this is not for troglodytes because players come frequently into patches of daylight as they finish exploring one chamber and then go on to the next. Boots'n'Paddles runs this activity in the area around Loch Duntelchaig.
Where: Boots'n'Paddles, 14 Cabrich, Kirkhill, Inverness-shire (0845 612 5567; www.boots-n-paddles.co.uk).
When: call for dates
How much: £150 per person; the same price for individuals or groups of up to eight

20. COWBOY WESTERN WORKING DAY, NEW FOREST

You could rent a horse and go trail riding the English way. Or, you could do it Western-style, as in chaps and cowboy boots. This day starts with catching your mount from the fields, leading it in, grooming it and fitting its tack. Then comes a quick lesson on how to ride Western-style before heading to the New Forest trails and out on to the plains where the wild forest ponies roam. Close your eyes and they could be buffalo.
Where: Burley-Villa School of Riding, Burley-Villa Equestrian Centre, Bashley, New Milton, Hants (01425 610278; www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~burleyv)
When: usually twice a month, call for dates
How much: £120

21. FLYING FOX, GWYNEDD

In Australia a flying fox is a bat, in Britain it is a thrill ride where an aerial zip-line is attached to the top of a high waterfall. People jump backwards into the abyss and are whooshed along the line until they splash down in the pool at the bottom. Adrenalin Antics runs this activity on its own or as part of their Big Canyon Adventure, a tremendous experience that also includes plummeting down rock-slides into plunge pools.
Where: Adrenaline Antics, 2 Brook St, Tywyn, Gwynedd, (01654 713961; www.adrenalinantics.com)
When: call for dates.
How much: Flying Fox only £30, Big Canyon Adventure £40.

22. TARZAN SWING, LONGFIELD

Sign-up for Treejumpers' Aerial Adventure Course and you are guaranteed an action-packed day swinging through the air attached to ropes in a 20-metre structure of giant poles, cables and trees. Visitors are fitted with helmets and safety harnesses and let loose on a series of activities that include a Lord of the Jungle Tarzan Swing, abseiling, zip wires, giants' ladders, and a leap of faith from the top of a high pole to a trapeze. Suitable for ages seven and upwards.
Where: Treejumpers Outdoor Multi Activity Centre, Woodland Park, School Lane, Three Gates Road, Longfield, Kent (01474 873291; http://treejumpers.com).
When: Call for dates
How much: £39.99.

23. AVON VALLEY COUNTRY PARK, BRISTOL

Who would you rather be at Avon Country Park - an adult enjoying the beauty of the riverside nature trail, or a child let loose in the adventure playground, with its assault course, chain walkways, aerial runways and one of the largest death slides in the South West? There's also a mini-quad-bike circuit, and falconry displays at weekends.
Where: Pixash Lane, Bath Road, Keynsham, Bristol (0117-986 4929; www.avonvalleycountrypark.co.uk)
When: opens 1 Apr, Tue-Sun (and Bank Hol Mon) 10am-6pm (daily in school holidays)
How much: adult £6, child £5.50

24. SCRAMBLING, SNOWDONIA

A ramble becomes a scramble when you start using your hands and feet to negotiate a route up a mountain. Combining walking and climbing, scrambling does not entail the use of ropes to ascend or descend. This is not gentle exercise, however, and prior hill-walking experience is required. A good head for heights is advised because negotiating rock outcrops, buttresses and narrow ridges is all part of the challenge.
Where: RYG Outdoor Education Centre, Rhos Y Gwaliau, Bala, Gwynedd (01678 520395; www.rygoutdoor.co.uk)
When: call for dates of planned activities
How much: £55

25. SAS EXPERIENCE, BRECON BEACONS

An SAS experience is only authentic if it has been organised by former members of the elite military service, and this one is. In "Escape & Evasion", players are issued with camouflage gear, then trained in interrogation and evasion techniques. That's the theory, now the practice. The objective is to find and rescue a downed helicopter pilot - the trouble is he is in hostile territory and the rescue group is being tracked by the enemy. Will the group make it back to base?
Where: Various locations in the Brecon Beacons (07870 611850; www.sassurvival.co.uk)
When: call for dates
How much: £85

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