You may know by now that our short breaks service is fairly popular (if you don’t, have you been living under a huge massive rock?).
Due to it’s popularity, we’ve put on 24 short breaks for next year (there’s still a few breaks available if you want to secure a place).
There’s so many reason why people really enjoy coming away with us. The life skills you build, getting outdoors, being with friends, having the chance to get away from Mum and Dad for a full weekend (this is an Adventurer favourite).
However, we also understand that short breaks aren’t for everyone. The change of routine, having to share a room with others and nerves about being away from home can all be contributing factors as to why you may not enjoy adventuring with us, over a weekend.
So, to help you make a decision as to whether short breaks are the right fit for you, we’ve outline 4 reasons you may, and 4 reasons you may not, enjoy our weekend short breaks.
Why Short Breaks Are Great
A Weekend In The Peak District: Discover New Places and Try Different Activities
Every time we go on a short breaks, we head into the picturesque Peak District National Park.
Whilst we're there, we'll be doing some sort of adventurous activity , whether that’s caving, climbing, paddle sports, the list goes on.
We also stop in a few different outdoor centres too. So you can be based in various different locations across the National Park. We’ve carefully select where we’ll be staying in 2025 based on the proximity to actitives, dorm sizes and how nice the centre is to stay in.
Short breaks also offer you the opportunity to try activities that you may never have even heard of before, or have been too afraid to try on your own.
If you don’t attend our day service, we can pretty much guarantee you won’t have been down a cave or scaled a rock face at another service. Nor have you headed into the hills or fired a bow and arrow.
So even if you don’t attend our day service and get the chance to enjoy all this throughout the week, you still can join us on an adventure at the weekend.
Did you know: You don’t have to be a part of our day service to join our short break service?
The Chance To Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Okay, okay. Some of the stuff we get up to can be seen as a bit risky or dangerous. So, it’s natural to feel a little scared when it comes to trying out new activities.
Nevertheless, our short breaks, allow you to step well outside of your normal comfort zone.
Yes, stepping outside of your comfort zone may be tricky, but it is super important in helping you achieve your potential. It’s when you step outside of your comfort zone that you do all of your growing!
Stepping outside of your comfort zone is also much easier in a group setting and we always head out as a group, so this should make things much easier for you.
Being With Friends
Going away with your fellow Adventurers is key part of coming on our short breaks. There’s lots of time to socialise with each other and plenty of chance to boogie on the Saturday night.
We do have lots going on, on a short break weekend. You can find out what we get up to on a specific short break weekend, by reading our blogs here.
However, there is also a lot of down time too. It isn’t all go go go.
That downtime is important, not only to help you foster relationships with other Adventurers, but to help you interact with those from other centres, or Adventurers you don’t tend to speak to much, too.
This is why we incorporate a lot of downtime into our short break weekends, where you get the chance chat to people and build those friendships, some of which have lasted our current Adventurers a lifetime.
Leaving Parent/Carers at Home
This is one of the main reasons as to why our short breaks are so popular. We all agree that it can be fun to leave mum and dad at home whilst we go off for a weekend of adventure.
However, though it is fun, it’s also really important that you get that time away from your parents and you parent’s get that time away from you too (yes, sometimes they enjoy a break as well!).
This is because, on your journey to becoming an independent adult, you’re going to have to understand what it’s like being away from your parents. That’s one of the biggest factors of becoming independent.
Your parents won’t always be there to clean and tidy up after you and you will have to learn to do it yourself.
So, even though our short breaks are packed full of the great outdoors, there’s still that time to grow, learn skills and push yourself towards becoming as independent as possible.
Why You Might Not Enjoy a Short Break
Change Of Routine Could Be Hard
A change of routine can be tough. Humans are creatures of habit and anything that falls outside of our normal routine can throw us off sometimes.
Given that you are going to be away from your Parent/Carers, away from home and your daily routine, things can be a little different to the norm, whilst you’re on a short break.
We are very aware that this can be a big stumbling block when you're thinking about coming on a break with us and something that can be tricky to overcome.
In saying this, we are happy to work closely with the Parent/Carer and Adventurer to cater to your needs:
Need to go to bed at 8p.m. on the dot every night? No problem, we can do that.
Need to have a certain breakfast, lunch and dinner? We’ll see to that.
Need to do 15 star jumps before every meal? We’ll join in!
Need to have all the knives and forks neat and tidy before eating? Perfect, we always need a willing helper to set the table.
Need to go on a 15 mile run before 6am? Okay, we might struggle to help you on that one…
The point we’re trying to make here, is that we are very accommodating and happy to help in pretty much every circumstance and with your help and guidance, come up with a plan of action to help you stick as closely to your normal routine as possible.
Finding Sleeping In a Dorm Tricky
Sharing a room with people can be strange. As we’ve just mentioned above, different people can have different routines, which of course becomes hard to manage if you’re sharing a room with them.
There’s also the fact that some people are tidier than others. This can be a challenge for those who like to have things in order, if they’re sharing a room with someone who is particularly messy.
Use this interactive tool to see exactly what St Michael's is like inside:
No matter how well you get along with someone, there’s always going to be challenges when you share a space, but we do our best to manage it.
We make sure that we fully understand the Adventurer's needs and who they would be best suited sharing a room with. Given that most of our Adventurers who attend short breaks also come to the day service, we tend to know them pretty well and who they do and don’t get on with when sharing a room.
Nevertheless, if you don’t attend the day service it isn’t an issue, it may just take a break or two to figure out the best sleeping arrangements for you. But we will work closely with you and your Parent/Carers to make sure we get it right, as soon as possible.
Feeling Nervous About Being Away from Home/Parent/Carers
Though some may relish at the opportunity to get away from home and get up to some mischief in the outdoors for a weekend, others are not so keen to head out without their Parent/Carers.
This is perfectly normal and if you haven’t done it much before, it can be quite daunting. For some, coming on short break can be the first time they’ve ever been away from home, ever.
Don’t let this put you off though, because our short breaks team is full of fantastic Support Workers and Instructors who will make you feel as comfortable as possible when you come away with us.
Not only this, but if you haven’t been on a break with us before, you’ll be invited in for an initial meeting with our Short Breaks Manager.
Then you'll be invited on a free taster session and finally you’ll come to a planning meeting.
So before you’ve even get on the bus on the Friday evening to go on your first short break, you’ll have met fellow Adventurers and our Short Breaks Manager at least twice, if not more.
So you’ll be sure to see some familiar faces when you come away with us for the first time.
As noted above, it’s really important to get the time away from your Parent/Carer when you can because you need to start building those independent skills as early as you can, to help you as you progress through life.
Concerns About How the Weekend Will Be Structured
Like routines, the way weekends are structured is important too.
Given that we go on plenty of short breaks each year (we’re going on 24 in 2025, if you didn’t already know - you can book your breaks here if you haven’t already) we have the structure of weekend down to a tee.
Here’s a quick rundown of what a short break usually looks like:
Friday Evening
4:00 pm – Drop-off at your local centre and, once everyone’s set, we’re off to our weekend destination.
5:30 - 7:00 pm – On arrival, you’ll be shown to your room by a Support Worker or Instructor. There’s time to unpack, settle in, and catch up with friends before dinner.
7:00 - 10:00 pm – Dinner’s served, prepared by one our Day Service groups at Top Valley or Mansfield Woodhouse. Afterward, it’s a relaxed evening before winding down and getting ready for bed at 10 pm.
Saturday
8:30am - 10:00 am – Breakfast is followed by the plan for the day, where you’ll find out your activity group and the Instructor and Support Worker you’ll be with that day. Then, it’s time to get geared up for the day’s adventure.
10:00am - 3:00 pm – This is when we’ll be out adventuring. This could be anything from caving or climbing to paddling or hill walking, depending on the planned activity for that break.
These times do vary dependant on time of year and activity.
3:00pm - 7:00 pm – Back at the centre, you’ll have time to get comfortable and help with dinner or clean-up, if it’s your turn.
7:00pm - 9:00 pm – A bit of social time with music and dancing in the evening, which usually wraps up around 9:00pm, ready for bed at 10:00pm, so everyone can get a good night’s rest.
Sunday
8:30am - 11:00 am – A slower start after a jam- packed Saturday. Enjoy a full English breakfast before packing up your stuff.
11:00am - 1:00 pm – We all muck to make sure the centre is tidy and everything is back in place as we found it, when arrived on Friday evening.
1:00pm - 4:30 pm – Before heading home, we’ll often stop at a local café to enjoy a sweet treat before the weekend is done. Then, it’s back to the centre for a 4:30 pm pickup.
That is how most of our short breaks run, the only real changes come with the planned activity on the Saturday.
Decide for Yourself!
There you have it. Our short breaks aren’t for everyone — you could probably say their a bit like marmite - some absolutely love them and want to come away every weekend, while others may feel they’re not quite what they’re looking for.
But, If you’re on the fence, we hope we’ve helped answer your questions and given you a glimpse into why our breaks make such a difference to so many of our Adventurers.
Come And Experience Them Yourself
Interested in making 2025 the year you join us? With only a few spaces left, now’s the time to book and secure your spot. Fill out the form to start your journey with us!
See you out there!
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