Gordon Brown Centre

Liked This place is a hidden gem- I found it by chance when I drove past and saw the road sign, after a quick google to see what GBC was, I discovered they were doing family trips during the summer holiday.

We booked on for a 2x night stay, and hired a bell tent. It was the perfect introduction for my 4 and 1 year olds to camping, and easier for me because I didn't need to pitch a tent- i just brought the bedding.

The fact they offer a meal plan was an added bonus, as I didn't need to worry about cooking for the duration of the stay.

Facilities were clean and tidy. It was quite nostalgic because it was essentially a school residential trip, except I'm now an adult bringing my own children.

The activities were fantastic, my 4 year old took part and the team were great at tailoring them to fit her age. They were all so kind, engaging and genuinely good with kids. She was able to experience a whole day of activities she wouldn't normally get to do, in a really relaxed atmosphere, without the queues and busynes associated with a public place. She did low ropes, archery, laser tag and wall climbing. They also took her to feed all the animals every morning and we had a lovely campfire and smores on the last night.

Fantastic value for money, a really lovely little place and we'll be back next year. Would 1000% recommend.

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Liked We had the best camping experience ever! 🏕️ The kids absolutely loved it and had such an amazing time enjoying all the activities and getting to see and interact with the animals. It was lovely to see them having so much fun and making great memories.

Disliked The only little issue we had was booking the food and activities online, but after contacting them directly, they were really helpful and happy to sort everything out for us.

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Liked Everything about our stay was 100% brilliant - all our children (and the adults) are already planning a return visit next year 🙂

The site is in a beautiful, peaceful location, with tall trees dotted around it. We came as a group of 3 families for 3 nights (with 4 children aged 6-9 years and a 16-year-old) with our own tents and we had the camping field to ourselves, which was magical. On site we saw a buzzard, swallows, robins, bats and a deer - it really felt wild. The site is enclosed and it felt safe for the children to roam. The showers and toilets are clean. Although there are mixed gender toilet and shower blocks (separate cubicles) there are also a few small, lockable cabins with 2 showers in each, which made it easier for me (a mum) to help my sons get ready for bed.

The activities provided were huge fun and were enjoyed equally by all children and adults in our party. In our two full activity days, we did climbing, two different obstacle courses in the woods (all adjustable for varying physical abilities, including both confident adrenaline-junkies like our friends, and also those afraid of heights like me and my sons!), axe-throwing, archery, epic laser tag battles in a woodland setting (repeated on both days by popular request!), a campfire with marshmallow toasting and S'mores, wooden bird-box making, and finger-weaving multicoloured 'cordage' bracelets (a relaxing pastime that quickly hooked all of us). There was no chance of anyone getting bored. The children especially enjoyed going with the staff to feed the goats, donkeys, rabbits and chickens each morning after breakfast, getting to stroke and feed the animals by hand.

The staff were wonderful (friendly, kind, inclusive, humorous, patient and encouraging). Big thanks to Marc, Cameron and Mark (activities staff) and Marie (who cooked us generous, child-friendly meals) for looking after us and making us feel so welcome.

Having food provided, rather than having to worry about the logistics of camp cooking, meant that as adults we were able to fully relax and enjoy the activities ourselves, and not bring as much equipment.

Finally, the whole trip was fantastic value for money - with all-inclusive food and activities packages (purchased separately from the camping) that made the break affordable for our family (please keep it accessible and don't hike the prices! 😉)

Disliked Nothing at all about our stay. But be aware that the booking process was a bit tricky, because there are some glitches on the Centre's website and also there were some delays booking the food and activities through Brent Council (who own the site.). None of this is the fault of the Centre staff though - things ran flawlessly once we arrived - and I believe they are trying to sort out the website. So don't let this put you off, it is worth persevering because the holiday is so excellent!

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Liked We had a such a brilliant time camping here, that the children didn't want to leave!

The staff were very helpful, friendly and thoughtful (even thinking to have vegetarian marshmallows for the campfire!).

The areas we went into were clean and well-maintained. We loved the animals, the fun activities on offer and the feel of the place.

The area was peaceful. Younger children, older children and adults were all entertained.

Thanks to all for a lovely stay!

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Liked Great tent. Staff were amazing. Activities were great and the setting felt peaceful and in nature.

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Liked Absolutely amazing again. My children loved it so much last year, they couldn't wait to go again this year, and it lived up to very big expectations!
Wonderful to have the freedom to try such great outdoor experiences without any pressure, rush or queues! So very neurodivergent-friendly.
Fantastic balance of adrenaline and relaxation.

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Liked We had a fantastic 2 days at the Gordon Brown Centre and were very well looked after. The activities we did (low ropes, climbing, archery, high ropes including death drop, climbing, and laser tag) were all brilliant fun and the instructors were excellent - really supportive and encouraging. We loved meeting and feeding the animals, and also the campfire.
We were upgraded to slightly larger safari tents as we were the only group staying!
The food was perfect with lots of choice and so much available.
It's a great tucked-away location with loads of space to run around, lots of wooded areas, and quiet at night. Lovely clean showers and toilets too.
Bring eye masks as the tents are bright early in the morning, and it gets surprisingly chilly at night so bring plenty of blankets. Ear plugs also recommended unless you don't mind the cockerels at sunrise!
You can take your own roll mats/camp beds, or they have some stretcher-style camp beds you can borrow.
Amazing value for money as everything you need is included.
We'll definitely be back next year, we had so much fun.

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Liked We liked everything there! The food was brilliant, and there was so much of it. The tent was lovely. The staff were kind, polite attentive and funny.

The site is spacious, easy to navigate, well maintained and secure, away from busy areas. My daughter loved staying up late and seeing stars in the night sky. She loved seeing and feeding the animals, especially the rabbits.

The activities on site are so much fun, and everyone can have a go as much or as little as they like, there was no pressure from staff to do too much, but they were also very encouraging and enthusiastic for everyone to have a go and have fun.

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Liked Food was very good and they catered so well for all our dietary requirements - we were spoilt for choice.
Our children loved all the animals and all the activities.
The staff were so friendly and helpful and couldn't do enough for us.

Disliked N/A

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Liked I visited the Gordon Brown Centre with my 12 year old son for one of their Summer Family Fun Stays - it was absolutely brilliant and such amazing value for money!

From the moment we arrived, staff were welcoming and could not do enough to help. We stayed in one of the camping pods and all the facilities were spotless! The activities were great fun and the instructors were friendly and supportive. The evening meal and breakfast were fantastic, plenty of delicious home cooked food and they catered for gluten free and vegetarian guests. We particularly loved meeting the animals and hot chocolate / marshmallows around the campfire.

I cannot thank Cameron enough for his patience and kindness encouraging my son when he was nervous to join in. Natasha and Isabel were also lovely! Would recommend to anyone, we did not want to come home!

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