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Cuffley Outdoor Centre

Cuffley Outdoor Centre is situated in 90 acres of woodland and provides a range of outdoor activity and environmental educational experiences. Accommodation in pre erected tents is available throughout the spring, summer and autumn. The camping experience is the highlight of the year for many of the children who use the site and provides a gentle but effective method for developing the children’s independence and sense of self responsibility. Groups can also enrich the educational opportunities of their stay by signing up for some of the many Outdoor and adventurous and environmental activities on offer at the centre.

The open spaces within the wood; dating back to the time the site was used by local people to graze their live stock, remain to this day. Giving each camping area its own separate site within the woodland. The Centre has 12 such camping villages on the site 11 of which are tented and one of which has wood cabins.

For many of the children who visit the site the camping experience forms one of the highlights of their year. It provides them with a multitude of experiences and memories for them to take away with them, whether its: catching sight of one of the sites more elusive woodland residents such as the fox or badger, listening to the tawny owls hooting as they lay safe and snug with in their tent or cabin or the sound of the muntjac deer barking at dusk or dawn. One of the most positive outcomes results of the camping experience is the bonding effect it has on the group as they develop a set of commonly held and shared experiences that they can relate to and reflect back on at a later date. It also provides a gentle but effective method for developing the child’s independence and sense of self responsibility. Freed from the normal pressures of school life and the distractions of modern living such as T.V or computer games children are free to discover new interests and relationships with there peers and accompanying staff.

The site provides tents and these are erected prior to the group arriving. All camping villages have their own designated area which is exclusive for that group. Each village can accommodate between 20 to 50 people in either tents or woodland cabins. Each village contains a covered cooking fire space with its own calor gas ring, camp fire area, group shelter and night toilet. The centre also offers a range of indoor facilities including a large dining room, able to comfortably accommodate 250 people. Four fully equipped classrooms, separate toilet and shower blocks for staff and student, a souvenir shop and washing and drying facilities.