Posted by
James Trenchard
Top Destinations For An Off-Grid Stag Do Weekend
This article is being written on the eve of the announcement of a UK ' Corona virus Lock-down' and hopefully you're reading this and we either have the light at the end of the tunnel shining brightly or we're out of the dark times and well on our way to returning to whatever normality we will be returning to. Apologies to drone on about a situation that was bizarre, fast-moving and unprecedented, but bear with us.
The reason we're bringing up COVID-19 is that now we should all be used to handling some form of isolation. In a normally functioning society, escaping from a busy town or city has a large amount of appeal. There are some great places to go if you're looking to get off the grid and spend a day or two away from bustling crowds. Let us help you to escape.
Break in Bath
Now don't get us wrong, Bath is a busy place and we're not aware of any secret underground retreats. Let us explain how then, Bath works as an off-grid stag do destination. Get yourself on a Canal boat for the stag do and you probably won't see more than a handful of people (other than the other inhabitants of the boat) over the course of the weekend.
The central marina in Bath is situated right in the centre, but if you look to start in Bradford on Avon then all your queries are quashed. The route you can take from here is perfect for escapism, cruising through idyllic countryside at your own pace (albeit dictated by the speed of the boats anyway). Take a look at our canal boat stag weekend article for more detail on each of the canal boat trips we're going to suggest in this article.
- Get out into the fresh air on a boat -
Bust Out To The Brecon Beacons
It's no surprise that a national park (and one of the biggest in the UK) should feature here. If you're looking to go off grid, the Brecon Beacons offer up a few sensational stag do ideas.
Head to Pontsticill near Merthyr Tydfil and Talybont-on-Usk for an awesome canoe and/or bushcraft survival trip. Have a look here at why we rate these so highly.
These trips are the very essence of an off-grid stag do destination. You'll spend one or two days learning how to survive like a feral animal, learning some basic survival skills (shelter building, fire making, etc.) and spend some time being truly off grid, with very limited human contact. A canoe trip can also be incorporated which is a great way to forget your worries and un-plug from normal life.
Merthyr Tydfil also plays host to a fantastic stag do destination for gorge scrambling. In short, you set off (usually in old trainers and a wetsuit) up a river and make the most of the challenges it throws your way. From climbing and traversing rocks and rock faces, to jumping off ledges and sitting in rocky rapid whirlpools, it's a great activity in a great off-grid stag do destination.
Brecon Beacon national park is a great place to get out and enjoy and with so much space to explore, you could fill any downtime with a hike and make the most of stunning setting.
Check-out In Chester
Bunbury, is a short drive from Chester and provides another great off-grid stag do destination. From Bunbury marina you can get away into the tranquility of the Cheshire countryside on a canal boat. This is the 2nd of 3 of this type of off-grid stag do trip which we'll mention and it's only because they are so great. You can isolate yourselves as much as you like. If you take enough provisions with you, you won't even have to leave the boat for the duration of the weekend (although you might want to get out and at least stretch your legs).
There are a couple of great pubs between Bunbury and Chester, or you can explore various other routes and get as far away from towns and cities as you would like to.
Depart To Devon
Devon is a bit broader in area, but this is because there are a couple of awesome off-grid stag do destinations within the county lines.
Exeter - Close to Exeter there are some amazing and rural places to stay. The one we would recommend most is a yurt camp around 30 minutes away from the county's capital city. Based on a working farm, all of the yurts have log burners, comfy beds, fire pits and you can purchase fresh farm produce to keep you from having to worry about mixing with anyone else for the entire trip.
Paignton (well, very close by) - Another great off-grid stag do destination is the River Dart. There is another canoe and bushcraft stag do weekend that can be run from a little village called Stoke Gabriel (about a 15 minute drive from Paignton). For this one, you'll chuck everything into a canoe and paddle to your camp site. Once at your remote, river-side camp site, you'll set up the camp and set about learning some basic survival skills. The fact that you have to canoe to the camp site demonstrates just how off-grid this trip is. It's super popular and for good reason.
Dartmoor - There's nothing specific, activity wise, that is run on Dartmoor, but if you're looking for an off-grid stag do destination, you can definitely lose yourself in this national park (please don't actually get lost: there's lost of great guidance and advise here to make sure you have fun safely).
- Bring out your inner cave-man -
Disappear In Dorset
Bournemouth is a great stag do destination and you won't have to stray too far from there to come across some truly mega off-grid stag do destinations and activities.
Within about half an hour's driving distance of Bournemouth (west) there are some fantastic off-grid stag do ideas to consider;
- Another great Canoe and bushcraft trip, including all of the usual survival skills, a great canoeing trip to a remote camp site and this one even offers the opportunity to take part in a spot of deer spotting.
- For something similar but quite different, you can choose a cave camp, so taking off the canoeing trip aspect of the above trip and changing the camp site to an abandoned cave. You'll still be taught the art of bushcraft and basic survival skills and some of the views within a stone's throw are out-of-this-world!
- Something extremely popular for a stag do activity in Dorset is Coasteering. With the Jurassic Coast offering up some spectacular scenery and awesome challenges (for any ability), you can stay off-grid and still have a heap of fun.
Escape To Edinburgh
The penultimate off-grid canoeing and bushcraft stag do destination that we'll mention, but a great choice if you're planning a Scottish weekend. Located about an hour from Edinburgh, you know that this won't be a city-centre venture. Instead, you'll be heading out on canoes, setting up a riverside camping spot plus learn all the survival skills you could ever possibly require should the outbreak of a Corona virus ever hit us again.
A really great trip and the ONLY canoeing and bushcraft trip we'd suggest as an off-grid stag do destination in Scotland.
Liberate Yourself In Llangollen
Crossing another border and heading back in to Wales, if the Brecon Beacons are a bit too far south then fear ye not intrepid isolator.
If you should choose north wales as your off-grid stag do destination,you would be quite within your rights to do so. Snowdonia national park is the 4th largest in the UK and offers a whole host of things to do, from heading up Mount Snowdon (you may come across other people however), to taking on an organised Mountaineering trip.
There are also Canoeing and Bushcraft trips which will blow your mind or a spot of Coasteering.
Whatever off-grid stag do weekend activity you are thinking of, then the chances are high that you'll find it in north Wales.
- Climb Mount Snowdon and you may encounter a few people, but whole of Snowdonia National Park can definitely be classed as off-grid -
Withdraw In Worcester
Although reasonably close to Birmingham, Tardebigge in Worcestershire offers up our final off-grid stag do destination. It is also our final canal boat trip destination and we shall explain why it's a great choice. Canals are a great way to get around without stress and they make it easy to just glide through a weekend. Canal boats are equipped with everything you need for a stag do, with kitchens, showers, beds and lounge areas. Forget hotels and getting transport between activities. You have it all with you and ready to go on a canal boat stag do weekend.
The trips from Tardebigge are no exception and you can expect to cruise at a leisurely pace, watching the world go by outside. If you did fancy something adventurous then you'll be able to head through one of the longest canal tunnels in the UK at 2493 metres long (that'll take you about half an hour to get through). Just make sure you have a torch or two.
All-in-all, it's a fantastic area to explore and you won't regret choosing it.
An Off-Grid Stag Do Summary
So now it's over to you to choose your favourite off-grid stag do destination. From completely rural locations to those slightly closer to towns and cities, there really is somewhere for everyone. If you're not entirely sure on what you'd like to do, you could give us a call to discuss your likes/dislikes and we'll be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
One thing we will say, is that this type of stag do weekend is always growing in popularity, so even if you don't know exactly what you're after, it's best to start planning everything sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.
If it's an off-grid stag do destination you're looking for, have a look below for a quick guide of where to go:
- Bath
- The Brecon Beacons
- Chester
- Devon
- Dorset
- Edinburgh
- Llangollen
- Worcestershire
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