Page 40 - Exercise 1

Page 40 - Exercise 1

Activity Centres

What do you do in the school holidays?

In Britain, activity holidays are very popular. Teenagers spend a week or two at an activity centre (or summer camp, as they’re sometimes called). Here you can E sorts of exciting and interesting things, such rse riding, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain j, archery, go-karting and sailing. At some centres you can also ride a motorbike or a quad bike, and even drive a car (but not on ordinary roads, of course, because you have to be 17 to take your driving test).

Most young people today live in cities, so these holidays are a great opportunity to do exciting things and to enjoy fresh air in the countryside or by the sea. In addition, the activities help you to become more confident, because they challenge you to do things that you wouldn’t normally do. On the Skywalk, for example, you have to walk along a rope high up in the trees. It’s all very safe, of course. Everyone has to wear a helmet and a safety harness, but you still need a lot of confidence to step out onto a rope 30 metres above the ground with just another rope to hold onto, Another very popular activity is the Zip Wire, where you hold onto a small bar or a strap and slide down a long cable.

There are activity centres all over Britain. Many of them are in Wales and the Lake District. There are hills, mountains, forests and lakes here, so you can do a lot more things. Cornwall and Devon in the south-west of England are popular places as well, because there are a lot of beaches for water activities and cliffs for climbing there. Newquay in north Cornwall is excellent for surfing, too.

A holiday in an activity centre isn’t just about getting lots of exercise. The social side is very important as well. You make a lot of new friends, and for many of the activities you have to work together. A good example of this is raft­ building. In this, groups have some materials - barrels, pieces of wood and ropes. Each group has to design and build a raft from these things and then cross a river or lake on it. It’s very exciting, as each group wants to be first. And not all of the rafts get to the other side!

After an active day in the fresh air, everyone is ready for a good meal. Then after dinner, they get together to sing songs or play indoor games, such as table tennis, pool or darts. Some people prefer to just chat about the day’s activities. And after that everyone sleeps very well!