American-style summer camps in the UK that kids will love – with breaks in the school holidays from £83

The Sun

21-07-2025

For anyone who wants the fun of an American summer camp without the long-haul flight, there are some right here in the UK.
PGL runs 10 camps across the country where kids from eight years up to 16 can join with thrilling activities from abseiling and canoeing to campfire singalongs - just like they do in America.
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Holiday camps are ingrained in American culture, a rite of passage that entertains kids over the summer holidays and gives their parents a break.
In the UK, our answer to this is PGL, which is designed to do exactly that.
There are summer camps all over the country, whether you're heading to Suffolk, Lancashire or Wiltshire.
Kids can stay at the camps between one and seven nights.
The children are split up depending on their age, and are grouped as from eight to 11 years, 11 to 13 and 13 to 16.
For peace of mind, PGL camps have been approved by OFSTED, have world-class safeguarding, expertly trained teams, and 24/7 care.
Now for the fun part, kids can do a range of activities including abseiling, archery, climbing, fencing, laser tag, high ropes and orienteering.
Some activities, like 'Survivor', teach children how to find shelter in the woods and learn basic navigation skills.
During the evening, there's US-inspired entertainment including film nights, silent discos and roasting marshmallows around a campfire.
With the Trailblazer package, which is available on seven-night stays, children get to take on an extra interest or hobby on top of the best of PGL's multi-activity activities.
Holiday Park in UK village that looks like Greece
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This can be anything from pony riding lessons to bush craft and baking sessions.
And for parents who want to join in on the fun, families are welcome on certain breaks too.
The family options are available at two locations in the UK, Barton Hall in Devon and Caythorpe Court in Lincolnshire.
During their stay, families get to compete against each other in a series of challenges, like seeing who's fastest flying down the zip wire, or the best at scaling up the climbing wall.
One visitor wrote a review on Trustpilot that described the camp as: "Full on, jam-packed activities ... the children were never bored. Great food too!"
Another added: "The kids had such a great time with activities like the giant swing, zip line and archery. "
Some sites even have trips to the local theme parks as part of the adventure.
Boreatton Park in Shrewsbury has day trips to Alton Towers and Drayton Manor Park.
And Marchants Hill in Hindhead has days out to Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventure.
Other holiday camps specialise in water activities, at Liddington and Osmington Bay kids can go canoeing, build rafts and sail across the nearby lakes.
All the packages include accommodation, three meals a day, and a full program of daytime and evening activities, including equipment and instruction from qualified holiday camp leaders.
Currently, there's 40 per cent off the multi-activity camp on stays of selected one, two, three, four and seven nights.
You can now get a one night stay from £87 per night - this discount is valid for bookings made up until July 23, 2025.
Here's another American-style summer camp in the UK that kids will love – with bunkhouses and beach adventures.
Plus, ten campsites in the UK with nearby beaches – and they start from just £15.
I spent a summer at a USA holiday camp
Jenna Stevens spent time at a summer camp in America working as a counsellor - and here's what she thought...
As a Brit brought up on a diet of American movies and TV shows, I've always longed to be part of a US summer camp.
Thankfully, I could. As summer camps often look for international staff to bring their skills across the pond.
My days started at 6:30am - going from snoozing my alarm at home, to getting kids' teeth brushed, boots on and out the door before 7am was quite the change from my routine as a 21 year old back in England.
Each morning we'd gather on the sports field to raise the American flag, a key part of camp culture that we Brits soon had to get used to.
After knocking back blueberry pancakes or French toast, and glugging down as much filter coffee as I could manage, the activities for the day began.
The days were filled with everything from archery to animal care, ziplining to basketball.
My group of girls and I would sit under a tree and make friendship bracelets, as they requested song after song by Taylor Swift on my Walmart speaker.
Our lunches were traditionally American: sloppy joes (bolognese in a burger bun with cheese), hot dogs and chicken tacos.
Afternoons were spent cooling off in the pool followed by chill time in our cabins.
The kids would stay for one or two weeks at a time, but the camp environment made you grow close - so saying goodbye to them was always the hardest part.
We'd end the week with a campfire, roasting marshmallows and sharing our favourite memories - Jenna Stevens
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