and I’d like to do a father/son experience with him to celebrate the landmark.
I’m thinking outdoors experience rather than coke and hookers to save some of you from typing it!
Any recommendations?
He’s a keen Scout and does lots of camping (Winter camp in a fortnight)
He’s a good rider albeit not too hot on distance as he’s a long streak of…..
Water/hills/caves all appeal to me :O)
What have you done and was it good fun and value for money? I’ve not got a great deal of money to throw at the idea but happy to spend a bit.
Cheers
Tim

13 years old you say ?
Only one thing to do and that’s give him a bar mitzvah !

Mazel tov !

I tried to post a video but I gave up,

Happy birthday for your son

Do something different like a dinghy sailing course together..

Bounce Below?

https://www.zipworld.co.uk/adventure/bounce-below

Bounce Below and all the other bits around it look good.
Dinghys or a canoe maybe.

Bothy trip or canoe trip.

Too far South for Bothy related trips. Canoe trip could work and put us both on level terms of learning together.

Don’t know where you’re based but went to Surf Snowdonia for the day for our eldest’s thirteenth (won’t be going again because he had far better coordination and balance than me so I’m taking my bat and ball home). We’ve done the real thing a couple of time since but the certainty of the waves is good for a planned day trip

If it keeps raining we’ll soon be based by the sea on the south coast. As it is there’s only the SDW stopping us getting wet.
I tried a surf thing once in Dubia and I was suitable crap at it to not want to do it again. That was a different lifetime ago but I can’t imagine my co-ordination has changed and if I couldn’t do it in near perfect conditions then a wet weekend in Wales won’t help :O/

Axe throwing course.

Oddly I’ve just ordered 5 axes for our Scout Winter camp :O) Pruning saws as well.

Me and Jnr did snowboarding lessons for his 13th birthday. Great fun.

That leads to expensive holidays that I can’t afford. I also have a wife who doesn’t do COLD holidays.

One more vote for kayaking/standup paddling from me.

If you’re a long way South there’s:

http://fluidadventures.co.uk

or

http://tjboardhire.co.uk

I bet every area has this kind of thing though.

Doing something ‘guided’ so you don’t have to be the authority figure strikes me as a good idea for bonding, but your lad is way older than mine.

I took the boy (not at 13, but maybe 11) away walking for the weekend.

Let him choose the mountain, and the area. So a weekend away in the Lakes, just the two of us. Staying in a pub. Walking for 6-7 hours a day. Then more steak, soft drinks and cakes than his mother would let him have.

He loved it. Still talks about it now. And it didn’t cost much

Does he have any academic interests, like history, or biology? I’m just thinking that a walking trip with a certain focus – say, on ancient hill forts or burial grounds, or else looking at fauna, flora, and wildlife – for the right child and parent, could be really interesting.

I like the idea of walking up a mountain with him. We’re hoping to go to the Lakes this June/July so I’d ear marked that for a Boy 1 and 2 day out.
They’re both home schooled so lots of flexibility and interests.

I like the idea of walking up a mountain with him.

Is there a need to think beyond that? There’s a winner, right there. Maybe make a challenge – 3 HEWITTs in a day or somesuch? Visting an aircraft wreck site on a mountain?

Good luck sounds ace.

Simple is often best. Time to crack the maps out.

Bushcraft/campcraft course – weekend spent playing with knives, axes and fire, kind of every boys dream (well it was mine @ 13). Lots of providers so do a little research to find a good one who is happy to have a 13yr attend.

Alton Towers will be open. pull him out of school for a day, middle of the week / middle of term and go mash all the big coasters for a day!!

i remember doing something similar with my old man back int day. one of the the fondest memories…

Give him a birthday treat, introduce him to Blackflag’s daughter.

We found somewhere our son could drive a 4×4 offroad at 11, mini moke style vehicle with 4 of us in. ATVs or motocross bikes would be another.

They’re both home schooled so lots of flexibility and interests.

So you can go snowboarding when it’s not expensive school holidays!

Walking up a mountain/camping/big pub meal and half a cheeky lager top is exactly what I remember doing with my Dad at that age, and is exactly what shall be doing with my boy in another 12 years or so!

To ad though – if North Wales is within distance then Bounce Below/The Zip Lines/Surf Snowdonia are all close together and all excellent fun! Theres some sort of downhill gravel kart thing too but I’ve not tried that, yet!

Clay pigeon shooting.

How about a long weekend on Northern France. D day landings perhaps, V 2 rocket base, coastal defences, menin gate, there are loads of ww2 related museum exhibits there
Weekend in eire, walk up catmantool Ireland highest mountain Mt Brandon is a nice steady trek
Gliding lesson or experience
Flying experience cess a or helicopter would be memorable

Why don’t you ask him? If it is something he really wants to do I’m sure you would go along with it to ensure that he remembers it. His suggestion may even surprise you, you could even end up looking forward to something new. Better than picking something he may be a bit meh about, only participating to keep you happy.

IHN go and stand in the corner and then say sorry to blackflag and his daughter
(was a proper snort over my keyboard though)

Life lesson…

Get him six cans of special brew and 20 fags, sit him in a field make him drink the special brew and smoke the fags..

He will never abuse either again…

Oh hang on didnt work for me? Scrap that idea.

Ask him? Are you insane? Last time I did that he surprised me and now I’m a Scout Leader in training. Bang goes any free time I once had!

I like the DD beach raid. We’re only 10 miles off the Newhaven ferry so it’s been on the “to do” list on my bike for a while. Will be a bit too hilly for a full on bike trip for him but an adventure maybe!

He drives my 4×4 in fields already. Carting would be good as he’s got an unhealthy interest in cars.

Some great ideas so keep them coming please :0)

My 13 year old wanted to do an alpine climb on a road bike. So we took a day off from the Les Gets MTB trails and did Col de la Joux Verte via Les Lindarets.

Lovely climb and he’s still proud of it. Wants to do Col de Joux Plane this year.

I may regret this.

Too far South for Bothy related trips.

Not all bothies are in Scotland. The National Trust have a few down south which look like a good intro to bothies and can be booked online. I saw Foreland Bothy on Exmoor on a GCN video and have added to my wishlist of places to take my kids.

I like the idea of a walk with a focus. I recently ( in the highlands) did a day walk where we found half a dozen hut circles, a hill fort and 3 chambered cairns. there must be something like that near you surely? Of course only if he is interested but I find it fascinating to sit where neolithic people sat

As well as the neolithic stuff it is also a challenge in navigation

Ride to gumber bothy Arundal, then ride home, be about 35 to 40iles each way.

Ride to gumber bothy Arundal, then ride home, be about 35 to 40iles each way.

Or Train home to make it a bit easier. Mind you, I’m not sure Gumber bothy is really a bothy, isn’t it more of a largeish bunk house for groups?