Group Activities

Adventure Missions

The Symonds Yat Adventures have something for everyone. In one you start by abseiling down to Symonds Yat Rock where you will explore a series of caves and take in the beautiful views and drops of the Wye Valley. Traverse into Bowlers Hole, relax and have lunch. After lunch you have a 60ft abseil to negotiate and then on to Blue Spot where you will test your skills in climbing, as the only way is up. There are plenty of other adventures to chose from if this doesn’t suit!

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Archery at Penhein 2025

If you want to try something new or develop a new skill why not give archery a go? The wonderful team from Wye Valley Archery are offering courses at Penhein for the first time and we are thrilled to welcome them. They cater for all standards, so if you want to try it out here is the perfect opportunity. By the way, aside from being a great hobby and hugely enjoyable, archery boasts a lot of health benefits too! These include keeping your mind sharp and improving your upper body strength, so you can have fun and improve your health, what’s not to like?

Note the archery is outdoors so sensible footwear and suitable, weather appropriate clothing is necessary. No shorts or high heels please. Booking subject to availability.

Birdsong Safaris at Penhein 2025

Join Ed Drewitt, local naturalist and birdsong expert, and discover more about one of nature’s most beautiful sounds – birdsong.

Dawn Chorus Safaris: At the very hint of light at the start of the day, birds across the woodland around Penhein will be starting to sing: a robin here, a song thrush there, a great tit singing ‘teacher teacher’. Suddenly everything will be singing all at once for 15 – 20 minutes – the dawn chorus – before it teeters out to a quieter yet ambient sound of birdsong across the valley. You will be walking along and through the woodland, stopping to immerse ourselves in the the incredible melodies of song. The dawn chorus is best experienced during April and May. Start times vary between 5.30am in early April, 5am late April to 4am into May.

Early birdsong safaris

If first light is a little too early, be uplifted by the rich birdsong of Penhein just before or after breakfast, ideally starting at 7am, 8am or 9am. During April, May and June birds will continue singing early to mid-morning including blackcaps, blackbirds and song thrushes.

Evening birdsong safaris

In the spring and early summer evenings birds also have a mini evening chorus when they all sing together before they go to sleep for the night. Ideal times for this vary between 7pm in April to 8pm in June.

Botanical Gin Foraging at Penhein 2025

In the most delightful and civilised foraging experience imaginable, our wonderful forager Adele Nozedar will take you into the heavenly wilds of Penhein for a short forage to find ingredients which might go nicely into a gin. You will then return to base where you’ll learn some wonderful (and some weird) information about this elegant drink, whilst enjoying a cocktail (or maybe two). You will be using Adele’s own gin blend, featuring foraged ingredients and distilled in very small batches by the Gower Gin Company. Adele will show you how to make your own unique blend of botanicals gin (or vodka) using foliage, petals, berries and bark from Penhein, supplemented by her own considerable collection of herbs and spices from all over the world. Finally, blend all your ingredients into a 300 ml jar to take home!

Botanical Perfumes Workshop at Penhein

Join expert forager Adele Nozedar in a fascinating exploration of the sense of smell, culminating in your making your own unique signature perfume (or aftershave, or beard oil!). Plant-lover Adele is passionate about getting people out into nature to experience the sensual delights of the outdoors. Having realised that our best-loved commercial perfumes use plant fragrances as a key ingredient, she invented the ‘sensory forage’, designed to make you really start to use your sense of smell. Delight in a tour around the grounds of Penhein, followed by a lesson in how to make perfume – and then enjoy playing with over 30 different oils to make your own! Each participant will take home a 10ml bottle of his or her own fragrance, including the recipe for how to make it again.

Bridge Building

In a forest environment using natural features, the group constructs a rope bridge (Tyrolean Traverse), under qualified supervision. The ravine is then crossed one person at a time wearing a harness and helmet, whilst attached to a safety line.These sessions are led by an Instructor with a Single Pitch Supervisor Award.

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Bushcraft for Adults at Penhein 2026

Ever wanted to go wild and learn to live off the land? Then our bushcraft course is for you! Learn from ex-servicemen in a relaxed and fun way about how to make shelters, build fires, forage and prep your wild food on our land.  For those who are extra adventurous, why not test your mettle in our Bush Tucker trials?  See below.

Bushcraft for Adults, Bush Tucker Trials 2026

For those who are extra adventurous, why not test your mettle in our own Bush Tucker trials?  Would you like to be crowned king or queen of the woodland?  Designed as a separate follow on from the adult bushcraft course, think ‘I’m a Celebrity’ but without the TV crew (or And and Dec for that matter).  This fun competition gives you the chance to see how daring you can be, trying a variety of creepy crawlies and insects and guessing what they are whilst blindfolded!

Campfire Cookery Classes 2026

Join the wonderful Chloé Newcomb Hodgetts to learn how to get the best out of your outdoor cooking adventures.  Chloé will arrive with a hamper full of fantastically fresh seasonal produce for you to turn into delicious dishes for you to cook together over your fire pit. Many of the ingredients are those that can be foraged on the farm. She will work with you in advance to decide on your ideal menu for your campfire meal, using a combination of traditional fire-cooking techniques. There are a variety of recipes which lend themselves to different methods of campfire cookery including grilling, boiling, searing and baking, over flames and embers, to produce a memorable and unique meal with that unrivalled open-fire taste!  All dietary requirements can be catered for. Can be up-scaled for larger groups, cooking on the communal fire. Please contact Penhein for Group prices

Canoe Team Building Day

A great day out, this is fun and engaging for all involved. Interaction is the key for this trip as people have to work together and have fun completing challenges. The day uses the canoe as a natural team-building machine. Canoe skills need to be developed, requiring communication, planning and forward thinking. The trip ends by canoeing to the finish through outstanding landscape. Teams can stop at a riverside pub for lunch or packed lunches can be provided for a picnic. Reckoned to be one of the most stunning canoe trips in country.

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Caving

The natural area around Symonds Yat and the Forest of Dean is the perfect place to go caving. Walk, crawl or sometimes shuffle through miles of passageways into vast open caverns with stalactites and stalagmites . A three hour session starts with the provision of a boiler suit, helmet and light. After an introduction and instruction you will then set off into the caves, led by a qualified instructor. Suitable for novices and experienced cavers alike.

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Clay Pigeon Shooting at Penhein 2025

Clay pigeon shooting is a wonderful way to have a great time!  Starting with a safety talk, you will then have tuition with practice clays. The group will then be divided into teams (or if a smaller group, individuals) for an exciting competition to see who can shoot the most clays. The sessions are run by Nigel and Stuart Hart of Hart Events. They frequently represent Great Britain in European and International championships and are members of the Welsh Clay Target Shooting Association so you are in truly experienced hands!
*If less than 6 in your party are interested, contact us and we will see if other guests are interested in joining in.

Flavour Foraging - 2026

Join Chloe from Gourmet Gatherings for a fabulous, flavour finding forage around the woods and fields at Penhein. This wonderful edible treasure hunt will lead you through Penhein’s idyllic woodland, meadows and streams, in search of a multitude of wild edibles – from fruits to fungi, foliage to flowers, herbs, vegetables, roots, spices & more!

Flower Crown Making 2026

Enjoy a fabulous Flower Crown making session with the wonderful team from Wye Valley Flowers. They will teach you how to create a stunning flower crown, using locally grown flowers and foraged foliage. The price includes all materials and a range of fabulous blooms to complete your own crown. Wye Valley Flowers use no chemicals, plastic or air miles – just beautiful flowers grown with sun, rain and love. This relaxed and friendly workshop is suitable for all abilities and is the perfect way to spend happy time with friends and family.

Forage and Feast Day at Penhein 2026

Set off to explore the wild wonders of Penhein, searching the woods, meadows and streams where your wild harvest will be added to your feast of pre-prepared delicious dishes provided by your forager for the day, (either the wonderful Adele or Chloe, brilliant and well known foragers both!). Some components of your meal will be cooked over one of Penhein’s firepits while you hear more about foraging and fabulous foods, and it will be washed down with some wild cordials or tea. Your foraging chef will liaise with you ahead of the day to ensure you enjoy your meal and any dietary requirements can happily be catered to. Children always welcome!’

Forest Bathing at Penhein 2025

Forest Bathing (also known as Shinrin Yoku which literally translated means Forest Bathing or taking in the Forest atmosphere) is a practice from Japan that is known to increase feelings of wellbeing, improve cognition and support the immune system amongst other potential benefits. It is the slow, sensory experience of walking and spending time deeply immersed amongst the trees in nature. It involves ‘bathing’ the senses in a forested or natural environment (and does not involve removing your clothes!). It is gentle and inclusive with some similarities to mindfulness and there is no better place than in the beautiful private woods at Penhein.  Our certified Forest Therapy Guide, the wonderful Carina Greenwood, will take you through a structured programme giving you the perfect introduction to Forest Bathing which includes:

• An introduction to basic principles and scientific research behind Forest Bathing (Shinrin Yoku)
• Sensory invitations to Forest Bathe, each invitation will last 5-20 minutes allowing you to focus on one sense at a time
• Slow walking/wondering and moments of stillness/reflection
• Foraged tea

Group Stargazing with Dark Sky Wales

The team of astronomers from from Dark Sky Wales will travel to Penhein to introduce you to the fascinating world of astronomy. You will be taught how to use a variety of portable telescopes, including an advanced model, to view the night sky and image celestial objects. From constellation recognition to binocular observation you will be guided by the experts ensuring that by the end of the evening you feel comfortable finding your way around the night sky. No prior knowledge or equipment needed, but feel free to bring both! Bookings subject to availability.

Hiring Bicycles - Dean Forest Cycles

This award winning family run bicycle hire centre offers the perfect starting point to get out and explore all the Forest of Dean has to offer. They cater for everyone – beginners to experts, families to race teams, mountain bikers to roadies. Hire a bike and take a leisurely ride through the glorious Forest of Dean.

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Meadow Yoga at Penhein 2026

The wonderful Miranda Shaw is Penhein’s yoga guru. Having trained as a classical hatha yoga teacher Miranda’s personal style has evolved, in particular influenced by her time in America practising vinyasa flow. Miranda is also trained to teach pre and postnatal yoga. Our intention will always be to run the classes outdoors in our beautiful Wildflower Meadow. However, if the weather doesn’t allow this, Miranda will use Petro to run consecutive sessions for groups of 6 and each group will be able to choose Gentle or Dynamic according to experience. Alternatively we can book a local hall for a large group that wishes to stay together. Mats are included but you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer.  Mats are included but you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer.  If there are individuals who would like to book a session but want to share the cost, let us know and we are happy to contact other guests to see if they would like to join in. All classes are subject to availability – booking in advance is essential.

Mushroom Foraging - (seasonal, August to November) 2026

Join the wonderful Chloé Newcomb Hodgetts for a marvellous mushroom hunt! Penhein is home to a remarkable variety of mushrooms in the height of the season and you will explore our ancient woodland, meadows and copses to see what you can find. You will learn about the incredible kingdom of mushrooms, how they grow, where they grow, how to find, identify and enjoy eating them, as well as how to recognise poisonous species. If you are lucky, Mother Nature might bless you with some edible wild mushrooms to harvest, which you can then enjoy by cooking over your campfire.

Operation Welshcake

This is a great one day event that involves canoeing, abseiling, navigating, walking and team work. Teams of 6-8 members must find their way around the forest to an abseil point and then down the river in canoes, completing mini challenges and finding stashes along the way that will help towards the overall goal of finding all the ingredients and recipe. The day finishes around the fire in a beautiful riverside setting where the teams present their final cooked outcomes of the day.

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Penhein Treasure Hunt 2026

We have two versions of this, both best suited for groups, one suitable for groups with children and the other just for adults.
Both are a classic blend of general knowledge clues and creative tasks and are designed to get you thinking out of the box and off the wall…the keyword here is fun! This is a true test of teamwork, creativity and problem solving skills, making it one of our most entertaining events for adventurous and determined teams. The adventure begins the moment the teams open their sealed envelopes and fire up their team’s collective brain power!
This is for a maximum of four teams, each team with a maximum of six team mates, and you get to explore the best of the Penhein estate.
We’ll start you off and be there at the end to judge who is the best team and present the prize!
*Don’t worry if you are just one team, you can have just as much fun working all the clues out amongst yourselves.

Pottery Throwing. A Taster Session at Penhein 2025

Here’s something a little different! Why not try your hand at throwing a pot in this creative pottery wheel taster workshop, with the wonderful Melanie Van de Velde from Melanie Made Mud. Learn how to throw your own pot with stoneware clay on an electric pottery wheel in this 20 minute taster. Your pots will be taken away after the session to be glazed and fired – there are 5 beautiful glaze colours to choose from. (Please note: as this is a short taster session, your clay will be centered ready for you to begin the fun bit of throwing you own pot!). This workshop allows a 10 minute changeover in-between each session, accommodating 8 people per hour. Timing would be 3 x 30 minutes sessions for 12 people followed by a 30 minute break. Pots can be posted on at £8 per head.

Pottery Wheel Classes at Penhein 2025

Go potty at Penhein, and try your hand at throwing your own pots in a creative pottery wheel class run by the fabulous Melanie Van de Velde!  Melanie (from the wonderfully titled Melanie Made Mud) will bring enough wheels for everyone to have the use of one to learn how to centre clay and throw a pot. With five beautiful glaze colours to choose from you will be able to throw up to 3 pots each and the best news of all is that they will be taken away to be glazed and fired for you. Your pots can then be posted on to you if you would like a lovely memento of your stay at Penhein (postage £10 per head).

Problem Solving

These problem solving days are a great way to get a new or experienced teams working better together. After a few icebreaking tasks, the group will move onto more complex team challenges such as the Spider’s Web. These are stimulating activity days, ideal for promoting effective team work and developing communication skills within groups. The problems are a mixture of mental and physical tasks suited to the particular range of those involved. These are fun activities offering the opportunity for both creativity and design in a relaxed and beautiful setting.

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Raft Building

Using barrels, poles, paddles, buoyancy aids and helmets, small teams of around 4-6 construct a raft of their own design with the encouragement of instructors. This is a wonderful activity for groups which requires planning, team-work, clear communication and co-ordination. Once the rafts are finished all teams will compete in a challenge race!

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Restaurant Style Woodland Banquet 2024

We cordially invite you to take a seat for your personally curated Woodland Banquet, beautifully crafted and cooked by Kate Thomas and her team at Orchard Kitchen. Dining in the middle of our glampsite woodland under the beautifully decorated stretch marquee, you will feast on delicious dishes selected for the season: Persian in spring (marking Persian New Year), Scandi in summer and Modern Welsh in autumn.  All the dishes in the four courses will be making use of the great seasonal produce that we have here in South Wales and will be organic wherever possible. Expect to feast together, passing around full platters, colourful bowls, overflowing jugs and plenty of conversation.  There is an important Persian word, “Mehr” which means love, friendship and sun and perfectly sums up our Woodland Banquets as you fall in love with fabulous food amongst friends, under a magical setting sun in our Welsh woodland. *Price excludes alcohol. Guests can either supply their own or Kate and her team can offer a selection of wines by the bottle.

Rock Climbing and Abseiling

Symonds Yat in the Wye Valley couldn’t be a better place to experience the thrill and excitement of rock climbing. Climbing on the natural surrounding limestone cliffs with professional instructors is perfect for those who want to experience climbing in a safe and relaxing environment. A three hour climbing session starts at the centre at Symonds Yat Rock, with only a ten minute walk to the cliffs. Wye Dean also offer abseiling courses.

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Silver Circle Distillery Tour

Immerse yourself in this great distillery tour at Silver Circle, deep in the captivating Welsh Wye Valley.

During this 45 minute tour you will..

• See the distillery and learn how Wye Valley Gin is handcrafted
• Sample each of their different products
• Learn about locally foraged botanicals
• Enjoy a signature gin & tonic

Designated drivers get a Wye Valley Gin miniature to take home as a token of thanks for their generous restraint. Should make for a great time! To make an appointment email: hello@silvercircledistillery.com.

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Stand up Paddleboarding

Stand Up Paddleboarding is easy to learn, safe to do and most importantly it’s FUN! Way2Go Adventures offers Stand Up Paddleboarding sessions in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. A cross between canoeing and surfing, SUP is great for family days out, children’s parties, couples and hen and stag parties. Way2Go provide SUP in a variety of locations in the Forest of Dean and on the River Wye in the Wye Valley. A standard introductory lesson lasts for 2.5 hours and costs from £40 per person. Everything you need to take part in the session of SUP will be provided.

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Talking Trees! 2025

We are thrilled that well known author of ‘The Tree Forager’ and all round tree guru Adele Nozedar is offering fantastic tree walks to our Penhein guests. You know how we see trees every day, to the extent that we hardly notice them? Those trees are now big news, basking in the limelight at last. Walk with Adele around the stunning countryside of Penhein Farm and with a mix of fascinating facts and many magical stories, you will learn the enthralling history of trees as you go. Part nature trail, part mythological discovery tour, you will finish with a whole new appreciation of one of nature’s true heroes. Brilliant for families, this is suitable for all ages and includes activities (why not try some barking rubbing!) and ideas to inspire an appreciation of the trees that you might know at home, too!

Wild Walks at Penhein 2025

Daytime

Get close to nature by day with a Wild Walk at Penhein, exploring the farm, searching the woods, fields and stream for butterflies, birdlife and wildflowers.  Penhein is home to a variety of exciting wildlife, with the woodlands of particular interest as large parts are recognised as being of national importance through their protection as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Local naturalist and birdsong expert, Ed Drewitt, will be your guide, helping you search for whatever seasonal treats there are including our larger residents such as Fallow Deer. Ed will show you how to look for tracks and signs of wildlife and then identify the animals and plants you find, tell you more about their lives, and answer any questions you may have.  Best times: Morning up to 10:30/11am or afternoons after 2pm.

Dusk

Experience the excitement of the hidden world of Penhein at night. Bats, deer, hedgehogs, owls and colourful moths are just some of the wild things known to roam the estate after the daytime creatures have gone to bed. Ed will be your guide at dusk, when you will listen to the echo-location of bats on specialised bat detectors and see what else is at large as the sun goes down. He will explain how all these creatures have adapted to their nocturnal lifestyle and be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Dusk Safari starts will range from a 19:30 start at the beginning of May to a 21:00 start in late June, to a 19:00 start at the end of September. They will also be weather dependent as rain, strong winds or low temperatures would mean the bats particularly won’t be active.

Zip Trekking Adventure

If you’ve ever dreamed of swinging through the trees like Tarzan, this is your chance! Fly down zip-wires, rope swings and cross over obstacles in the tops of trees. You are briefed on safety beforehand and are always attached by a safety harness. Go Ape also offer a Segway adventure through the forests. A great day out for a group of friends and they also offer bespoke packages for corporate / team building groups.

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