Essex Outdoors Harlow Adventure Activity Days

Home to The Lock, one of the South East’s biggest indoor climbing walls, Essex Outdoors Harlow Adventure Activity Days is offering climbing, bouldering plus canoeing and kayaking on the nearby River Stort. Build teamwork, confidence and resilience, with outcomes mapped to your curriculum aims.

• All-terrain boarding
• Archery
• Bouldering
• Bumble
• Canoeing
• Climbing
• High ropes
• High Ropes Adventure Course
• Kayaking
• Low ropes
• Off road biking
• Orienteering and map skills
• Raft building
• Stand up paddle boarding (SUP)
• Team challenge and problem solving
• Vertical obstacle course

Some of the most important things a student learns at school happen away from the classroom.

Your students will take part in activities led by qualified instructors, from climbing and canoeing to paddleboarding and off-road biking. It’s hands-on from the moment you arrive.

85% of schools return. We know that teachers value Essex Outdoors as students leave more confident and more willing to have a go. You’ll leave with a clear sense of what the visit has achieved.

Our centres are inspected and approved by the Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) and hold the Learning outside the classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge, ensuring we maintain the highest standards of safety and delivery in the industry.

Each activity links back to outcomes you can point to, such as teamwork, communication, resilience and leadership. Tell us what you’re aiming for – a Year 7 bonding trip, PSHE-linked visit or a focused study break pre-GCSEs.

What students get out of it:

• Real problem-solving, in a setting where the outcome really depends on them
• Working as a team in practical situations, not just in theory
• A chance to try something unfamiliar to see how they handle it

GCSE PE

Our climbing activities give GCSE PE students genuine practical assessment opportunities. Climbing is part of many exam board approved lists, so a session here can count directly towards coursework. Led by qualified instructors, it’s a chance to build recorded, assessable performance in a setting that students won’t get within school.

Study breaks

Harlow pairs outdoor challenge with on-site classroom space, an established offer schools already build into their term calendar for study breaks. Students get a genuine physical reset through stand up padding boarding (SUP), bumble or archery and then bring that energy back indoors for structured learning. Recharge and refocus without losing that valuable teaching time.

Up to 120 for activities.

Photography and filming of your own group is permitted.

Detailed risk assessments for activities are available upon request to support your planning.

Contact our Customer Service Team at Essex Outdoors Harlow

01279 620270

harlow@essexoutdoors.com

Pricing varies according to the type of visit with free places for supervising adults available. Please get in touch for full details.

All our activity instructors are first aid trained and will assist you in the event of any emergency.

Our centre is fully equipped with accessible toilets, showers and changing rooms. The Lock café provides snacks, teas, coffees and soft drinks. A climbing shop stocks essential items for climbers. We can also provide access to lockers or storage for bags whilst groups are on site. Indoor or outdoor space for packed lunches is available.

We have a classroom which comfortably accommodates a group of up to 30.

Room features:

• Large TV screens for presentations
• Tea and coffee making facilities
• Customisable layouts for meetings and training

Making sure every student can take part is something we take seriously. Our staff carry disability awareness training from the Calvert Trust, so they’re equipped to adapt an activity on the day rather than simply offering a stripped-back version of it.

Our buildings are accessible, and we have specialist equipment including hoists, all-terrain wheelchairs, and adapted bikes, so the practical side is covered too.

Monday to Friday – 9am – 5pm

Weekends – 9.30am – 6pm

“The pupils enjoy themselves here not only because of the fantastic activities offered but the exceptionally high standard of teaching from the instructors”

C Drury, Bishops Stortford College

Essex Outdoors Harlow is our urban oasis of adventure, a small and friendly site offering an amazing number of activities and excitement. Located just off the M11 with the M25 close by, we’re within easy reach of London and beyond.