Okehampton Devon EX20 3DN
Residential Trip School Workshop Residentials South West
We are a sole occupancy activity centre ' our goal is to provide an outdoor education experience that will be the highlight of any educational or youth programme, delivered by a dedicated and friendly team of staff.At Encompass Training, we are passionate about the value of authentic outdoor education. We offer a wide range of activities, including high ropes, tree abseiling, climbing wall, archery, orienteering, and low ropes on-site. Making full use of the stunning landscape around us, we provide a variety of watersports, from SUP, canoeing, and kayaking at our amazing lake, to coasteering and gorge scrambling. Alternatively, why not try abseiling, climbing, or scrambling on Dartmoor or Bodmin Moor?
Each of our outdoor activity programmes is flexible and can be tailored to meet your specific needs. We offer courses covering specific curriculum areas, team development, skills courses, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and more. Our courses can be both residential and day courses. We also have our own fleet of minibuses.
Teacher Checklist
Get Risk Assessments Inspection Visits Free Places for Teachers Resource Packs LOtC Quality Badge AALA Licence Institute of Outdoor Learning British Activity Providers Association Adventure Mark Duke of Edinburgh Award
Where we travel to
We can visit your school in: South West
What activities are available during educational visits in 2026?
We offer a wide range of outdoor activities that are hosted both on and off site across Devon. Onsite activities include Climbing Wall, Bush Craft, Orienteering, Team Building, and Archery. Popular offsite activities include Coasteering, Canoeing, Rock Climbing and Gorge Walking. There is also a range of special activities that can be arranged including Caving, Mountain Biking and Quad Biking.
Which curriculum topics do we cater for?
Physical Education
Coasteering High Ropes Kayaking Archery Orienteering Canoeing Climbing Gorge Walking
We offer a wide range of authentic outdoor education activities, both at Great Potheridge and throughout the beautiful Devon countryside. Our courses are led by a dedicated team of experienced and highly qualified outdoor instructors. The standout feedback we receive is how friendly and supportive our centre is, ensuring that everyone achieves their goals. As a sole occupancy venue, our entire focus is on making your stay as rewarding as possible. We have an excellent track record of running successful residentials for organisations of all kinds.
Our activities include on-site high ropes, tree abseiling, climbing wall, archery, orienteering, team building, and low ropes. Off-site, we have an amazing watersports venue just 15 minutes from the centre, offering canoeing, paddle boarding, kayaking, and raft building. Alternatively, we can head to the North Coast for coasteering or venture to Dartmoor for gorge scrambling, climbing, abseiling, scrambling, or navigation and expedition work. Our activities can be tailored to provide a taste of each experience or dive deeper into specific curriculum areas, such as studying rivers, geology, history, or environmental science. We are a provider for the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and Prince's Trust. All these activities can be part of a residential course or for local groups a day activity. For day groups we can collect you in our minibuses
Watersports Workshop
SUP Stand Up Paddleboarding Kayaking Canoeing Raft Building
In partnership with the Devon Wildlife Trust, we have exclusive access to one of the best lakes in the South West. We offer a variety of activities, including sit-on-top kayaking, canoeing, raft building, paddle boarding, and more. With our team of experienced instructors, your group will enjoy far more than just an excellent experience. We are skilled in working with nervous or low water-confidence participants, ensuring that by the end of the day, no one wants to leave the lake. These activities can be offered as part of a residential programme or for local schools as a day activity. For day groups we can collect from school in our minibuses.
Physical Geography
Volcanoes Rivers Map and atlas Mountains Coasts and seaside Fieldwork Water cycles Flooding Environment Climate zones and biomes Earthquakes Rainforest
With an experienced staff team and our own minibuses, we are the perfect partner organization to help enliven curriculum areas. Working closely with you, we can design tailored courses to meet your needs. For example, we can study rivers by using activities like gorge scrambling and dam building to explore Dartmoor's rivers, then follow their journey to the sea. We offer a wide range of experiences, from geology days to environmental science field trips. All of this is provided at an excellent price, with the option of transport included.
Accommodation Only
Great Potheridge House is available for accommodation, making it an ideal location for your group's visit. With sole occupancy, it stands as one of the largest group accommodation venues in Devon. We offer both catered and self-catered options, and bedding can be provided if required. Perfect for educational groups, Scouts/Guides, DofE expeditions, or summer camps. We also offer camping options too.
Outdoor Learning
What size groups do we cater for?
The capacity is approximately 90 guests
We cater for all ages ranging from school years 4,5 and 6 up to university groups and even corporate customers, due to the flexibility of our outdoor programmes and staff.
We cater for all ages ranging from school years 4,5 and 6 up to university groups and even corporate customers, due to the flexibility of our outdoor programmes and staff.
On-site classroom facilities?
yes We do have the ability to provide a classroom-like environment. You can tell us your group size and any specific requirements in the form below.
Is there first aid on site?
All staff are first aid trained.
Access for visitors with disabilities
Disabled wet room and ground floor bedroom with ramps.
Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
With our expenicenced staff team, working with your staff team, we are very used to running successful courses for a complete range of SEN needs. As we are a small, sole occupancy centre we can focus on the needs of your students, making tweeks to the programme for example to help make it more accessable to your students
Anything else?
- We offer groups sole use.
- All staff are First aiders.
- Institute for Outdoor Learning
- AALA Licence
- BAPA inspected
-Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge
-Adventure Mark approval
- All staff are First aiders.
- Institute for Outdoor Learning
- AALA Licence
- BAPA inspected
-Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge
-Adventure Mark approval
Who are Encompass Training?
Encompass Training aims to offers a very special residential experience. We offer a warm, friendly and experienced staff team with only one group staying here at a time regardless of size. Surrounded my amazing countryside and coastline we are able to offer a wide range of real, adventurous, challenging and fun outdoor activities.
We have an amazing lake in the heart of a huge nature reserve where we can offer a broad range of watersports. With the centre overlooking Dartmoor, we offer climbing, scrambling, abseiling and gorge scrambling. Our nearby coastline at Hartland makes a stunning backdrop to a trip coasteering.
On-site we have a range of exellent, team orientated activities such as crate stack, jacobs ladder, a tree abseil, climbing wall, archery, team tasks, orienteering, low ropes etc.
With sole occupancy, experienced staff and with our own minibuses our programmes at taylor made for your group.
All programmes are fully catered, offering a varied menu, with all dietary requirements catered for. We take groups from 6 to 90 plus in size.
Encompass staff on-site throughout programmes, keypad locks on doors if required and nobody else around for miles!
Camping provided for Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions or groups wishing for an under canvas experience.
We hold a AALS licence, Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge, Adventure Mark approval and BAPA inspected.
Teacher Checklist
Get Risk Assessments Inspection Visits Free Places for Teachers Resource Packs LOtC Quality Badge AALA Licence Institute of Outdoor Learning British Activity Providers Association Adventure Mark Duke of Edinburgh Award
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