Outdoor Adventure

Head of Outdoor Adventure, Callum Strachan

A group of smiling people in life vests and helmets pose on a rocky cliff face.
A young boy in a blue jacket climbs a rock wall with a misty, green hillside in the background.
A woman in a wetsuit and life vest lies prone on a paddleboard in shallow water, with a rocky, vegetated shoreline in the background.
Two sailboats with %22MILLFIELD%22 printed on their sails glide across a calm body of water under a bright, hazy sun, with a distant shoreline visible in the background.
A young person in a life vest walks through shallow water with paddleboards, while a rocky, vegetated shoreline forms the background.
A group of people in wetsuits stand on surfboards on a wet sandy beach, with rolling green hills in the background.
Millfield students climbing during Year 9 Mendip camp
A group of people in life vests stand on a raft in the clear blue water, with rocky outcrops in the foreground and a sandy coastline with green hills in the background.
A group of surfers in wetsuits sit on green surfboards arranged in a circle on a sandy beach, with the ocean and a cloudy sky in the background.
Three white sailboats with people aboard glide across a calm lake, with a tree-lined shore and a cloudy sky in the background.
A group of hikers with large backpacks walk towards a blue inflatable archway in the foreground, with a grassy, hilly landscape and spectators in the background.
A group of children in colorful hats and backpacks stand in a grassy field with flags and tents in the background under a clear sky.

Millfield runs a wealth of outdoor adventure activities, available to every student. Whilst helping to develop skills and fitness they also help build mental strength and determination. We develop a positive environment which ensures students come away with a sense of achievement, satisfaction, confidence, and a real love for 'The Great Outdoors’.

We have 21 members of staff who assist students looking to explore new areas of interest, or develop existing skill sets. Our coaches run programmes for:

Archery
Students can choose to take archery as a recreational option once or twice a week. The students are taught basic shooting technique and are introduced to target and field shooting styles. We have regular informal competitions amongst participating archers, and we hold half-term and end-of-term shoots at our range.

Canoeing
Our canoeists use venues in Dartmoor including the rivers Dart, Walkham and Tavy with reasonable water levels. We also manage trips to the Cardiff and Tryweryn White Water Centres. Canoeists also have an opportunity to try surfing and short sea trips off the Jurassic Coast.

Caving
Most caving trips have been to Swildon’s Hole with Year 9 students. Caving is a new experience for many of the students and this location provides an exciting novice trip. The cave is well decorated with stalactites and stalagmites, and there is a selection of sporting climbs, crawls and squeezes.

Climbing
Regular training at the school, other indoor walls and outdoor venues such as Portland, Snowdonia and the Peak District enables our students to climb and gain associated skills from novice to experienced climber. Teams enter local schools and Independent Schools competitions.

Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The pressures of academic and other co-curricular programmes continues to deter all but the most committed to complete what is considered the leading youth development programme in the world.

Sailing
Regular sailing takes place at Chew Valley Lake, 45 minutes from school. Our fleet of Fireflies and crew boats enable the pupils to compete in regular inter-school racing, BDSRA Regional and National events.

Ten Tors
This annual event staged on Dartmoor, in mid-May, provides a challenging event for a team of six. Annually 2,400 young people navigate, via a designated series of Tors over 35, 45 or 55 mile routes including an overnight camp on the moor. Once trained and assessed as competent, students are remotely monitored, providing them with a real sense of ownership and their own capabilities.

Outdoor Adventure - Expeditions and Affiliations
Weekly trips within the South West are a feature of the term. Recent expeditions have visited Tanzania (Kilimanjaro), Morocco (Gold DofE), Tenerife (Silver DofE), Climbing in Calpe and Mountaineering in Switzerland.

Millfield is affiliated to the BCU, BMC, RYA and is a Directly Licensed Centre for the provision of DofE. Additionally, we are a “Friend of the British Exploring Society”.