6th January 2019
We take many groups out adventuring with us including families, holidaymakers and youth groups. But one type of group that has become increasingly popular over the last few years is the stag/hen party. A last hurrah before the betrothed is married, our adventurous hens and adrenaline-fuelled stags don’t want the stereotypical hen/stag party. They just want to spend some time with their friends and family in a carefree environment, to have a memorable weekend away, a chance to enjoy each other’s company and a little (or a lot) of adventure!
Stag and hen parties often throw together a mix of people who have never met before, so getting everyone to try a new activity together is a great ice-breaker. Once we’ve got everyone out in the water in their canoes or kayaks, climbing waterfalls, scrambling through gorges, biking through the forest or stand-up paddleboarding, all their differences and barriers quickly melt away. Many of our activities require coordination and communication too so they are a great way to get everyone working together, bonding and getting to know each other. We love seeing those relationships blossoming.
We took a fantastic group of ladies on a hen party out last summer. They wanted to take part in stand-up paddleboarding but a couple of members of the group were less keen on getting into the water. That’s when our Mega SUP really came into its own. The mother of the bride and a few others who didn’t feel confident enough to get on the individual boards were able to coordinate themselves on the Mega SUP and get out paddling down the river together. The Mega SUP is extremely buoyant and requires all on it to work as a group. At the end of the activity they were all delighted to have stayed dry and had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was brilliant to see.
All stag and hen parties differ of course, and we’ve organised so many that we like to think we’re pretty good at putting them on now. We get our groups working together, having fun in the great outdoors and getting to know each other while enjoying their new activity. We get navigating gorges, climbing cliffs, paddling down rivers and no matter the activity, finishing their day with a huge sense of achievement. They often then go on to stay in local accommodation to make a weekend of it. We’ve known many go glamping to continue their enjoyment of the great outdoors or stay in one of the many large houses in the area. The Wye Valley and Forest of Dean are great areas for hen and stag groups looking for a little adventure as there are so many options all within a small distance.
Sten parties are something we’ve only been familiar with recently, but they are proving more and more popular too. There are lots of people out there who want their pre-wedding get together to break the stereotype of the drunken pub crawl, plus there are plenty of people who don’t want to have only men or only women at their party. So a sten party is all the stags and hens together. It’s all the same to us, there’s no difference between the expectations of a high adrenaline stag party or a thrill-seeking hen party and we get everyone involved just the same!
For a hen, stag or sten party in the gorgeous Wye Valley and Forest of Dean with added adventure, get in contact with Inspire2Adventure.
