Moor House Adventure Centre
ENTRY
from £40
WHERE
Houghton le Spring
What it’s like
An 11-metre high ropes course, archery, crossbows and a toboggan run packed onto one site near Durham.
This is the sort of place where you turn up expecting a bit of climbing and end up on a toboggan run, throwing a tomahawk. The centrepiece is an 11-metre high ropes course, and it's built to be progressive, so you start with the High Traverse and work up to things like Jacob's Ladder and the Leap of Faith once you've found your nerve.
There's a proper mix once you're off the ropes. Archery, crossbows, rifle and pistol shooting sit alongside bushcraft bits like fire lighting and shelter building, plus crate stacking while harnessed in, which sounds silly and looks it too. If your group's more into the outdoorsy scouting stuff, there's orienteering, pioneering and nature walks to balance out all the adrenaline.
Birthday parties come in two tiers, Silver at £40 a head and Gold at £48. That's not pocket change for a party, but you're getting a genuinely different day out rather than a hall and a bouncy castle, and with this many activities on offer it's easy to see where the extra Gold spend goes.
It's just off the A690, under ten minutes out of Durham city centre.
Facilities
Need to know
- Getting there by bus or train
- Less than 10 minutes from Durham City Centre, just off the A690
- The high ropes course is progressive, so nervier climbers can stop before the Leap of Faith
- Crate stacking is done harnessed in, so it looks scarier than it is
- Two party tiers, Silver and Gold, with a clear price jump between them
- Handy if you're combining it with a day in Durham, being just off the A690
Plan your visit
How much does a birthday party cost?
£40 a head for Silver, £48 for Gold. Worth deciding early which tier you want since the activities on offer will differ.
What's the difference between Silver and Gold parties?
The price gap suggests Gold gets you more of the activities on the list, things like the shooting and crossbows on top of the ropes course.
Is the high ropes course tough?
It's built to step up gradually, starting easier at the High Traverse before you get to trickier bits like the Leap of Faith. Nobody's thrown straight in at the deep end.
What do you actually do there besides the ropes course?
Archery, crossbows, tomahawk throwing, a toboggan run and bushcraft skills like fire lighting all feature. It's less a single activity and more a whole afternoon of different ones.
Is it easy to get to from Durham?
Yes, it's just off the A690 and under ten minutes from the city centre.
Do you need to book ahead?
There's no booking link listed, so it's best to get in touch directly to sort your date, especially for parties.
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