Author: Billis

The beach fascinates people whenever summertime threatens in various countries. Many people who will go to the beach never have any intention of visiting the water with a good number not being able to swim. There is something about the border between sea and mainland that has captured man’s imagination for a number of years. Some people lie on the beach in order to sun bathe. The popularity of this past time has declined over the years with the greater awareness of the harmful sun’s rays and the risk of skin cancer. [caption id="attachment_104" align="alignright" width="300"] A sandcastle at the US Open[/caption] The beach is the home of simple family activities such as those associated with a bucket and spade. For centuries young families have spent hours on the beach digging ditches and creating sand castles, but this pastime has...

It may appear that it would be contradictory to have outdoor activities within urban areas however the modern city has created many areas of open space for these types of activities to take place. There are many cities that have a reputation of being green cities. Vancouver city in Canada is enclosed between the mountains and the sea. There are 200 parks and 18 miles of coastline for the citizens of the city to enjoy. [caption id="attachment_99" align="alignright" width="275"] Cyclists on the Stanley Park Seawall route[/caption] There are 249 miles of bike routes through the city. The Stanley Park seawall which separates Stanley Park from the Ocean offers cyclists a 12-mile ride along the coastline and into the Pacific Spirit Park. Stanley Park covers 400 hectares and was voted the best park in the world in 2014 by TripAdvisor. Due...

The biggest disadvantage of outdoor recreation is that it damages the land. People who go to visit the wilderness for its beauty, then play a role in the deterioration of it. Most of the landscapes that are visited are fragile ecosystems so will take years to recover from any damage. The most obvious form of damage is the litter that is left behind. National parks and most protected areas provide accommodation for visitors to stay in overnight in the form of campsites. This results in huge numbers of people being attracted into the park to take part in outdoor recreation in the summer months. [caption id="attachment_92" align="alignright" width="230"] Great Smoky Mountains National Park[/caption] The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the United States attracts 11 million visitors every year. The sheer numbers involved means that there is going to be...

Outdoor recreation plays a huge role in education with many schools having it placed high up on their list of priorities. The benefits of children partaking in outdoor recreation were pioneered by the German educationalist Kurt Hahn in the 1930s. In 1934 he founded Gordonstoun School in Scotland. His educational philosophy was based around the theory that education of the mind and the body should be conducted together and not separately. The school promoted the importance of physical fitness and the use of expeditions Some of Hahn’s beliefs were extreme such as daily cold showers and “punishment runs”, and would later be taken off the school’s curriculum. However, some of his beliefs inspired other schools and led to the introduction of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme in 1956. He greatly believed that children benefited from being taken out of their...

There has been a continuing relationship between business and outdoor pursuits. Many of the skills that are learnt whilst surviving in the wilderness can be transferred into the work place to make it a more efficient working environment. Many companies will send their employees on team building exercises in order to enhance social relations and define roles within teams. Just taking the employees out of their natural work place and into the natural environment can be in itself a major first step. The difficult task in all of these initiatives is to get the participators to fully accept the aims of the day. An initial reaction from the group can be one of suspicion, and this type of negative attitude is one that may stop the participators from gaining anything worthwhile from the experience. Specialist companies have now been created...