I had an epic morning out with my boys at Ridgeway Adventures. Situated in an old farm barn in South Oxfordshire, this indoor activity centre is totally unique to anything we’ve tried before.
Ridgeway Adventures offer an exciting mix of axe throwing, archery, archery tag, air soft shooting and a super cool laser maze. Depending on the activity the minimum age is either 8 or 10 years and upwards, it’s also great fun for adults too and feels a little like you’ve entered a top secret spy training centre.
We were lucky enough to be invited to try out four different activities to review. The visit was gifted but as always, I only share activities I’d genuinely recommend.
Laser Maze
We started with the new laser maze heist experience which opened just a few months ago (Oct 2022). Just like stepping into a movie, brightly coloured lasers zig zag the room. When we visited they had set up with a Christmas theme and the challenge was to get across the room to steal the presents and bring them back.
If you break a laser beam it sets off an alarm. As well as the presents, there were stockings each with something different from a huge diamond to a lump of coal. Brilliant fun and so different to anything we’ve done before.
Air Soft Shooting
Next up we tried out the air soft shooting which was a definite step up from the Nerf Gun fun we have at home. Following a full safety briefing, we started with a few warm ups aiming at the tin cans set up on the shooting range. The guns use little round pellets and there’s a high table across the width of the room so no danger of anyone crossing over.
Once we’d honed our sharp shooting skills and tried some time competitive timed challenges, we had fun with the cutting edge attack sense electronic targets. Both my boys loved this as well as the paper targets which were set up that we could bring home afterwards.
Axe Throwing
Did you know that axe throwing is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK? Originating in lumberjack camps in North America as fun pastime, it has evolved over the years. Standing at a throwing line, you throw the axe at a circular wooden target.
We started with a smaller, easier version, which might be called an angel, to build our skills. Harry was on hand to coach us and we all quickly picked up the knack and hit the tree target boards. Once we got the hang of that, out came the axes.
A little heavier and trickier, I thought my boys would struggle with this but with some guidance they soon got the knack. I’ve got some great slow motion videos which they’ve been watching on repeat. At the end Harry gave us a demo of his skills with double axe throwing and knife throwing which the boys thought was ‘so cool’.
Archery
Last but definitely not least was the archery. The archery range is light and bright and the sessions suitable for ages 8+ years. Our trained instructor was brilliant at connecting with my kids. He also teaches in schools and had the knack to keep their focus and really help them develop their skills in a short space of time.
As with all the activities, we had a full safety briefing and then dived in and were soon hitting the bullseye on the targets. Our instructor was the coach that set up the Saudi Arabian first women’s archery team! We definitely had more than just an archery session and it was great to see my boys develop their skills. He also gave a little history behind archery in a really great way. Always like a little learning opportunity slipped in!
Great to find something different to do with tweens and teens but I also really enjoyed myself too. The sessions at Ridgeway Adventure activity centre can be booked for individuals like us but they’re also well set up for groups, whether you’re looking for a unique party, corporate team building, hen party or stag do in Oxfordshire.
Find more great activities for teenagers in Oxfordshire.
