Hang gliding:

Hang gliding is flying using a Hang Glider. It always reminds me of flying a kite without the string. Having said that I have always wanted to try hang gliding it must be a fantastic feeling. Luckily there are plenty of places to hang glide in the UK and I have even see the occasional powered, which means a small engine is attached to the pilot, hang glider where I live. There are plenty of clubs offering hang gliding lessons and it is even possible to buy someone a flight in a Hang Glider as a present. Of course it is seen as a little bit dangerous buy some if not most people but I quite like the idea of being scared now and then.

Mountain Climbing:

As the name suggests Mountain Climbing is the climbing of mountains. I suppose the UK isn’t the first place that springs to mind when one thinks of mountain climbing. However there are places to go here and they offer quite a variation to climbers of all levels. For example we have Sea-Cliff climbing in Cornwell and Devon or conventional style climbing in The Peak District and The Lake District. I suppose, because I don’t know for sure, that Scotland and Wales offer the best climbing in The UK. And when I ever think of mountains I always think of Scotland and in Particular Ben Nevis. I walked up Ben Nevis once and it was really hard work. It took me about eight hours to get up and to get down again but I’m glad that I did it.

Paintballing:

Paintballing is basically a Combat Game. People shoot at each other with guns that are designed to shoot balls of paint. And this is where the name comes from. I have done this myself and it is great fun. When I played paintballing the organisers split everyone taking part into two teams and the object of the game was to steal the other team’s flag. Everyone had special safety equipment and while it was quite safe the balls of paint can sting a little especially if you are hit at close range. These days paintballing is a little different, the games are harder and the people taking part wear body amour and use quite sophisticated guns.

Parachuting:

Is jumping from an airplane using a parachute. Parachute jumping is also known as Skydiving.  This is something else I have tried to do. I say tried because I did all the training but the jump was put off so many times due to bad weather that eventually I lost my nerve and did not jump. These days it is possible to have something called a tandem jump. A tandem jump is where the jumper jumps out of a plane harnessed to a qualified skydiving instructor. This obviously is a lot easier because there is no need for a lot of training. My friend is a pilot and I asked if he would like to do a parachute jump. He told me that he wouldn’t because only a crazy person jumps out of plane when it isn’t going to crash. I have heard other pilots say the same thing. So I guess pilots don’t much care for the idea of jumping out of a plane.

Scuba Diving:

Is swimming under water with the aid of breathing apparatus. Scuba Diving is quite popular in the UK and there are many centres offering diving lessons. With so many holiday destinations around the world offering the chance to dive more and more people are learning to dive prior to going on vacation. Indeed I have a friend that has done this. You can imagine his disappointment when he developed an ear infection, which stopped him from diving, just before he went on holiday. In the UK it is possible to dive inland in lakes and caves. And on the coast it is possible to dive on reefs and old ship wrecks that have sunk for one reason or another.