The Bear Trail in Cullompton gets some new obstacles and your chance to WIN tickets

We’re going on The Bear Trail….. We’re gonna meet a BIG ONE!

Come rain or sun— The Bear Trail is the place for (muddy) fun!

When was the last time you allowed your kids to get really wet — fully clothed— or literally roll around in muddy puddles, just like Peppa Pig? Come to think of it, when was the last time you did this yourself?

The Bear Trail is the perfect place to get the whole family together, outside in the fresh air – running, jumping, climbing, swinging, balancing and working as a team to tackle a wide range of obstacles. And for those of you that have been before and think you know it already, some rather magnificent changes have occurred over the winter: EIGHT new obstacles now take the total number to 28. And with the new washing facilities, an awesome café and freshly made wood fire pizzas, what more could you need?

I took my two girls (age 5 and 7) to test the new (and older) obstacles out — and in their words (and mine) “it was the best fun ever!”.

We arrived fully prepared in layers, waterproofs & wellies – with towels, changes of clothing and a bin bag (essential for the aftermath!). Ben Jordan, the founder of the Bear Trail, welcomed us with a seriously delicious selection of café treats (second breakfast), hot chocolates, teas and coffees.

Ben explained that coming from a military background, he initiated The Bear Trail in 2016 to offer a ‘controlled’ place for all generations to lose their inhibitions, get moving, get muddy, enhance confidence, break away from screen time, and have fun. The experience is not just for kids, it’s a great place for adults to build teams, relationships, confidence, and gain some childhood nostalgia (perhaps this could be your next team-building extravaganza!).

The main event was the new BIG DROP – a wooden platform with two jump levels over a giant airbag (I only managed the drop for ages 6+ and totally wimped out of the drop for ages 12+). This obstacle comes at an extra charge of £1.50 per person – but is well worth the money (if you like to feel like your stomach is coming out of your mouth!).

We were then given free-reign to do the whole course – which my girls insisted doing twice over for extra muddiness.

The new obstacles include Net Mountain, Up & Overs, Disappearing Net, Double Bouldering Wall, Zig-Zags, Wobbly Bridge, 12 Metre Monkey Bars, and Rope Climb. On finishing the course, our muddy clothes went straight into the bin bag, our clean dry clothes went straight on, we enjoyed another hot chocolate and then got to sample the renowned wood-fired pizzas, which were rapidly devoured.

Another highlight of the day was meeting The Bear Trail Bear who made a surprise appearance. I’m not sure if he comes out every day, we didn’t understand bear-speak, but my girls enjoyed a nice bear-hug – and we think his name might be Gentle Ben?

The Bear Trail is based on the B3181 at Westcott between Exeter and Cullompton (only a 20-minute drive from Exeter). Tickets are available here, book in advance for a 10% discount (there is an extra cost for the airdrop). They also do corporate events, birthday parties (old and young) and anything else you want to chat about – they really are a friendly bunch.

Special reader offer: For a chance to WIN TWO TICKETS to The Bear Trail (plus an I-Pod Shuffle), head over to the Facebook page (@thebeartrail) to see how to enter. I’m definitely entering this for the chance to go again – the girls can’t wait to take Gran there over Easter for some Finnie-Family-Frolicks!

About the author: Liz Finnie