For those of you who have somehow managed to miss the phenomena, PGL is one of the original adventure holiday companies offering all sorts of outdoor activities for children, school groups and families all over the UK and parts of Europe.

My 7 year old son and his friend were lucky enough to go on a 3 night break at the new Liddington camp, Swindon during July 2010.

So, what do the visitors get out of PGL? PGL centres, take school groups on week-long holidays and individual children, groups and families during the summer holiday. The activities that the children do on their holiday are determined in advance dependent on their age. As well as the core outdoor pursuits, they offer problem solving exercises, arts and crafts and other games. The children are split into groups of around 10 to 12 and are housed in modern bedrooms with en-suites with bunk beds.

In addition to the instructors, there are a number "Groupies" to look after the children, depending on the activity. These Groupies also look after the children between sessions, and made sure that they found their way to the canteen, their bedrooms at appropriate time and to ensure they wash.

The most important aspect of booking this type of holiday for me as a parent was my child's safety. I have to say that the staff put every confidence in me and the activities that my son undertook at the centre appeared very well supervised and safe.

So what did my 7 year old really think of his time away?.... "When can I go back mummy please" were one of his and his friends first questions. Since we have been home my son has constantly talked about his time at PGL, the experiences of the outward bound activities he undertook such as trapeze, canoeing, abseiling, Jacobs ladder and of the fun and games and new friendships made. This type of holiday might not suit every child, some might need to wait until they are older to enjoy the experience without missing home significantly but for my son and friend it was the ideal opportunity to experience new activities and to feel some independence.

On a funny note, my son did manage to wear the same pair of socks for the four days he was there which I think walked by themselves when he took them off.

I would say that from what I have seen of this particular PGL site that it runs professionally, efficiently and with well trained caring staff who are aware of both parents and children's needs.

PGL actually stands for "Peter Gordon Lawrence", who set up the company way back in 1957 rather than "Parents Get Lost" as the kids like to suggest.

PGL Liddington is our brand new centre which opened in April 2010. Just minutes from the M4, it enjoys the double benefit of a rural setting in a prime, easy to reach location. Pushing the boundaries in school group travel, the centre now leads the way in adventure activity provision and accommodation.

Formerly a four-star hotel set in 150 acres of beautiful grounds, this brand new centre offers a truly outstanding combination of comfort, exceptional facilities and the highest quality educational experiences, placing it head and shoulders above anything else available to school groups.

The vast grounds contain the most comprehensive range of activities in the market, making full use of the natural landscape including woodland and three lakes.

Accommodation Blocks
Modern purpose-built accommodation blocks around two outdoor courtyards.
Pupils: En suite rooms sleep 4
Teachers: Single en suite rooms

Tented Village
Chalet-style tents with solid bases & frame beds
Pupils: 4-6 per tent Teachers: 1 or 2 per tent Adjacent toilets and shower facilities

Activities available at Liddington include:

Abseiling, Aeroball, Archery, Ball Sports, Bridge Building, Canoeing, Climbing, Crate Challenge, Fencing, First Aid, Giant Swing, Initiative Exercises, Jacobs Ladder, Low Level Ropes Course, Mountain Bike Trail, Nature Trail, Orienteering, Quad Biking, Raft Building, Sensory Trail, Survivor, Trapeze, Tree Top Study Trail, Tunnel Trail, Vertical Challenge, Zip Wire.

For full details of PGL holidays see http://www.pgl.co.uk/PGLWeb/