Sometimes our crazy 21st century, technology dominated life just gets all too much and at times like those there is nothing better you can do escape to a magical place…a place cut off from it all….a place called Camp Wilderness.

One gloriously sunny Saturday, me and mine decamped to a private woodland in Hertfordshire for the most amazing back to nature experience in the most magical woodlands, to get a little flavour of the all-inclusive summer camps the good folks at Camp Wilderness run for children aged 6-15.

Surrounded by safari style tents, we huddled up in our tribes to experience life as it should be but that we have come so far away from – free, instinctive, wild, outside and not connected to any technology whatsoever. This was to be free time as it really should be…..free and full of a real sense of adventure.

The day was filled with the dreams of a childhood lived outdoors….something of a rarity in this day and age. From harvesting wood to make an epic fire, then learning all about and trying traditional fire lighting methods before using our gloriously roaring fire to cook a feast of homemade burgers – trust me, all the hard work and fresh air made these taste like the best burgers ever!

Then it was time to learn all about camouflage, how to hide, and having let our children smear copious amount of camo paint on our faces it was time to put everything we learnt to the test and get the adrenaline pumping with the most epic game of hide and seek with around 50 people in a seemingly never ending woodland which was not only the highlight of my day, but probably my year so far as I channeled my inner survival instinct on my mission not to be spotted and whatever it took to make that happen (including finding myself lying down in a semi-bog). Simply AMAZEBALLS!

The countdown to marshmallow roasting time was by this point, firmly on. But on our way to earning our roasting fun, we discovered the ingenuity of surviving with nature’s food, the art of trap laying and survival bracelet making. Yup, you can do pretty much anything with some wood and some string!

And then time to make dreams a reality as we toasted marshmallows over the fire accompanied by the banter of our tribes, rice crispie cakes and the best hot chocolate I’ve tasted in a while.

We returned to life as we know it absolutely exhausted yet someone absolutely renewed and energized having reaped  all the benefits of a day outdoors. It was like our bodies, minds and souls were craving this, but didn’t know it until it had happened. Proving that humans – both children and adults – should not only be spending far more time outside (not online), but should really connect with nature to feel truly alive again.

For me, sending your children to Camp Wilderness is an absolute no-brainer, and I certainly will be looking no further that this when the  inevitable words “what should we do with them all summer?” come to mind.

Camp Wilderness run all-inclusive, residential summer camps throughout the summer holidays, for children aged 6 to 15. With the option of 2-day, 3-day, 5-day or Advanced summer camps, Camp Wilderness has something for everyone running at locations including Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire plus Hertfordshire, Cheshire and Kent, all of which are also set within stunning private woodlands. Prices start at £120 for the 2-Day camps, £237 for 3-Day camps and £395 for a 5-Day camp, and all camps are all-inclusive of food and activities. For more information see the Camp Wilderness website here. 

*I was invited to spend a day at Camp Wilderness however all opinions are my own

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