The Bioasis: Immersive Residential Adventures

Outdoor Education Meets Escape Room

The Bioasis exists to rewild people and places. We bringing radical change and active hope to future generations through adventure, education and inspiration. The Bioasis blends outdoor education and cross curricular learning with all the fun and adventure of the world’s biggest escape room. It’s remote, beautiful and the perfect training ground to rewild the next generation. Its exact location remains a closely guarded secret.

An Adventurous Education

There is no better education than the great outdoors. Leave your comfort zone behind and enjoy a unique combination of outdoor education, adventure activities, conservation work and learning in harmony with nature. Personal development and resilience are natural outcomes of adventurous activities, outdoor living and completing missions together as a team.

Off-Grid Basecamp

Bioasis missions are based at a purpose-built basecamp – fully equipped with sustainable energy sources, comfortable multi-occupancy tents, a field kitchen, mess tent, composting toilets, bucket showers and a fire pit area. The location of basecamp may change depending on the seasons and the current threat from local industrialists.

Expect The Unexpected

Like life itself, Bioasis missions can be unpredictable. Not everything is always as it seems or goes to plan. Teams must expect the unexpected. Learning to deal with failure, deciding on appropriate actions and ethical decision making are all part of both life and a Bioasis mission.

Bioasis missions are perfect for large year group residentials for year 8,9,10, specialist field studies trips for biology or environmental science students, or low carbon school expeditions for schools looking to reduce their carbon footprint.  We’re unique in delivering a blend of outdoor adventure activities, with hands-on, real world positive impact volunteering and citizen science projects.

• AALA License number is R2639
• LOTC Badge Holder
• BAPA (British Activity Providers Association)

• Field Archery – An introductory programme run by NFAS Lv. 3 Coach & Assistant Coach involving a static shoot and a woodland stalk.
• Canoe Mission – Navigating the Bioasis estuary in open canoes, often featuring Kingfishers. Depending on tide times this either runs upstream or downstream with a half way stop for hot chocolate and snacks via a Kelly kettle or storm kettle.
• Estuary clean up – An insight into the issues around plastic pollution. At the top end of an isolated salt marsh is a particular choke point for plastic waste to wash up. The students support a clear up programme to remove as much plastic waste as time allows, last year we removed approximately 8 pick up truck loads! This is supported by ‘Til the Coast is Clear’, an plastic clear up charity based in South Devon who remove the waste to recycle as much as possible.
• Tracking & Camera Trapping – Usually the first session we cover upon arrival to basecamp. The groups learn how to spot signs of game trails and fauna before setting camera traps to try and record footage any wildlife which passes overnight. Last year we caught Roedeer, pheasants, badgers, foxes & a variety of bird life!
• Water Sampling – An easy introduction to citizen science investigations through user friendly sampling kits. The results of which (phosphates/nitrates/suspended particles etc.) are then sent off to West-Country River Trust to support record keeping and provide data analysis of local water quality.
• Flora & Fauna surveys – We are expanding this in 2023 and are currently looking to partner up with key local organisations such as the RSPB or DWT to pass on our findings so that any data we collect has a tangible result in understanding the status of local ecology.
• Navigation – As we operate in a 1200 acre playground, we use movements around site to help support our understanding of navigation
• Invasive species removal – Groups learn about safely using cutting tools to remove invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam and Rhododendron which have a negative impact on local biodiversity.
• Biodiversity monitoring equipment – Use of small mammal traps, reptile matts, bat detectors & other items to improve understanding of local wildlife.
• Conservation tasks – The scope for this remains open currently, but could include constructing raised beds for herb gardens, touring the leaky dams which has recently been established by the landowner, removing tree protectors from woodland, coppicing hazel or the construction of hibernaculums or dead hedges.
• Bushcraft sessions – As a minimum groups will do a fire lighting session using ferrocerium rods and together will build and maintain a fire suitable enough for them to toast marshmallows and enjoy hot chocolate.
• Sunset session – We are in a rather lovely part of the world, with each camp having a rather lovely sunset spot (weather depending!).
• Wide games – Where time permits, groups get to have a run round and enjoy some wide games in our basecamp fields.

Mission based programme Throughout is the ever present mission theme, which involves radio messages, decrypting cyphers, morse code messages by torchlight at nights and dead drops for notes & instructions. Groups will be getting information on the radio from Mission Control.

We can host groups of up to 120 students plus teachers.

Due to the threat of unauthorized tracking by industrialist saboteurs, mobile phone usage within The Bioasis is limited. However, there are no restrictions on photography, filmmaking or audio recording.

We provide full risk assessments, teacher joining instructions, comprehensive pre-departure information, and kit lists.

Prices vary according to group size. Example prices are as follows, please contact Bioasis Mission Control for a full quote.

• Bioasis 4 day mission (4 day / 3 night) – from £445 per student (plus VAT)
• Bioasis 5 mission (5 day / 4 night) – from £535 per student  (plus VAT)
• Bioasis 5 day Scientific Mission ((5 day / 4 night) – from £535 per student (plus VAT)
• Bioasis Extreme (10 day / 9 night) – from £1,135 per student (plus VAT)

All prices include:

• All activities
• Free teacher places at 1:10 ratio.
• Full board
• Pre-mission team building tasks for your group

Staff are first aid qualified and we have a comprehensive first aid kit on site. Evacuation plans are in place in case of a major injury/incident. The nearest major hospital is 30 minutes by road.

Basecamps are located in wildflower meadows, next to ancient woodland and spectacular views. All basecamps include a full field kitchen, fire pit, luxury composting toilets, hot outdoor showers (in private cubicles), multi-share accommodation tents for students, individual private tents for teachers, main dining tent. Basecamps are powered by solar electricity. With nature all around and stunning night skies, who needs Wi-Fi, mirrors, mobile phones or a shop?

All Bioasis missions are fully catered using fresh, local produce and organic suppliers.  We hold a Level 5 food hygiene award. We believe in eating well and promoting a positive farm to fork message, encouraging healthy eating habits.

Basecamp is located in a remote area, accessible only by footpaths and 4×4 vehicles. Regrettably, therefore, we are not compliant to The Equality Act 2010 in terms of access.

The Bioasis is open from May to End of September.

• 5-day missions run Monday to Friday
• 10-day missions run from Wednesday to Friday the following week

Outside of June and July, we have more flexibility if you want to start your mission on a day other than mentioned above

In order to protect the unique wildlife and nature within The Bioasis, its location is strictly classified. The Bioasis consists of rugged coastline, salt marshes, ancient woodland, wildflower meadows and sparkling rivers – it’s remote and located on a 5000 acre private estate, not open to members of the public.

All students are accommodated in multi-bed tents, with proper camp beds. Each tent can sleep up to 12 students. Students need to provide their own sleeping bags.

Teachers are accommodated in single tents. Camp beds are provided, but please bring your own sleeping bags.

Contact: Bioasis Mission Control

Telephone: 01392 790012

Email: missioncontrol@thebioasis.com

About our food: the FOOD was terrific. Thank you. Well thought out and thank god not the usual ‘chips and ….’. The fact that there was plenty of food in and out of mealtimes was highlighted to me when a colleague said that her residential was marred by there not being enough food and the children were starving. The crates of fruit and crisps being available 24/7 was hugely appreciated. Each meal time had a great variety – always vegetarian or vegan options – and the night that had blueberries and raspberries for pudding demonstrates your commitment to providing nutritious quality food. Also that there were different herbal teas available as well as builders was amazing, thank you.

Gabrielle de Selincourt (teacher, Churston Ferrers Grammar School)

My son really enjoyed his recent four days at the Bioasis as part of a school trip.
Living without tech, enjoying the outdoors including some very fun activities as well as some community focussed activities was a really positive developmental experience requiring them to think more widely about the impact they have on environments, certainly this is how he articulated it. He spoke very positively about the staff and the provision of food – despite him being a fussy eater. We are grateful to both Bioasis and the school for providing this experience.

Parent, Exeter School

A fantastic experience for our Environmental Science students taking the AQA A level syllabus. Almost all activities touched on aspects of our course content so great enrichment. The Bioasis staff had obviously taken on board feedback from last year and designed an experience that was heavily scientific, bringing in specialists to give talks and demonstrate some of the research that they were involved in. This obviously takes times and careful planning. Willow, our activities leader, was a hugely knowledgeable resource, working at a very advanced level in his own personal field of research and it is rare to find someone (with this background) who can communicate knowledge and elicit contributions from students with such ease. Jarrod was a friendly and approachable trip organiser, very attentive to feedback and the individual needs of the group. Food was excellent – it is easy to forget that they must adhere to very high standards of food hygiene, catering to a large group and all this in the middle of nowhere! Hats off because they managed to produce some really delicious meals, mostly vegetarian. Also, to thank are Badger for sharing his wealth of experience from the outdoors and Josh who kept things ticking over smoothly in the background. The students had a wonderful time and benefitted in many ways not least in terms of having the confidence to design investigations. We would not hesitate (as a college) to recommend Bioasis to other A-level Environmental Science courses across the country

Roger Hunt, Teacher at Peter Symonds College