Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer is open all year round, offering high quality outdoor learning experiences in a unique and beautiful 14 acre site within the Brecon Beacons National Park. We specialise in offering exceptional outdoor education and a vast range of outdoor adventurous activities.
Our courses and bespoke packages are suitable for both primary and secondary schools and are designed to challenge, stimulate, educate and develop both students and visiting staff. We have a dedicated onsite Learning Centre for classroom based activities, onsite accommodation for 70 students plus visiting staff, camping for 100 and further accommodation choices nearby if required.
We provide full catering for day, short stay or week long residential experiences, with the added benefit of the Centre being self contained if you wish to use it exclusively for your school group. Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer truly can cater for all schools trips and residential experiences.
"A first time school visit with year 6 pupils - amazing!! All the staff were so helpful and patient - the food was excellent and the kitchen staff most helpful. The activities were excellently provided by Matt and Becs - paddle boarding and kayaking on Day 1 were truly memorable. Gorge walking and crate stacking on Day 2 made everyone smile - despite the number of times all the children had to face a cold shower of fresh river water from the waterfalls!
After a long, long time without being able to give our children the chance to shine in a new environment, I can truly say as the Headteacher of Ysgol Rhyd y Grug in Aberfan that this Centre is a wonderful place to educate, inform and encourage young minds."
Diolch yn fawr iawn!
Date of experience: June 2021
“Our children had an amazing, out-of-this-world experience at Dolygaer Outdoor Activity Centre! They talked about it for weeks afterwards. The activities promoted all aspects of their development, the food and accommodation were great, and it was good value for money. The greatest strength of the centre is the staff who went out of their way to ensure everything was of the highest standard. Instructors had great insight and understanding and took a keen interest in the needs of individual pupils, and did their utmost to ensure all achieved and made good progress, developing all sorts of skills.”
Michelle Humphreys, Llandinam CP School
See what we can do for your school
At Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer we provide quality activity programmes that meet and exceed national and regulatory health and safety requirements, alongside our own high standards when it comes to providing both staff and facilities. Across everything we do, health and safety is our number one priority and our site is fully AALA accredited.
Our Instructors are the best in the industry, fully qualified, experienced and very enthusiastic! We ensure that each of our Instructors hold all applicable NGB qualifications in each of the fields they teach, along with public and employer's liability insurance, first aid qualifications and that they are all DBS checked.
As a school or parent, you can trust that all children in our care are thoroughly looked after from the moment they arrive on our site; whether it's through our use of the very latest health and safety equipment for activities or the exceptional and child-friendly tutelage of our instructors. Every one of our activities is comprehensively assessed to ensure that adequate protection is in place, allowing children to experience the thrill of outdoor activities without the risks to their wellbeing.
To find out more about our Health and Safety procedures or to speak to one of our experienced instructors, please get in touch.
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"It is a Centre which we highly recommend and will continue to use for the foreseeable future. We use Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer on a regular basis. They offer first class instruction which is bespoke to the needs of our BTEC outdoor course. Instructors are not only well trained and knowledgeable but offer exciting well planned experiences in a safe but challenging environment."
John Davies, Assistant Head Teacher - Pen-Y-Dre High School, Merthyr Tydfil
Want to book the perfect trip for your school?
That’s why so many schools return to us year after year! We offer:
Bespoke school adventure holidays planning designed to fit your requirements
Choose from over 20 outdoor adventurous activities, tasks, games and projects, from kayaking to canoeing, climbing to caving, gorge walking to raft building and more
Transport included for off site activities
Choose your emphasis – teamwork, social skills, the environment and conservation or link the course with the National Curriculum
Carefully planned menus created in line with the ‘Healthy Foods School Guidelines’
All Instructors are NGB qualified and very enthusiastic
All activities, transport/accommodation packages have written risk assessments and can be sent to you in advance of your stay.
At Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer we provide educational activities for various stages of the National Curriculum, offering developmental experiences to benefit and enhance both personal, social and team skills. We know first hand the benefits that outdoor trips can bring to children and are passionate advocates of learning outside of the classroom.
Our activities are perfect for delivering learning outcomes from all Key Stages of the national curriculum and we also have the ability to deliver additional courses such as BTEC course modules, GCSE PE modules and A and AS level outdoor activities.
We offer specialist courses for those with special needs as well as young people that are not in education, employment or training. Through the means of outdoor activities these young people will personally learn coping strategies, independence, self-belief, self esteem, personal effectiveness and leadership.
Whatever learning outcomes you are looking to achieve our instructors can help. Our expert team will work alongside you throughout the planning process, understanding your educational aims and objectives and then designing a bespoke programme for your school.
Environmental Education:
Mountain formations, Woodlands, Geology.
Geography:
River studies, Mountain formations, Limestone formations, Waterfall formations.
Personal Social Health and Economic Education:
Relationship building, Understanding cohesion and the sense of belonging. Developing leadership skills, Residential experiences, Understanding risk and developing pupils' physical and mental comfort zones.
History:
Welsh industry and environmental history. To include the hidden history of the Pontsticill reservoir under the shore lines.
Science:
Physics – Pull and push force effects. Chemistry – Fire triangle. Biology – Human body and how it works.
Click on the bullets to find out more about each option and choose the right one for your school group.
This 3 star Visit Wales rated bunkhouse is the perfect choice for large school groups, and adjoins the café and lounge area, giving children space to relax in between activities.
The chalet is the latest edition to Dolygaer and provides high quality accommodation for up to 22 students and four staff members while on site. This newly converted building also has two rooms that are fully accessible to disabled students with features such as a large wet room and complies with all Disability Discrimination Act requirements.
To find out more about booking the Chalet, please get in touch.
This luxury cottage, newly refurbished and carrying a 4 star Visit Wales rating, provides the ultimate in comfort and is the perfect choice for staff members or those that want an upgraded stay.
For those looking for the ultimate outdoor experience we have plenty of space for tents. Besides the experience of waking up in the beautiful Welsh outdoors there is the opportunity for camp fires and barbeques at our dedicated fire pit. Our campsite can fit up to 100 sleepers at a time. If you are looking to accommodate more please get in touch and we can see if we can help.
In addition to our accommodation options, there are a wide range of facilities available at the site for all visitors to use, including:
At Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer, we understand the importance of delivering delicious tasting, high energy, healthy meals.
Our menu is carefully created in line with the Healthy Foods School Guidelines and ensures that meal times are a pleasurable experience spent sharing good food with students and accompanying staff.
Ready to book your school adventure?
Residential trips with us start from as little as £24 per child per day, depending on the number of days and pupils attending. We are happy to provide a bespoke quotation based on your numbers and requirements.
Yes, we require a 20% deposit upon booking and full payment 30 days before your visit.
Of course we do! For every 11 students places you book with us, we will give you 1 staff member free and half price on all additional staff members.
No everything is included, pupils can bring a small amount of pocket money if they want to for souvenirs to take home to help remember the trip.
Health and safety is our number one priority, we ensure all of our Instructors hold NGB qualifications in each of the fields they teach, along with public and employers liability insurance, first aid and that they are DBS checked.
All activities, transport/accommodation packages have written risk assessments and can be sent to you in advance of your stay.
We have a variety of newly refurbished onsite accommodation choices sleeping up to 70 students plus visiting staff. We also have further accommodation choices nearby and onsite camping for 100+. The Centre is self-contained and can be used exclusively for your school trip if required.
It depends on the numbers of staff and pupils visiting, they may be required to share a room with other staff members. We do have a variety of accommodation choices enabling staff to sleep in the same building as students or our 4 star luxury cottage for staff to use. This includes a separate lounge, kitchen area, shower room, toilet and drying room.
Yes we do, our newly refurbished chalet includes 2 fully accessible DDA compliant rooms. We also offer specialist courses for students with special needs and young people that are not in education, employment or training.
Specific dietary requirements can be catered for such as allergies, health conditions or religious requirements. Our menu is carefully created in line with the ‘Healthy Foods School Guidelines’ ensuring we deliver delicious tasting, high energy, healthy meals.
Besides our website, we have brochures available and parent/carer information evenings which will cover questions and queries putting parent/carers minds at ease.
Still Have Questions?
Contact us today on: 01685 848 309
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