Groups & Schools
Adventure Okehampton specialises in providing activities for groups of all ages and is licensed by the UK Adventure and Activity Licensing Authority as a registered activity provider. Licences can be confirmed by calling the authority at Tel: +44 (0) 2920 755715.
We have Quality Badge from Council of Learning Outside the Classroom, are members of the Institute of Outdoor Learning and our programmes qualify for Children's University.
Many of our groups return year after year! We welcome groups of all ages to Okehampton Youth Hostel. We are set up to be able to take small groups (one module) or large groups (entire hostel). Given advance notice we can cater for a range of special dietary requirements. We offer a range of different activity packages to suit groups of differing ages and budgets.
Quick Links
Residential Adventure Breaks for Schools (Under 18)
Booking an Activity for Groups (Non residential)
Bringing a Youth Sports Team to Okehampton
Some of our Feedback
'Thank you for another excellent year. This year our pupils were the most ‘challenging’ we’ve had in Year 6 and yet they all rose to the challenge and have had a fulfilling and fun week!’
‘We’ve had an excellent stay. The children have throughly enjoyed themselves and we wouldn’t hestitate to recommend YHA Okehampton as a brilliant place to bring children on school camp’
'Thank you so much to you and all the staff who made our camp last week such a fantastic experience for the children. They had an amazing time and it is really nice to see their new found confidence and self-belief coming back in to the classroom with them!'
Cycling Hire for Groups
Group Cycle Hire
With a fleet of over 60 Giant cycles, we offer the best value cycle-hire for groups on the Granite Way and possibly in Devon. We can provide guides to take you over the permitted cycle routes around Okehampton, to cycle trails in Abbeyford Wood or onto Dartmoor, so whether you are looking for an afternoon's entertainment on easy cycling terrain or a tough day session on more challenging terrain, then contact our Activities Department for more information.
For Family Groups
We have a mix of cycles, from Adult sizes through to Junior cycles. We offer a range of additional equipment for youngsters, including Tag-a-long trailers and Child-seats.
For Groups under 12
We have a large number of Junior cycles to cater for school and youth groups starting to enjoy cycling. We recommend that they start with a basic skills session in the car-park, so that we can identify young people who haven't cycled much before. The group would then be divided into those of different abilities, so that the routes chosen.
For Groups
We can accommodate coach parties seeking a cycling session on the Granite Way, or more advanced type of an event, such as a Mountain Bike challenge. For the latter, we need some advance notice, as those routes that use Dartmoor National Park, will need to be cleared in advance with the Park Authorities.
Discounts for Groups
For Cycle Hire for large groups we may offer a discount on our published rates.
About Adventure Okehampton
About Adventure Okehampton
As the southern-most YHA Adventure Activity centre, we meet YHA standards for accommodation provision, as well as catering. Visit England inspectors gave our accommodation a 3 Star Activity Accommodation rating.
Our aims:
- Using our activity expertise, residential facilities and staff to give people a great Dartmoor welcome
- Ensure a safe environment for your adventure
- Making an educational experience that lasts a life-time
- Providing a challenging experience, that’s still fun and not impossible to achieve!
- Giving a stimulating not suffocating experience for our participants
The Adventure Activity Team has a range of instructors with skills in different adventure activities. Many of the senior instructors have been with the team for several years, and we have an active Modern Apprentice scheme run in conjunction with Duchy College, Cornwall, allowing our young instructors to obtain qualifications on the job and progress to senior instructor positions. All of our adventure activities are reviewed on a regular basis by our own advisors as well as AALA inspectors.
Our adventure activity programme has Quality Badge from Council of Learning Outside the Classroom meeting their standards as a recognized provider in Outdoor Learning experiences.
Staff you may come in contact with whilst arranging your stay
Centre Director: John started the centre 21 years ago, noticing that there was little accommodation on Dartmoor. Formerly the Leader of North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team, he is very familiar with the area of North Dartmoor. John is still a keen walker and has been trekking in Alps, New Zealand, Nepal and this years focus is the SW Coastal Path and the Sentier Cathar in France.
Centre Manager: Paul is the centre manager at Adventure Okehampton. In the past he served as operations manager as well as an activity instructor and has a SPA in climbing. As a Ten Tor's veteran, he also knows Dartmoor well, and but today he is more generally found managing the 3 hostel buildings on a day to day basis, running our building projects, troubleshooting IT issues or helping out with catering.
Accommodation Manager: Anna is your main point of contact for bookings at YHA Okehampton and YHA Okehampton Bracken Tor (both House and Lodge).
Activity Manager: Nicky is the main point of contact for Activity programmes, as well as any people interested in volunteering for work experience.
Accounts Department: Libby manages the administration of our accounts department.
Adventure Okehampton runs an adventure activity centre which is approved by:
- Adventure Activity Licensing Authority: AALA number L9842
- Council for Learning Outside the Classrooom: Quality Badge
- Youth Hostel Association (England and Wales)
We are registered providers for many county and city councils including:
Devon County Council
Plymouth City Council
We provide training courses for awards under:
British Canoeing Approved training centre : What does it mean?
A BC approved centre is your assurance of high standards of safety and qualified instruction. Equipment and facilities are approved annually and Approved Centre status is only awarded when their officers are satisified that all aspects of the canoeing activity at our centre are up to standard. We also have their Paddleability status.
NNAS Navigation Training Courses
The scheme was launched in 1994 at the Royal Institute of Navigation in London, and since then over 35,000 people of all ages have gained an award. The NNAS scheme was devised as a non-competitive, personal performance scheme for all ages, to encourage people to be confident in their navigation in the countryside. NNAS courses do not provide leadership qualifications.
