If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity, now is your chance to re-wild yourself. Bear Grylls likes going “wild” as often as he can, and now you can go wild with him at the U.K.’s third-annual Gone Wild Festival, held at Powderham Castle this Thursday, August 24 to Sunday, August 27. The festival offers a super line-up of adventures and workshops for families.
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Adventures during the day include SUP, kayaking, quad biking, coasteering, climbing, archery, ax throwing, paintballing, abseiling, scuba diving, doing parkour, and traversing an assault course.
You can also brush up on your survival skills or learn new ones with activities like raft building, fire lighting, and spear making, while fitness enthusiasts will love the morning runs and daily workouts. Those brave enough can ease aching muscles in a Wim Hoff ice bath.
If you like a challenge, try the giant trapeze, have a go on the BMX and skate ramp, risk the firewalk or abseil tower, meet a “dinosaur,” or get creative on the graffiti wall.
“There truly is something for everyone. Where else but can you go ax throwing, paddleboard, learn life-saving survival techniques, cheer on your mum as she conquers a 50-foot mudslide, and then party to fantastic music?” said co-founder Oliver Mason, a former Royal Marine Officer from Lympstone, England.
Of course, since Bear Grylls himself is involved, there are some true Bear-style challenges, including a Royal Marine workout, a timed commando assault range, a commando crawl across a crevasse, shelter building, and even a “gross eat” station with dung beetle, mealworms, and scorpions on the menu.
After all that adventure, chill out at a stretch session, do yoga, or participate in a guided meditation and then get set for an interesting talk. Festival-goers will hear from Bear Grylls and other guest speakers, like astronaut Tim Peake and fitness coach Joe Wicks, also known as The Body Coach.
There’s an exciting music line-up for the evenings too, with headliners like Feeder, Scouting for Girls, and Sugababes, with Band Theft Auto, Gabrielle, Ella Henderson, and many more.
Bear says the festival is the ultimate family weekend. “Together we danced, laughed, explored, adventured, and made memories we will cherish forever,” he said after last year’s festival. “I really hope you join us in 2023 for a long weekend of camping, adventure, wellness, and dancing.”
