Devon’s muddiest adventure trail opens for the new season in April following an investment of more than £350,000 in new facilities.
The Bear Trail, which is based between Exeter and Cullompton, has gone from strength to strength since opening in 2016. It has been closed for the winter season and will be reopening on April 9.
As well as updated obstacles, the trail has built a facilities block so families can shower and change after tackling the trail. It now employs 25 people at peak season between The Bear Trail and its sister attraction Bear Town.
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Ben Jordan, owner of The Bear Trail, said: “We absolutely love seeing families coming together at The Bear Trail and enthusiastically taking on our muddy obstacle course. That enthusiasm means there are some very muddy people at the end of the day, so we felt it was really important to upgrade our facilities.
“People have always been able to wash off the mud outside, but this new block, which includes showers, toilets, changing rooms and a party room, means they can shower and change in a bit more comfort.”
The team at The Bear Trail are busy planning events for this year, including the popular Colour Bomb on April 30 and May 1 and the Water Wipeout Weekend on June 25 and 26.
Next to the trail is its sister attraction, Bear Town, which is an interactive indoor role play town for youngsters aged seven and under. Bear Town also holds special SEND sessions for children with special needs, reducing the capacity and overall noise for a calmer play experience.
Bear Town Ltd was incorporated in May 2019. Its parent company is The Bear Trail Ltd. It was incorporated in 2015. Ben Jordan is a director of both companies and said the coronavirus crisis had been a difficult time but forced the business to make decisions it would not have made otherwise, which turned out to be of benefit. He said: “It made us more innovative as a company.”
