Posted by
James Trenchard
Activities To Do For Those Undertaking Social Distancing
2020 has been a weird year, and really disappointing for group events as they've had to work out if they can still have any fun, even with the best social distancing activities on the agenda. With the government telling us why social distancing is important during a pandemic, social distancing rules have been an important part of trying to fend off this awfulness, but we still need to find time to have fun. Social distancing with friends isn't the same as not having to think about where to stand etc etc, but there are some awesome activities that can withstand these rules without getting too close to anyone but still maintain the good times.
It should be noted that we advise to check with us first to see if the activities are possible/running before you 'confirm' any solid plans with the group. We are all too aware of how quickly things can change regarding what can and can't be done, but to be certain, we haven't included any activities where social distancing is impossible.
Hopefully one of these will take your fancy...
1 - Canoeing and buscraft
Being outside is a great call if you're trying to find a social distancing activity. That's why the first activity on our list is about as outdoorsy as you can possibly get. These trips typically run for anywhere between 1-3 days, depending on how much fresh air and escapism you really need after the mania that the world has seen recently! Throughout the trip, the usual activities consist of some canoeing in Canadian-style canoes, learning some basic survival and bushcraft skills (like fire making, foraging etc) and camping in a remote spot. You'll more than likely set-up your own camps, using the skills you've been learning and cook your own meals using the food you've managed to collect (don't worry, the instructors will also have extra, just in case your collection is a tiny bit measly).
All-in-all, this activity is fantastic for any group looking to maintain a social distance while still having a great time and learning some new skills.
- Socially distance on a serene UK river -
2 - Stand Up Paddleboarding
If sitting down and paddling doesn't appeal, then maybe an activity for you, to maintain social distancing, is stand up paddleboarding (SUP). SUP is an awesomely popular activity whereby you have a float (similar to that of a large surfboard), designed for stability on all water surfaces. A lot of coastal areas have companies where you can hire the boards, which is a fantastic idea. If you're a complete novice, centres also usually offer sessions which include some tuition, games and a paddle somewhere. These are great for groups of people and even with social distancing, can really add something to any weekend away.
It's not just the sea though, some towns and cities are home to companies that run SUP sessions on rivers, meaning that there should be less waves to contend with.
If you're looking for something outdoors which doesn't require much kit, will be relaxing and add a lot to your weekend, stand up paddleboarding is certainly worth a thought.
- Stand up for social distancing activities -
3 - Sea Kayaking
Outdoor activities don't get much more wide open than on the sea and that's exactly what this offers up on a deep blue platter. You don't have to be a sea-faring captain with a fleet of ships under your command to be able to get out there and do this amazingly adventurous social distancing activity. Sea kayaks offer so much stability they make the sea feel like a pond. There are various types of trip to be decided upon, from a few hours to weekend trips with cave campsites and survival skills.
Being out on the sea may seem a little daunting, but you'll only ever be asked to paddle in waters where you feel comfortable and all trips will be adapted to suit your requirements. The trips are also only in limited locations... those being coastal destinations. If you like the idea of cruising along the coastline on a sea kayak, watching the world go by and having a great time, but aren't sure of the nearest destination, don't be shy and get in touch with us. We'll be more than happy to help to find the perfect spot for you and run through all of your options.
4 / 5 - Archery / Axe Throwing
For a great day-time activity, allowing social distancing all the while, pick an activity which involves hurling stone-age metal implements at targets. Both archery and axe throwing represent old-school sports requiring accuracy, skill and a level-head.
With so many centres offering one or both of these activities, you'll have no problem finding them wherever you decide to go. Every centre offers similar games and challenges and all of the outdoor centres will have no problem with providing a social distancing activity that you'll remember for years to come. These activities are really old with regards to how long humans have been doing them (maybe even older than Donald Trump!?) and there's definitely a reason that they are still so popular, so have a go and see what all the fuss is about.
- Loose yourself -
6 - Off Road Buggies
Driving on roads can be a lot of fun, but it's more than likely that you spend most of your driving time on a road. Let's change all that and switch tarmac for gravel, grit and dirt! Nothing quite helps you to forget about COVID-19 like drifting round bends, spraying out dust and debris behind you like a red-arrow of off-road racing (phew, what a tongue twister).
There are centres offering this amazing activity close to loads of major towns and cities, so the chances are you'll be nearby to somewhere to try your hand at whizzing around in an off road/dirt buggy. Most centres have mad machines, capable of upto 45mph, so don't think you'll be pottering round a track looking for more, in fact you'll almost certainly find that a smile will struggle to leave your face for hours afterwards due to the excitement under your right foot.
- A bit of mud and social distancing go a long way -
7 - Clay Pigeon Shooting
This is an activity which can incorporate social distancing measures whilst ensuring a fun-for-the-whole-family type activity. Whether you've shot before or not, clay pigeon shooting is the activity that keeps on giving. The aim of the game (quite literally) is to destroy as many flying clay targets as possible, so if you're new to the sport, any amount will do, but for returning shooters, you may have standards to maintain. Whatever experience you have, clay pigeon shooting can easily make some great memories as part of any weekend.
It's a really popular sport and can be found throughout the UK, with centres offering various amounts of clays depending on how long you want to stay and how much money you have to play with. The guns are real shotguns too, but with the professional guidance of seasoned shooters, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.
If a real shotgun is a bit much, laser clay shooting offers the same challenges, but uses laser targeting to work out how accurate you are. It's much less noisy and usually offers a digital scoreboard so you don't get any rogues stating that they won!
- Fire away with a great social distancing activity -
8 - Footgolf
Golf is a good sport for social distancing and was one of the first publicly accessible sports to open it's doors once lockdown started to ease. We're not going to go straight down that line though, as Footgolf offers all the fun of golf and adds in the fun of football too, giving you two sports for the price of one!
The aim of the game is to kick a football around a course, specially designed for the game of Footgolf, aiming to sink the football in as few shots as possible. It's a hybrid sport that has certainly shown rapid growth in recent years and now you'll find Footgolf courses all over the UK.
You can choose this awesome activity for any event as it is designed to be fun and it won't take all day (most courses offer 9 or 18 hole options, the latter taking around 2-3 hours on average), meaning it's a great addition.
9 - Horse Riding and Treks
For sport that lets you escape down country lanes and across rolling landscapes, there are also horse riding treks, easily one of the most relaxing social distancing activities on our list. The locations of the stables that offer this are somewhat more exclusive as they aren't everywhere like other activities on our list, but they are well worth the possible extra travel time.
From novices to seasoned riders, a horse trek can whisk you away to places of peace, quiet and, of course, social distancing bliss.
- Trek it out! -
10 - Quad Biking
Our final suggestion as one of the best social distancing activities is so popular that a whole variety of groups, from stag weekends to birthday celebrations, choose to do some quad biking.
There are centres which offer quad biking near to most major towns and cities and you'll find one or two different styles of quad biking depending on where you go; 1) full off-road tracks, winding through woodland, rising and falling over rolling hills and taking on any terrain that's thrown at you or 2) track-based skills whereby you may do a time-trial style session, aiming to be the fastest/most accurate rider. Some centres may do a bit of both, but you'll always get instruction on how to handle your quad bike beforehand.
Quad biking is an awesome activity, no matter what and the fact that it can be done whilst social distancing measures are in place only make it better.
- Off road and woodlands + distancing = good times -
So the best social distancing activities have been put down, but they are not all that exist. We are writing this during the (seemingly neverendingneverendingneverending) lockdown, but we're looking to better, more limitless times ahead, when social distancing is to be relaxed, there's less social distancing for pubs and then ultimately when social distancing is OVER . For loads of different ideas, have a look at some of our other articles, such as; simple stag do ideas, simple hen do ideas and outdoor activities for any group and you should get a glimpse of what your event could look like in the not so distant future.
We've put together a quickfire list of the top 10 social distancing activities, so you can choose to read all about them, or just get in touch straight away to plan the perfect pursuit of play against parameters. Here they are distance-lovers:
- Canoeing and buscraft
- Stand Up Paddleboarding
- Sea Kayaking
- Archery
- Axe Throwing
- Off Road Buggies
- Clay Pigeon Shooting
- Footgolf
- Horse Riding and Treks
- Quad Biking
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