Get extreme
See the best of England on a rush of adrenalin with a range of exhilarating activities. You don't have to leave England to get an adrenalin rush or sense of adventure – types of activities available range from bungee jumping to skydiving to rock-climbing to long-distance trekking or mountain biking.
If you want to experience the wide panoramics without leaving terra firma, why not try mountain climbing or rock climbing? England has a number of challenging peaks to be scaled. Rock climbing was pioneered in England over a century ago and today there are thousands of enthusiasts and numerous indoor walls, but the best buzz comes from climbing actual rock faces outdoors.
The best way to see England's stunning countryside is from the air. There's a small but thriving hang-gliding and (especially) paragliding scene in England with a good selection of varied flying sites. England's favoured locations include the Peak District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Lake District National Park and the Long Mynd, near Shrewsbury. For paragliding or hang-gliding, see the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association's website (www.bhpa.co.uk). This lists activity providers as well as other useful information.
East of England
Swing through the trees and zip down to the ground at Go Ape (High Lodge Forest Centre) - the
award-winning high wire forest adventure course. Wildtracks is the UK's only purpose-built off-road activity park - whizz around the karting circuit and get really muddy on the quads. Book a ‘Track Day' at Bedford Autodrome or Snetterton Circuit - and you can explore your own car's potential in a safe and controlled environment, plus experience driving around some of the UK's leading race circuits. Take to the skies in the East of England. Soar over the Dunstable Downs with the London Gliding Club, from gentle introduction flights to thrilling aerobatic lessons. For something a bit different, head to Bodyflight - the world's largest indoor skydiving facility. The centre offers a unique opportunity to go 'bodyflying' - with vertical wind speeds reaching up to 170mph.
Discover the East of England's unique activities and experiences
East Midlands
Extreme cyclists will find mountain bike tracks through forest and around reservoirs. For climbers there are internationally famous gritstone climbing crags such as Stanage Edge and sheer limestone cliffs like Stoney Middleton. Or if climbing is your thing try Rockblok climbing wall, Rutland Water, Leicestershire. It’s an outdoor climbing centre with fully qualified instructors. An eight metre tower with novice and expert climbs and high ropes course - an adventure playground in the sky! Or Go Ape in Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire. An aerial assault course of extreme rope bridges, Tarzan swings and zips slides amongst Sherwood's trees, that would make even Robin’s band of merry men jealous!
England’s Northwest
Ride the Hill is a mountain boarding centre offering lessons for beginners with plenty of wide grassy slopes for practice and mellow riding, and for the more experienced and downhill adrenalin junkies there is the wide 4 man BoarderX and Slopestyle course. Check out Daytona Manchester - Manchester's premier indoor karting venue, try your skill on the new 500m-track layout opened in 2004 (0161 876 0876) or go back in time and drive a steam or diesel train with East Lancashire Railway through the Rossendale Valley or to Heywood under your own steam (0845 603 0804).
Heart of England
For Mountain biking, try The Long Mynd, Shropshire. This area offers everything from steep descents to fast single track - a great variety of routes from the pleasant to the insane all set in some of England's finest countryside. Or if off road driving is more your style, head to Solihull, West Midlands. There you can discover the thrill of driving a 4x4 through deep water and deep gullies at the birthplace of the greatest of them all. At the Landrover Experience Centre in Solihull you can improve you skills or get new ones with expert tuition.
Mountain boarding is an exciting cross between snowboarding and skateboarding. The Edge Mountainboarding Centre (www.stokesbarn.co.uk/mountainboard/index.htm) near Much Wenlock offers you the opportunity to try it for yourself. Slopes range from nursery slopes to slalom and ramps. It's easy to learn and expert tuition is available.
North East England
If you think you can walk - why not try these walking challenges:
The Pennine Way (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/pennineway/) is 268 miles of trail along the rugged backbone of England, from the Peak District through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Parks and over Hadrian's Wall to the Cheviots. It is amongst the finest upland walking in England. Hadrian's Wall Path (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall/) follows the famous Roman wall from coast to coast along its 84 miles, today's legions of walkers experience a rather more peaceful countryside than that of our forebears.
Or get on your bike around C2C (www.c2c-guide.co.uk/). At 140 miles long, the C2C, running from Whitehaven on the west coast of Cumbria to the North East coast at Sunderland, is Britain's most popular long distance cycle route. Or try the Three Rivers (www.cycle-routes.org/threerivers/) cycle route. This route is almost entirely off road and on good surfaces, the route links the Tees, Wear and Tyne estuaries, including the Cathedral City of Durham, Hadrian's Wall, sculpture trails and a wealth of heritage.
South East England
Why not try hang-gliding or skydiving; experience a feeling of freedom and exhilaration as you soar across the cliff tops at Beachy Head or fly high above Butser Hill in Hampshire. You don’t have to be a driving ace to enjoy the thrills of motor sport – Brands Hatch and Thruxton circuits host some of the country’s finest races. If you like to get dirty, try a spin in a Landrover or all-terrain vehicle. Spend an afternoon paint balling in the woods; it's great for team building – or for taking your revenge! For a hike with a difference try Llama Trekking. Accompanied picnic hikes with llamas are on offer over the North Downs and South Downs.
South West
It's a question you may not have asked yourself, but can you imagine yourself rolling down a hill inside a gigantic inflatable pvc ball? The quiet, scenic beauty of the location in the Dorset countryside is soon punctured by the sound of laughter and screaming as one person after another is sent hurtling 200 metres downhill. You have a choice of being harnessed securely inside the zorb before being sent head over heels downhill or for the brave at heart, you can find out first hand what it feels like to be inside a washing machine with just you, the zorb, no harness and two buckets of water...
Find out more at Zorb South UK's website (www.zorbsouth.co.uk)
Yorkshire
Europe's largest indoor real-snow slope can be found in Castleford, West Yorkshire at Xscape. But it is not just snowboarding and skiing on offer - Xscape also has a 16m ice climbing wall, climbzone and skyride, a 14-screen cinema, a bowling alley, giant indoor and outdoor skate parks, crèche and fitness club plus bars, cafés and shops.
Containing some of England's finest limestone scenery, the Yorkshire Dales is very popular as a destination for cavers wanting to explore the extensive caves and potholes that the geology of the area has created. For the expert potholer, special attractions include the Gaping Gill system on the western flank of Ingleborough, Alum Pot, Mossdale Caverns and the Kingsdale Master System in Kingsdale. The area also includes the Lancaster Pot and Easegill Caverns System - with over 70 km of known passages, this is currently the longest and most complex cave system in Britain.
