Water activities
South Yorkshire
PGL Dearne Valley
Get ready for transformational outdoor adventures at our new centre in South Yorkshire
- Location Location
- Doncaster
- Capacity Capacity
- 777 guests
- Size Size
- 140 acres
- For ages 8-18
- 8 to 18 years
- Season Season
- Feb – Nov
- Ideal for Stay
- Watersports
Welcome to PGL Dearne Valley
PGL Dearne Valley sits beside the River Don near Doncaster, on the site of the former Earth Centre. Now transformed into a high-adrenaline activity centre and hub for outdoor learning, it welcomes schools and groups from across the UK for residential trips.
Groups enjoy a purpose-built watersports lake, direct river access and rare activities such as High Equilibrium and Traverse Elements – all just 30 minutes from Sheffield.
What's special about Dearne Valley?
Great for watersports: Excellent facilities and direct access to the River Don for canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and raft-building.
Newly refurbished: Dearne Valley has had a complete makeover, including new beds and mattresses, refreshed bathrooms and leader lounges.
Dearne Valley Activities
PGL has more activities than anyone else (by a long way!) and Dearne Valley is no exception. Dearne Valley offers more than 30 daytime and evening activities, from Zip Wire and Climbing to Canoeing on the lake.
Rope activities
+ 6 more activities
Land activities
+ 5 more activities
Evening activities
+ 8 more activities
A day at Dearne Valley
At PGL Dearne Valley, every day is different! You'll enjoy a full programme of exciting activities, new experiences and team challenges, three hearty meals a day, and between activities there's time for socialising and recharging with your group.
An example day
An example day
Morning
- 07:00 Rise and shine!
- 08:00 Breakfast
- 09:00 Canoeing on the lake
- 10:45 Traverse Elements
Afternoon
- 12:15 Lunch & free time
- 14:00 Giant Swing
- 15:45 Laser Tag
Evening
- 17:00 Dinner
- 18:00 Gift shop & free time
- 19:00 Silent Disco & Campfire
- 20:30 Staggered bedtimes (by age)
Programmes at Dearne Valley
Explore our programmes for primary schools, secondary schools, groups and international visitors. Choose your group type to see the programmes available at Dearne Valley.
English as a Foreign Language
Three hours of mixed nationality English lessons each day combined with excursions and adventure activities. Courses run throughout the year.
Girlguiding Takeover Weekends
Weekends just for Girlguiding members, developed in partnership with Girlguiding
Multi-Activity Weekend Breaks
The best of PGL Multi-Activity for Group Adventures. 48hrs of non stop excitement, perfect for weekends and short breaks.
REACH – MASTER!
Brilliant outdoor skill adventures to help your Year 5 pupils solve real-life problems and master the great outdoors!
REACH – PIONEER!
Let us guide your pupils through their first PGL experience, supporting them and building their confidence along the way.
REACH – THRIVE! for Groups
On our THRIVE! programme, your group will enjoy a mix of following wellbeing-boosting adventure activities.
REACH – UNITE! for Groups
Especially designed to help youth groups and clubs strengthen RELATIONSHIPS through the power of adventure!
REACH – UNITE! for Year 6
The most thrilling way to begin Year 6? Bring everyone together with our new UNITE! outdoor adventure that builds relationships and boosts teamwork.
Rugby Weekends
Ready to tackle a new challenge with your youth rugby team? Our Rugby Weekends (in partnership with Sky High Sports) are an unbeatable perfect blend of PGL activities and rugby tournament action!
Uniform Takeover Weekend
Whether you’re a Girlguiding unit, part of Scouts, a Cadet or Brigades group or part of another uniform organisation, our BIG Uniform Takeover Weekend will bring your young people together to build confidence, make new friends, complete badge requirements and experience the very best of PGL.
Venue Hire
Planning an event of your own? Use one of our centres for great value accommodation and facilities, plus a wide range of optional activities.
Skills4Life
Build resilience. Raise aspirations. Learn skills for life. Our Skills4life programme is an outcome-driven adventure residential programme, designed to develop 21st century skills in a fun and accessible way.
REACH – UNITE! for Year 7
Especially designed to help your Year 7s strengthen RELATIONSHIPS through the power of adventure!
REACH – THRIVE!
On our THRIVE! programme, your group will enjoy a mix of following wellbeing-boosting adventure activities.
REACH – GROW!
GROW! adventures provide secondary students with breakthroughs to boost CHARACTER-DEVELOPMENT!
Revision Weekends
A blend of teacher-led study time and adventure activities to help students remain motivated, focussed and engaged during some serious revision time
Multi-Activity
Our most popular multi-activity course. We pack so much into each day, it’ll be an outdoor learning experience they’ll never forget.
No programmes are currently available for this audience at this location.
Accommodation at Dearne Valley
We’ve recently upgraded all our accommodation to make your stay at Dearne Valley even more enjoyable, including brand-new beds, mattresses and bedding, refreshed bathrooms, improved storage and room layouts, enhanced privacy and amenities in adult rooms and refurbished leader lounges.
Facilities at Dearne Valley
Dearne Valley comes well equipped with plenty of facilities to enhance your stay. Make the most of our sports facilities, communal areas for socialising, and dedicated spaces for your own group activities.
Campfire
Well equipped spaces for formal learning, revision and other classroom-based sessions
Sports Hall
Flexible indoor spaces for activities and sports, ideal during wet weather.
Areas for teenagers to social, relax and recharge
Table Tennis
Drying Rooms
Gift Shop
Accessible Bedrooms
All leader bedrooms have en suite bathrooms as standard
Comfy lounges near your group's bedrooms, for easy evening supervision
Internet access, just for the grown-ups.
Car Park
Vending Machines
What's on the menu??
Why choose PGL?
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Safety first, always
Safety is at the heart of everything we do. Expertly trained teams, rigorous procedures and independently inspected centres give complete peace of mind.
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Adventure for everyone
Dedicated SEND/ASN teams at every centre ensure every young person is able to take part, thrive and enjoy adventure that works for them.
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Financial support & funding
We won't let price stand in the way of adventure. Our Breakthrough Fund and funding support help schools make life-changing experiences in reach for more young people.
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Part of a B Corp Organisation
Adventure with purpose. As part of PGL Beyond, we're committed to creating positive impact for people, communities and the planet.
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Support every step of the way
From your dedicated Group Leader and small group sizes to 24/7 support while you're away, our experienced teams are on hand whenever you need them. -
Programmes with lasting impact
Learning that goes beyond the classroom. Programmes to support educational outcomes, the curriculum, enrichment benchmarks, personal development and character growth.
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The biggest range of activities
We offer more activities than any other provider. With four activity sessions during the day plus evening activities, there are no repeats - just non-stop adventure and learning.
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Skills for the future
Building skills that last a lifetime. Equipping young people with knowledge, character and confidence to help them thrive in education, work and beyond.
What a day at PGL looks like
Availability
PGL Dearne Valley welcomes groups from February through to November, with our most popular season being April to July (Summer term).
Getting to Dearne Valley
Address: Doncaster Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN12 4EA
Nearest town: Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Map unavailable
Public Transport: Doncaster Rail Station
Easy to reach, impossible to forget
Conveniently located in South Yorkshire, just off the A630 and within easy reach of the M1, making coach travel simple from across the UK. Dearne Valley (previously known as Kingswood Dearne Valley) is around 20 minutes from Sheffield and approximately 40 minutes from Leeds, offering a great central location for school and group visits.
Message Us
If you’ve got a question or want to chat through your next trip, reach out below and one of the team will be in touch.
PGL Dearne Valley FAQs
What is PGL Dearne Valley's address?
PGL Dearne Valley is located on the former Kingswood Dearne Valley site. The address is:
PGL Dearne Valley
Doncaster Road
DONCASTER
DN12 4EA
What kind of groups do you cater for?
At Dearne Valley, we cater for a range of different groups, including:
Primary Schools
What’s included in the cost of the PGL trip?
With PGL, the cost of camp includes accommodations, activities, equipment, food and drinks! So there’s nothing else for you to worry about since everything is covered in the price per person.
What happens in the evenings?
In the evening the fun continues! We have a fantastic entertainment programme for the evenings where we’ve got discos, campfires, quizzes and more! If you want more singing around the campfire, then just let us know and we can plan that into your itinerary. We’re here to create the perfect schedule for you and your group.
What should I pack for my child's overnight stay?
Some essential items that you should make sure are packed in your child’s bag are:
• Tops/t-shirts (for daily adventure activities)
• Trousers/leggings (for daily adventure activities)
• Sports kit (for sports teams and sports activities)
• Evening clothes (for discos, quizzes, evening games and more)
• Towels
• Toiletries
For an extensive list of what to pack, see our packing guide!
Does my child need waterproofs for their residential trip?
We strongly recommend that your child brings waterproofs to Dearne Valley. You never know what the weather is going to be like, so by bringing a waterproof jacket you can be sure that your child is staying as dry as possible when taking part in our exhilarating outdoor activities!
Does my child need to bring money?
Your child doesn’t need to bring money, but they can if they wish to buy a souvenir from the on-site gift shop. We have lots of PGL goodies to choose from including caps, mugs, pens, teddy bears, t-shirts and more! We even have a uniformed group badge to let everyone know that your child has visited PGL with their unit.
Can I contact my child during their camp stay?
Of course! If you should need to contact your child please do so through the designated teacher/adult that is accompanying them on their trip – your school/group should have provided a mobile number for parents. If you’re still struggling to reach your child, then please call us – we can either get a message to your child or arrange a call for you to speak with them. Our biggest centres span over 240 acres, so bear with us… it might take a little time to get hold of them on their adventures!
Do you cater for special dietary requirements?
We’re able to cater for a variety of dietary requirements at all of our locations, please visit our Menus and Mealtimes page for further information.
What safety measures are in place?
We have a huge emphasis on safety, starting with the recruitment of our staff and continuing through to all of our activities. As a founder member of BAPA (British Activity Providers Association) and a licence holder for activities in scope of AALA (Adventure Activities Licencing Authority) regulations, we make safety our priority.
A risk assessment has also been carried out at Dearne Valley, with risks being outlined and managed. The risk assessment covers the grounds of Dearne Valley, as well as all of the activities available at the centre.
Our Activity Instructors are experts in their area, trained and assessed both in-house and by external assessors. They’ll be there during every activity to make sure they’re completed safely and correctly.
New staff complete a comprehensive induction and job specific training followed by regular observations, feedback, reviews and assessments.
Is there parking available?
Yes, there is on-site parking available.
