Team activities

We offer a huge selection of team activities with some being more suitable than others for inclusion in a specific type of programme. Please discuss your objectives with us and we will advise on the most appropriate activities.

For our bespoke programmes we always tailor the individual activity to meet your exact needs. Team activites are perfect for fun team days as well as including as part of learning for a bespoke team development, leadership development or organisational development programme.

Low ropes course for outdoor team building

The low ropes course, strung beneath the canopy of huge forest trees, consists of a series of linked challenges. The ropes, wires, platforms and other course elements that make up the "obstacles" are no more than 50cm high but the team members must remain off the ground as they negotiate the course.

Throughout the activity, team members perform crucial roles directly supporting and encouraging each other and the individuals must work together as a team to successfully complete the course. This team task is often included as an activity in our bespoke team development, leadership and organisational development programmes as it is helpful in developing effective team co-operation and problem solving skills.

Team challenge course for outdoor team building

This is a hands-on team activity designed to encourage participants to think about co-operating and supporting one another. It consists of a series of large structures and obstacles that have to be negotiated.

One or more of the elements are ideal to include in our bespoke programmes for team development, team leadership or organisational develepment, or for a fun team building day or adult activity session. Although it is not a physical assault course, it does involve some lifting and the direct support of fellow team members. To complete the challenge course, the participants have to physically carry each other over and negotiate their way through the different elements.
However, as each challenge is independent of the others, the challenges can be selected to meet the programme objectives. This also allows several teams to use the course at any one time, rotating between the different challenges. The team challenge course includes the following elements: Mohawk Walk, Tyre Thread, Wall, Giant's Finger, Beam and Diverging Poles.

Team tasks for outdoor team building

We offer an exciting range of team tasks for outdoor team building programmes and sessions at the New Forest Outdoor Centre. Any of our team tasks can be included in a bespoke programme and tasks can be tailored to meet specific training or learning objectives.

While these team tasks are perfect for our team development, leadership development and organisational development outdoor team building, not all the tasks are appropriate for fun team builds or adult activity sessions. We will always suggest the most appropriate team tasks for your programme or session to ensure that your objectives are met.

We are also able to organise more unusual indoor team tasks - from ceramic workshops to chocolate making, please do ask for more details.

Problem solving challenges for outdoor team building

These tasks are designed to encourage cooperative problem solving. They require a thinking approach that benefits from the creativity of many minds.

The timetable always allows for a period of reflection and review following the problem-solving activity, facilitated by our trained instructors or programme facilitator, to stimulate appropriate discussion and action points.

There is a large choice of tasks and we will always suggest the most relevant and appropriate for your programme requirements, often tailoring a task. Many of our problem solving challenges can be solved either indoors or out and so can be included as a wet-weather alternative or part of a winter programme. Problem solving tasks are ideal for our team development, leadership development and organisational development team building programmes and some of the challenges can be adapted for inclusion in a fun team build or adult activity session. Please ask for advice.

Trust exercises for outdoor team building

Trust building exercises help a group to increase their team trust levels by developing mutual respect as well as an openness, understanding and empathy with their fellow peers.

The exercises are suitable for inclusion in our bespoke team building programmes as well as fun team building days and adult group activity sessions. The exercises involve physical contact and require individuals to rely and directly support each other. To ensure that the atmosphere remains constructive and healthy, the pace is monitored and the exercises are carefully sequenced and tailored to the group according to the current situation. In addition, individuals can choose their own level of involvement in the exercises and so remain in control of their experience.

Orienteering & treasure hunts for outdoor team building

The New Forest Outdoor Centre is the perfect venue for organising orienteering courses and treasure hunts. Orienteering exercises both the mind and the body, with the aim being to navigate in sequence between control points marked on a map and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time.

Courses can be set up over a range of distances and difficulty levels according to the ability of the group and the needs of the programme. We are also able to offer fun treasure hunt events, which can incorporate other activities such as the Flintstone Car Build, as well as plan and run large-scale orienteering events across the forest.

Construction challenges for outdoor team building

You can choose from a large scale construction challenge, where the team members are equipped with hard hats, to small table-top projects that can be designed and modelled indoors, in our Carpenter's Barn.

The "big builds" involve creating giant structures such as bridges or platforms from pioneering poles and rope. Alternatively the team can be challenged to build and design functional catapults, trebuchets, viaducts or cranes. All the building materials are supplied. The small scale option also involves building structures or equipment but using materials such as newspaper, straws and canes. Again all the necessary supplies are provided, although we have been known to run out of sticky tape! Construction challenges are suitable to include in our team development, leadership development and organisation development programmes as well as fun team building days or activity sessions.

Mountain biking for outdoor team building

The New Forest has a fabulous network of good quality gravel forest tracks and minor roads, which makes it ideal for excursions on a bike. The terrain in the forest is undulating with nothing too steep for you to cycle up or down. The scenery is stunning and there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the views as well as take photos of the New Forest ponies, who pay no attention to the highway code!

Depending on the time of year riders may also come across deer, wild boar and huge curly-horned cows. Mountain biking is an ideal activity to include in either a bespoke team building programme or as part of an adult activity session. Instructors from the New Forest Outdoor Centre will ensure that the bikes are correctly adjusted and fitted for each individual and teach basic map reading/navigation skills as required.

Blindfold Land Rover driving for outdoor team building

Good teamwork and first class communication skills are absolutely crucial for this fun, challenging activity.

Putting their trust in each others hands, one member of the team drives the Land Rover blindfolded, according to the directions issued from the teammates. Bumping over rough terrain, the driver must negotiate the gates on the course.

Bush craft and survival skills

We offer a range of bush craft and survival skill activities at the New Forest Outdoor Centre including fire lighting, camp cooking, knife skills, mushroom foraging (seasonal), shelter building, navigation and animal tracking.

You can choose to incorporate the activities into a general progamme or opt for a specialised day of bush craft. You can even add on an overnight survival exercise, based in our secluded ancient woodland.

Water-based activites for outdoor team building

We offer a range of water-based activities at the outdoor centre. We have access to a large lake on the estate and from the shores we can launch a variety of craft.

Most popular is our Canadian Canoeing activity, with each canoe able to seat up to four people. Our qualified water-sports instructors teach delegates the basic strokes and then organise various activities: team games played from the canoes, a paddle around a course marked out with buoys or a series of fun races. We also provide raft-building instruction and all the necessary materials. Using the pioneering poles, oil drums and plenty of lashing, teams can build their own rafts and then challenge one another to a raft race.

Grand finales

At the end of an outdoor team building programme we can include a grand finale. This can vary from a head to head contest between teams testing their large scale constructions or it may be the first to the finish post, where the teams have to complete a series of team activities.

The final activity can involve water - anything from the aqua-challenge to our wet sponge catapults. We can also run grand finale events entirely on the water - a change of clothes is strongly recommended! A drama work shop can be structured to work towards a final performance to the other teams or a drumming workshop can end with the entire group drumming together - a spectacle to both hear and see!