4 Reasons to Book a Winter Adventure Residential Trip
June 5th, 2023
Winter is a fantastic time to visit Cumulus Outdoors and enjoy a fun-filled school trip. Here, we give you 4 reasons to book a winter adventure residential trip!
Cumulus Outdoors provide bespoke winter residential trips for schools and youth groups from our base in Swanage. Simply select from our fantastic range of activities and we’ll create a unique itinerary that suits the needs of your group, provide full catering, accommodation and 24/7 pastoral care.
Traditionally, many schools have chosen to organise school residential trips for the end of the summer term. However, this trend is shifting and schools are increasingly enquiring about dates earlier in the year. Holding a residential at Cumulus in the winter means you can enjoy the Jurassic Coast without the amount of tourists and visitor you’d find in the summer. This is particularly beneficial for field studies trips!
15 years of experience providing exhilarating school trips has earned us a fantastic reputation as the best adventure residential provider in Dorset.
1. Flexibility over dates
We appreciate that organising a school trip can be difficult when you have to plan it around key events in the school term. Also, many schools book years in advance, so it can sometimes be difficult to find availability that matches your schedule. Opting for a winter residential means you will have more flexibility over your dates!
2. We’re quieter in the low season
We are generally busier in the summer months – so a winter residential enables you to have more flexibility over the activities you would like to do on site!
What sets us apart from other centres is that we deliver many of our outdoor activities at beauty spots on the Jurassic Coast, including Swanage Bay, Dancing Ledge, Kimmeridge Bay and Studland Bay. Visiting in the winter means that we often have these iconic locations to ourselves, with most of the summer tourists having departed back home.
3. Build lasting friendships
Visiting Cumulus early into the school year allows students to get to know each other quicker and to build lasting friendships for the rest of their time at school. Many schools also choose to book a residential trip to gain rapport and form a better educational relationship with students.
Our winter activities place a great focus on team building, collaboration and competition – offering many opportunities for students who might not socialise in school to work together to find success in tasks!
4. Enjoy the beauty of the Jurassic Coast in winter
The Jurassic Coast has peaceful beauty in the wintertime – making it a fantastic time to visit. With less people around, you can really appreciate your surroundings! We’re able to offer field study or walking trips to spots like Durdle Door, Old Harry Rocks and Worbarrow Bay as part of your winter adventure residential at Cumulus Outdoors.
The skies are clearer in the Winter – which provide the perfect conditions for stargazing on the Jurassic Coast. There are few better ways to spend an evening in Dorset – and we think this would make for a memorable experience for your students!
Winter activities at Cumulus Outdoors
There are so many activities to choose from when planning your adventure residential trip – and each has a unique learning opportunity. Some of the favourites among students include axe throwing, air rifles, bushcraft, climbing and abseiling, high ropes, mountain biking, tag archery, orienteering, raft building, canoeing and kayaking.
We operate strict ‘challenge by choice’ ethos, where we’ll encourage students to step beyond their comfort zone and challenge themselves with a variety of activities, however the student is always in control of their experience and we’ll never force them to do something they aren’t comfortable with!
Field studies on the Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is steeped in over 150 million years of history and has been the site of many key discoveries, including secrets of the dinosaur era. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Site of Special Scientific Interest.
We’re extremely lucky to be situated in Swanage Bay and to visit many locations along the Jurassic Coast on field studies days. This is just one of the activities we offer that compliments school learning and offers great educational value. Whether you’d like to generate geological interest in your primary level students or give your secondary level students real world context as part of their GCSE studies, we’ll cater learning objectives to the unique needs of your group.
Residential centre
The Cumulus Outdoors Residential Centre is your base of operations! We can sleep up to 139 students across three dormitories here! There are over 7 acres of grounds on-site which some fantastic facilities for students and teachers to enjoy, including the target range, bushcraft area, games field, high ropes and team game facilities.
Classroom facilities
School trips are fantastic opportunities to learn! What better place to engage the mind than in a different setting alongside fun activities, whilst you’re building rapport with students. We’re please to offer you access to our classroom facilities at our residential centre.
Catering
We receive high praise from all that visit for our catering options. We’re proud to have a 5-star Food Hygiene rating at our residential centre and tented villages.
24/7 pastoral care
The Cumulus Team is fully qualified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students of all ages. For each group we assign a dedicated programme coordinator and a 24/7 staff member for emergencies and pastoral care.
Get in touch
Start planning your bespoke winter adventure residential trip today!