Pitchup.com's choice of weird and wonderful 'added extras'

From rifle shooting to dog training or learning a language, Pitchup.com reveals the ‘added extras’ turning outdoor holidays into an ‘experiential break’

Many outdoor accommodation operators are now offering extra activities to keep clients entertained during their stay. Outdoor accommodation specialist Pitchup.com has hundreds of sites to suit all tastes and budgets, many with fun, unusual – or downright weird – extras on offer!

Here are some of Pitchup.com’s top suggestions for an outdoor break with a difference:

Shiatsu massage in Cornwall

For the perfect relaxation break, Lowarth Glamping and Workshop Retreats has pitches and spacious bell tents in a secluded glamping site in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in north Cornwall. There’s also a cabin where guests can have Shiatsu treatments to complement their relaxing break. Whether visitors are simply looking to relax or perhaps heal an ailment such as joint pain or stress, the massage can help. Massages cost just £20 per hour.

Price: Pitches at Lowarth Glamping start from £10 per night for up to four people. The stylish bell tents cost from £90 for two nights for up to three people.

Yoga in Ireland

Guests share this 10-acre eco campsite with donkeys, dogs, cats and chickens. Purecamping uses sustainable practices such as rainwater harvesting, solar heating and composting toilets, and has an outdoor clay oven for cooking. There’s a sauna and the site also offers massage therapy and yoga classes. Campers’ yoga takes place throughout the summer on Saturdays and Sundays with other classes also available during the week. The site also runs an annual yoga festival in June. Prices vary.

Price: Non-electric pitches for up to six cost from £13.44 per night, while bell tents for up to four people cost from £41.99 for two nights.

Air rifle shooting in Yorkshire

Think wild adventure rather than glamping at Stones Cottage Farm, a free-range working farm in the midst of Brontë moorland, 100ft above sea level, near Haworth. As every Brontë fan knows, the weather can be harsh and unpredictable on those moors and there is little in the way of modern comforts, which is what attracts extreme campers to the farm. There’s an on-site storm shelter if the weather gets really wild and an air rifle range with rifle hire and tuition.   

Price: Non-electric grass tent pitches start from £12 per night for two people.

Learn Spanish on the Costa del Sol

Camping Cabopino is a family-run campsite just a short walk from Cabopino beach in Marbella. With two pools, a gym, multisport area and pétanque court, as well as three restaurants, guests will not be short of things to do. However, those who do need that little bit more can enrol in the organised computer courses and Spanish classes (available during the winter only). There are also Pilates and aerobics classes on offer.

Price: Motorhome pitches cost from £19.31 per night.

Dog training in North Wales

With breathtaking views over the Mawddach Estuary and Llŷn Peninsula, where the mountains of Snowdonia hit the sea, Bwlchgwyn Farm and Pony Trekking, near Gwynedd, makes for a relaxing break. Mind you, with dog training classes on a Tuesday and Thursday evening and agility classes on a Sunday, pampered pooches may think they’re at boot camp! There’s also on-site pony trekking for beginners and expert riders, starting at £20 an hour.

Price: Pitches start at £12 for one night for two people.

Learn traditional crafts in West Wales

Old Chapel Farm is a working organic farm that grows nearly all its own food, as well as making cheese and wine, in a secluded valley in Powys. Accommodation is in yurts sleeping between five and seven people, and there’s a Rayburn for cooking or heating water on the days when there’s not enough sun to provide solar power. The farm has a team of volunteers from all over the world who run courses in prehistoric arts and traditional crafts such as stone carving, flint knapping and basket making. It’s the perfect introduction to a simpler lifestyle!

Price: From £200 for four nights in a yurt sleeping up to six people.

For more information visit www.pitchup.com.  All prices correct at time of writing.

- ends -

For media information:

Cass Helstrip or Rob Bates at White Tiger PR

Cass.helstrip@whitetigerpr.com  07968 255464

Rob.bates@whitetigerpr.com 07957 316491

Notes to editors

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of outdoor accommodation in the UK, Ireland and selected parts of Europe.  The site provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book an outdoor holiday with total ease.  The customer experience from landing on the home page through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages.  The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for accommodation based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions.  It’s also possible to check out water bathing water quality in the surrounding area.  Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available.  Pitchup.com features over 5,000 UK wide camping and caravanning sites/parks with European destinations continually being added into the equation.  It enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one off campsites and unique outdoor accommodation options, which may not have previously had a web presence.