Adventure holidays in europe - recommendations pls.
craig1410 - 18/2/10 at 11:26 PM
Hi guys,
Looking at doing something a bit different this year for our family holidays and would appreciate some ideas or ideally specific recommendations.
Our kids are 16, 13 and 11 and all very fit/active and good swimmers as are my wife and I. We were thinking along the lines of some sort of adventure
holiday (eg whitewater rafting, survival skills, camping, other activities) like the ones which PGL do but ideally not as expensive. Our minds are
open as to the location but hopefully somewhere a bit sunnier than central scotland... Doesn't have to be properly hot though. Happy to fly for a
few hours if necessary.
Looking at maybe 1 week or 10 days but hoping to keep the cost down to below £2000 all in which might prove tricky for 2 (or 3) adults and 3 (or 2)
kids depending on what is classed as a child. Preferably first week in July.
Any ideas? All suggestions most welcome.
Cheers,
Craig.
twybrow - 19/2/10 at 12:04 AM
Head to Interlaken in the Swiss Alps. You can do just about every activity you can think of, and a
load you couldn't. I am desperate to head back there. Plus, the roads to get there are stunning!
craig1410 - 19/2/10 at 12:17 AM
Looks great but I doubt I'll be able to take 5 people there for a week for less than £2000 inc flights. Have I missed a trick?
iank - 19/2/10 at 12:20 AM
quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
Looks great but I doubt I'll be able to take 5 people there for a week for less than £2000 inc flights. Have I missed a trick?
I suspect the "trick" may be hinted at by "Plus, the roads to get there are stunning!" 
Do you have camping equipment or are you restricted to hotels?
[Edited on 19/2/10 by iank]
craig1410 - 19/2/10 at 12:24 AM
Yeah you could be right - but I'm not sure it would be quite so stunning in a SEAT Altea 1.6 fully loaded up with three kids fighting in the
back... Then again, maybe I'm just not getting into the spirit of things!
Hadn't thought about driving - will look into that. Any ideas as to best way to cross over from central scotland? Don't fancy having to go
all the way to the channel tunnel.
splitrivet - 19/2/10 at 12:25 AM
How about Tiger wrestling in Dudley zoo or toboganing naked down the Eiffel tower.
Cheers,
Bob
[Edited on 19/2/10 by splitrivet]
craig1410 - 19/2/10 at 12:27 AM
quote:
Originally posted by splitrivet
How about Tiger wrestling in Dudley zoo or toboganing down the Eiffel tower.
Cheers,
Bob
Sounds like someone's had too many shandies... 
Thanks for the suggestion though...
speed8 - 19/2/10 at 05:34 AM
quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
Yeah you could be right - but I'm not sure it would be quite so stunning in a SEAT Altea 1.6 fully loaded up with three kids fighting in the
back... Then again, maybe I'm just not getting into the spirit of things!
Hadn't thought about driving - will look into that. Any ideas as to best way to cross over from central scotland? Don't fancy having to go
all the way to the channel tunnel.
Head to Rosyth or Hull and take the ferry to Rotterdam. From there it's a quick blast down the autobahn pretty much until you reach Switzerland.
If you want an overnight stop look for Formule 1 hotels. They're about 30Euros a night and you can get rooms for three at that price.
They're cheap and cheerful and perfectly adequate for a night or two on the road.
tegwin - 19/2/10 at 09:49 AM
Crystal active used to do summer alpine stuff.... all inclusive deals, all meals etc... and gave you a choice of two activities (canyoning,
paragliding, WW rafting etc)...
However they folded up so dont do it any more...
IMHO.. for similar money (or less)..
I would drive the family to Chamonix (or one of the cheaper villages just up the valley)...
From there you can do WW Kayaking, Canyoning, WW rafting, climbing, glacier walking, paragliding, biking etc...
The biking routes are all very clearly signposted and graded from blue up to black.... suitable for all ages and abilities... I could (and have)
spend over a week riding the trails... if you get bored, take the bike up a telecabine and throw yourself off the top 
There are plenty of sports equipment shops in chamonix town that also have counters in for booking various activities... plus the paragliding schools
etc.... and mountain bike hire is readily available..
there is also a large swimingpool in Chamonix, or an outdoor swiming lake down the road...
Seriously recomend it....
The last time I went I rented an appartment within walking distance from the centre for not a huge amount...
[Edited on 19/2/10 by tegwin]
chrsgrain - 19/2/10 at 12:29 PM
The Ardeche gorge and surrounding areas in Southern France is lovely, and there are cheap flights (I think) to Nimes from Glasgow... Lots to do,
though the most famous bit is the river.
Have a look here
Chris
MikeR - 19/2/10 at 01:08 PM
Just going to mention the Ardeche.
Had an amazing activity holiday organised through Spice about 4 years ago. They've dropped it so i've not been back.
Did everything you described on what was basically a PGL site turned over to adults for a week.