New Forest Family Archery Experience Hampshire

A New Forest Activities Welcome

Following the kayaking experience I reviewed last, Robb and I headed over to Bucklers Hard for an archery experience with New Forest Activities. Located on a farm, there were once again a myriad of animals wandering around, including chickens, pigs (and piglets!), rabbits and cows. As Robb said, I think we’d seen more wildlife that day than in the entire year.

We met our instructor for the session, Jake, who lead us through the farm to the archery range. The sun was starting to set over the fields, making a really beautiful scene for shooting some arrows. In the group were nine people, six adults and three young boys, so again it’s obvious this experience is suitable for everyone including families and youngsters, just like the kayaking.

Learning the Basics of Archery

After a quick briefing on how to hold the bows, load the arrows and shoot accurately, we took turns in groups of five and four to fire around six arrows each at the targets. After being absolutely useless at archery last time I tried it, I wasn’t expecting any miracles, but I actually wasn’t too bad! Maybe it was because we were alongside children and families, but still, I was definitely better than last time. We had some fun with the Go Pros, placing them on top of the targets and trying to fire near them (not at them!). One man did actually knock the camera off, but luckily it survived.

Fun and Games at the Target Range

Jake got us playing some games like trying to hit one of every colour and getting all the arrows grouped together. Then the kids decided to teach us some games, which may not have made the most sense, but were still great fun. After a while the cows in the neighbouring field decided to wander over and watch, which distracted the younger participants for a while, before Jake got everyone back together for one last go.

An Experience Day to Remember

At the end we walked back through the farm, acquainting ourselves with the animals as we went, before it was time to head home. What a great day with New Forest Activities! The weather had been kind, and the people were great company. Big thanks to James and Jake for being fantastic teachers and making the day so enjoyable. This experience is perfect for a family day out or for those wanting to take up a new hobby, highly recommendable.

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