Camp Wilderness Reviews 3

My daughter had an amazing time at the Badminton Woods camp and came back full of confidence. My only negative comment is that it took quite a leap of faith to book as I really didn’t know much about them and it would have alleviated my concerns to know ahead of the camp who would be looking after them and their qualifications. When I dropped her off and met the ex military, ex paramedic leading the group my concerns over her safety were significantly allayed!

My daughter did a five day camp at Castle Howard and by all accounts was absolutely epic. All the great bushcraft skills - firelighting, building shelters, whittling stick, trails through the woods. And much more! The leaders seemed brilliant and apparently the food was top notch too. Props to Camp Wilderness for their no photos, no contact “no news is good news” approach; it’s the best antidote to modern life and a life affirming experience for any kids who are lucky enough to experience it.

Camp Wilderness - Beware - Do not entrust your child

I would strongly advise against sending your child to this camp if you are non-white or you child becomes a target for bullies.

My child was racially abused and bullied verbally as well as having sticks and stones thrown at him while a blind eye was turned against my kid by Camp Wilderness staff.

Camp Wilderness staff ignored me and would not engage with me when I went to collect him. The girl/woman responsible for him was not interested in signing my child out and kept on taking other people in front of me. After 20mins of being sidelined I just left.

When I collected him he was silent and did not speak all the way home and for several days thereafter. He looked troubled, distressed and was teary. They never contacted me to tell me there was a problem during the camp.

After getting home, I tried again to contact the relevant person whose mobile I was initially given to find out what had transpired. She just cut my calls and did not want to engage with me.

It took my child over a month to tell me what happened. I contacted Camp Wilderness staff again to ask what had happened. They said nothing and tried to fob me off.

I would not entrust my child to these people. They are not professional when a problem occurs preferring to swipe it under the carpet. They ignore there duty of care to protect children and are not fit or proper to run a camp involving minors. I sincerely regret sending me to this camp and blame myself for exposing him to harm.

This is a description of my experience. Of course if your child was not bullied, your experience and recommendation would be different. Unfortunately my experience was horrendous.