On 13 August 2000, 43 Cubs, Scouts and Leaders left Oldham to take part in an adventure holiday at a PGL Activity Centre in the Dordogne Region of France.

The centre was situated in Hameau-les-Ages which lies in the beautiful Dordogne/Correze region of France. The complex consisted of 5 stone built houses with bunk bedded rooms, each with their own en-suite facilities, all set in 20 acres of delightful countryside.

The adventurous activities available at this site include : Archery, Initiative Exercises, Bell Boating, Canoeing, Kayaking, Raft building, Sailing, Windsurfing, Orienteering, Pony Trekking, Climbing, Abseiling, Zip wire, Trapeze, and Hill Boarding.

We arrived at the centre on a gloriously sunny Monday morning, had breakfast and were allocated three of the houses.

After spending a short time settling in we were shown around the site then played some games until lunch time. During the afternoon we split into 4 groups and were given a number of initiative exercises to complete.

Tuesday morning saw us start the real adventurous activities. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and did many things they didn't think they were capable of doing.  Cubs were soon windsurfing across the lake, though many leaders still hadn't managed to stand up straight. Many were leaping from the top of a telegraph like pole to the trapeze and swinging away whilst others were coming down the zip wire.  Some went for a short walk through the countryside on horseback whilst others pretended to be William Tell and practiced their archery skills.

During the week everyone got to try every activity, though some had to settle for the indoor climbing wall as the roads to the real climbing area were blocked by the French farmers protesting.

We also visited two water parks during our holiday and went into Sarlat to buy some presents for those people we had left back at home. The visit to Sarlat coincided with the weekly market and made the visit much more memorable.

After spending 7 days in the glorious sunshine it was time to return home but not before thanking Danni, our PGL Groupie, and the rest of the PGL staff who had helped to make this one of the best holidays we have ever had.

I have been told by one parent that her son slept for almost 24 hours when he got home but cannot wait until we go again.

A video was made of the holiday and copies have been given to everyone who took part. Planning is now well advanced for a similar trip in 2002, if you are interested in joining us send us an e-mail now.

Photographs from this holiday can be seen in our Dordogne 2000 Photo Album

This page was last amended 1 October 2000