Outdoor Pursuits

Home » School Life » Co-curricular » Outdoor Pursuits

The Outdoor Pursuits department embodies the Malvern Qualities we encourage here at Malvern.

Our dedicated Outdoor Pursuits instructors run a huge range of regular co-curricular clubs for pupils, as well as major expeditions and weekend trips.

Our regular clubs include climbing, canoe polo and mountain biking during the week and paddle sports, canoe polo and club trips on weekends. Our weekend trips take us around the UK, including mountain biking in the Forest of Dean or Bike Park Wales, whitewater kayaking in the Peak District and paddleboarding in the Lake District.

We offer pupils unique opportunities to hone and strengthen the Malvern Qualities– ‘Lost’ and ‘Hunted’ being two unparalleled events that epitomise the Malvern ethos. Both challenge events take pupils off school grounds and out of their comfort zone. While one tests navigational skills and the other the art of concealment, the more intense skills these events accentuate are resilience, kindness, collaboration, risk-taking, ambition, independence and humility. No other school offers such a comprehensive programme of intrepid outdoor pursuits – it’s just one of the ways that sets our school apart.

Book a Visit

Lost

In a 24-hour race back to school, two pupils from each House are blindfolded and dropped 50 kilometres from Malvern College, with no maps, no tech, and no personal items. It’s a race against time and out-smarting the other teams. The first team who made it back are crowned the winners and collect the sponsorship money raised by all Houses for their chosen charity.⁠

Hunted

Eleven pairs of pupils from the Lower Sixth are released into the Malvern Hills with one mission: to evade the staff hunters. Being pursued by sniffer dogs, drones, e-bikes, 4x4s and a helicopter – did any of them make it to the extraction point without being hunted down?

Facilities - Our location at the foot of the Malvern Hills is built for adventure: we are close to the rivers Wye and Severn with easy access to the Forest of Dean, Bike Park Wales and the Brecon Beacons. But we also have fantastic facilities on site. We have our own climbing walls, swimming pool for canoe polo and an expansive campus to make use of our stock of mountain bikes, a fleet of canoes, white-water and polo kayaks, mountain bikes and mountaineering equipment.

Grounded by Nature - Away from big cities, our school environment is calming, grounding, and centring. We create a space for the mind to think freely and explore possibilities, unbothered by distractions or disruptions.

Drone image of the College Campus
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
CCF at Malvern
Co-curricular