Adventure Sports A-Z
4x4 Off roading - Whether you want to take your 4x4 over the type of terrain you won't find on your Home Counties commute to the capital, or you are more interested in borrowing someone else's, off road driving is a lot of fun. Land rovers and other robust 4x4 vehicles are designed to cope with serious road conditions. At off road driving centres you can receive expert tuition in how to push your vehicle to the limit on steep slopes, rocky terrain and through deep water.
Archery - Once a form of combat and a method of obtaining food, archery as an adventure activity is more usually associated with a large target with concentric rings and a golden bulls eye at the centre. Don't expect to find any would be William Tells with apples on their head at your local archery club. One of the main differences you will see at a competition archery event is with the level of technology being used. Some favour the modern approach with composite bows and aiming sights, while others are strictly traditional with wooden bows and linen strings.
Bungee Jumping - Another adrenaline rush activity. Attaching yourself to an elastic rope and throwing yourself off a bridge may not immediately seem like the best idea, but the sport of bungee jumping is well established and very safe. It usually involves throwing yourself off a very high suspension bridge, the tallest being an eye watering 216m high. That's more than enough for most people, though some have now taken it a step further and started bungee jumping from helicopters. While others have turned the principal on its head by securing the 'jumper' to the floor, stretching the elastic rope and firing them catapult-like into the air. Crazy.
Canoeing - Anyone who has watched the Olympic Games has probably realised that there are a number of different styles of canoeing. Perhaps the most popular is referred to as Kayaking and includes single boats, doubles and quads, as well as different seating positions including sitting and kneeling. Canoeing can take place on flat water or white water rapids; the first being mostly about the strength of the canoeist, the second being their strength as well as their skill navigating through the water. In addition to the short sprint form or canoeing, marathon events are also popular. We recommend a bit of practice before entering the Yukon 1000, a grueling 1,000 mile race on the Yukon River in Canada. Other popular canoeing styles are sea kayaking and extreme racing.
Caving - Most of us have probably been caving or potholing at some time in our lives. Like most adventure sports you have the option to make it as challenging as you like. From the gentle school class visit to a show cave in the Peak District or the Yorkshire Dales, to squeezing through a muddy hole marginally wider than your head. A big attraction for caving enthusiasts is exploring cave systems that haven't been mapped properly before. Caving often involves hanging from ropes, making climbing experience valuable, and sometimes being fully submerged under water. Flooded caves are common, as most by their nature are below the water table, and cave diving is a popular form of cave exploration. It's not one for the faint hearted though. Adventure sports are often dangerous, cave diving is more so than most!
Coasteering - A cross between swimming, climbing and cliff diving. Having difficulty picturing it? People who participate in coasteering wander out to the coast, jump off the coastline into the sea. Swim around a bit and then clamber back up the rocks. OK so it's more organised than that, with an International Coasterring Association as well as Coasteering Instructor Training Courses.
Dragon Boat Racing - Thought to date back thousands of years in China, Dragon Boat Racing has become quite popular as a form of river or lake racing in the UK. Take a boat of eight or so people, give them each a single paddle, and have someone beat out a rhythm with a drum at the front of the boat. Events often involve some form of fancy dress and each boat has a beautifully decorated dragon’s head at the front. There is an annual Dragon Boat Race goes past our office on the River Severn here in Shrewsbury.
Gliding - The traditional form of gliding involves something that look a lot like a normal aeroplane. The main difference being their lack of power. Towed into the air by a conventional plane, or by a powered winch, the glider is then controlled by the pilot who searches for thermals (pockets of rising warm air) in order to stay airborne. There are many gliding clubs in the UK and it is possible to experience gliding in a two seater glider.
Hang gliding - Hang gliding is an older version of the more modern paragliding. The principal is roughly the same, you launch from a hill and try to find thermals to stay airborne below what is effectively a large kite. The main differences between hang gliding and paragliding are your body position - stretched out like superman rather than sitting, and a hang glider has a fixed frame where a paraglider can be folded into a large back pack.
Hiking - Hiking is a more relaxing form of adventure activity compared to such sports as white water rafting and bungee jumping, but as you are new to the activity and coming to the end of a ten mile hike you'll probably be finding it anything but relaxing! Apart from sensible waterproof clothing, a good pair of boots, an OS map and a compass, you'll find hiking a cheap way of getting out into the countryside for a blast of fresh air. And with well over a hundred thousand miles of footpaths in the UK you'll never be short of somewhere new to visit.
Hot air ballooning - Ballooning isn't really an adventure sport you can take up by yourself. You need a basket, a powerful liquid propane burner and several propane tanks, and a very large envelope of fabric. But the experience is simply amazing. Whether you are drifting across the South Downs or peering down at Lions and Zebras on a safari flight, once you have been up in a hot air balloon you'll want to do it again and again. One piece of etiquette to remember, if you land in a field in the UK the gentlemanly thing to do is leave the landowner a bottle of something alcoholic.
Hovercrafting - This is not a hugely popular pastime but there are national events held across the country. Most hovercraft enthusiasts build their own machines though there are places where you can hire the craft if you fancy trying your hand at hovercraft racing.
Jet Skiing - Essentially a motorbike without wheels on water. Early versions were relatively tame though now the four stroke engines can produce up to 250 horsepower, making for a seriously fast ride for one, two or even four riders. Be sure to check where you are allowed to ride as some coastal areas have restrictions, you'll also need to find places that have launch ramps for your jetski. There are some good websites that list places to hire jet skis.
Kite surfing - The main limit of surfing is the fact that waves only break when they reach the shore. So your time in the water is limited to short bursts of activity. With kite surfing you are attached to your board but you are also holding onto a kite, so you can use the wind to get around, without having to rely on the energy of the waves. Anyone who has watched the infamous kite surfing video on youtube will know it is a good idea to get some tuition and perhaps start off with a small kite. The larger power kites will see you spending more time in the air than in the water and speed records are already pushing 60mph - not for the faint hearted!
Land kiting - Very similar to kite surfing but without the water. Make sure your board has some wheels else you won't get very far.
Mirolight - Also known as ultralight aviation, the microlight is basically a low budget aeroplane. If you like flying by the seat of your pants (literally) then microlighting may be something you'd like to investigate. Personally, you wouldn't catch me on one of those things for all the tea in China, but I have it on good authority that it is very exciting.
Mountain Biking - Mountain biking took off in America in the 1970s but found world wide popularity by the early 1990s with international competitions and permanent courses being created. Characterised by super strong frame materials, fat tires and shock absorbing on the front and rear wheels, the mountain bike has become the most popular type of bicycle. Competition mountain biking is split into three main styles: cross country, for the super fit, downhill, for the super crazy, and freeride or trials, for the super skillful.
Paragliding - If your idea of fun is sitting beneath a giant kite several hundred feet off the ground then paragliding is for you! The basic idea is to launch yourself from a large hill and using the thermals, make your way across country. Competition flying also includes flying around waypoints, accuracy and duration flying.
Quad Biking - A quad bike is a cross between a car and a motorbike. They can be fast and a lot of fun to drive, but they can also be quite dangerous for the novice rider. There have been a number of serious quad bike accidents in recent years, usually caused by the front end rearing up, throwing the rider off the back before tipping over backwards to land on them. Putting that pleasant thought aside, blasting across the countryside with the wind on your crash helmet is bound to appeal to a lot of people. Quad bikes aren't the preserve of farmers rounding up their errant sheep.
Rock Climbing - Most people wouldn’t dream of going rock climbing without a safety rope, and indeed this is the most popular form of climbing, however free soloing is a form of climbing where no form of rope or protection from falling is used. Needless to say, this is definitely not recommended for inexperienced climbers. In between the two is free climbing and rope soloing, where the rope is attached to a set of existing belays as the climber(s) advances up the rock face. Another popular form of climbing is known as bouldering, where no ropes are used to climb short, often difficult routes.
Surfing - If you were born on Hawaii's North Shore then you probably started surfing as soon as you learned to walk. If however you are from the UK and grew up with the Jaws movies then even a quick paddle in the surf at Newquay may still give you the shivers. But everyone likes the idea of being able to surf. It is such a graceful sport to watch and one that is surprisingly easy to get involved in. Head to one of the best surfing beaches in the UK, buy or hire a board, and before you know it you'll be doing hang-fives and tube riding with the best of them.
Tall Ship Sailing - Tall ship voyages are available all year round and cover a large distance. Anyone can apply to take part, though the boats don’t take passengers – you will be an important part of the crew, helping sail or navigate the ship. While on board you can qualify for awards by the Royal Yachting Association and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. You might find you need a head for heights if you are asked to climb the rigging and unfurl the sail.
White Water Rafting - Paddling through a white water canyon was once the preserve of explorers who had no choice but to risk life and limb shooting the rapids. These days the occupants of these rafts are often wearing Day-Glo colours and sporting huge grins. There is no denying the adrenaline rush from this sport. Whether you are on a Class 2 section of river with the odd patch of rough water or rocks to navigate, or in a section of Class 6 where you could very easily be thrown from the raft at any moment, you are sure to find White Water Rafting an addictive hobby.
Zorbing/Sphering - One of the newest and definitely one of the strangest adrenaline sports you'll find. Zorbing, or sphering as it is also known, involves strapping yourself to the inside of an opaque soft plastic ball and rolling down a hill. We imagine it is akin to taking a spin inside a giant hamster ball. The danger may be limited to feeling a bit sick and perhaps a small risk of bumping into a tree at the bottom of the hill, but it does seem to be gaining popularity. It's origins are hotly disputed but the 'zorb' was made popular in New Zealand.
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