Sher luxury

CAMPING may be making a comeback in these recessionary times – and today’s tents may be more boutique than Baden Powell – but, for a townie like me, the idea of sleeping under canvas holds little appeal.

If I must commune with nature, especially with kids, then I’ll head to Center Parcs.

A holiday at Center Parcs offers all the luxury of a generously-appointed log cabin, plus the convenience of great restaurants and an interesting array of shops, in tandem with the enjoyment of the outdoors experience – principally walking, cycling, swimming and sports – in a beautiful environment that’s completely safe.

As holiday parks go, Center Parcs sets the gold standard. The company has splashed out £175m on new facilities at its parks in the past four years.

It doesn’t matter how much you spent on a tent, it couldn’t possibly offer a steam sauna, a games room with a pool table, Sony PS3 and a 50-inch flat screen TV, jacuzzi whirlpool baths and a free wi-fi connection. These were just some of the hedonistic delights that came as standard with our lodge at Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest.

Developed on a sprawling 400-acre site, Center Parcs Sherwood Forest was the first UK forest holiday destination to open, in July 1987. It became the template for the Centre Parcs which followed. There are, however, some key differences to its namesake in Cumbria that we tried last year.

Whereas the Whinfell Forest development is based around the (admittedly very impressive) Tropical Paradise swimming dome, the Sherwood experience is more evenly spread across the whole site. This means there’s always something new for young kids to discover, even after several days on site.

My son, Jack, and his friend, Evie, enjoyed exploring the forest looking for play areas (of which there are loads) and spotting the wildlife (there are several forest walks and bird hides perfect for spying on rare species like woodpeckers).

Of course, you are living in a real forest with all the unpredictability that brings.

On our first morning a couple of ducks came waddling by. No doubt they had quickly cottoned on to the fact that the park supplies a steady stream of suckers happy to hand out free bread if they quack loudly enough. Shortly afterwards, the kids caught a frog – which happily cooled off in a bucket of water in the warm sunshine for a couple of hours before hopping off some place else.

The Sub-Tropical Paradise swimming pool is still the park’s centrepiece. It differs from Whinfell in that the main pool is a bit smaller, but there are more minor pools for babies and young children. These are all based around a pirate theme. Each one has old “shipwrecks”

and unexpected waterfalls, perfect for stimulating young imaginations.

As a nervous swimmer, it was nice to see just how many of the pool area’s attractions were usable for someone whose water wings have been pretty much clipped.

Even the pool’s biggest attraction, literally as well as figuratively, is fine for non-swimmers.

The Grand Cascade is a hair-raising white water raft ride down a 200 metre pipe on a rubber dinghy.

You could spend an entire day just exploring the pools – and judging by the way many families were settled in enjoying a Starbucks coffee, plenty of folk do just that – but we had appointments elsewhere.

Aqua Sana is strictly adults-only – a haven of peace and tranquillity where harassed parents can escape from the ceaseless pesterpower of young kids for a couple of hours.

We entrusted the kids to the park’s childcare centre (neatly segregated into ages so youngsters don’t feel intimidated), and checked out the World of Spa, which promises a huge choice of globally-inspired spa experiences.

The best way to start your visit is with a relaxing reflexology footbath and a quick stop at the Greek herbal bath, with its calming fragrances, before moving on to the more intense therapies. The 16 experience rooms are spread over two levels which are clustered around a magnificent open-air heated pool.

Between steam rooms, pulsating showers and the, err, invigorating ice fountain (where you rub handfuls of ice over your body to stimulate the lymphatic system, as well as your goose pimples), visitors relax on sun loungers (indoors and out), take refreshments in the Conservatory Cafe or nod off on one of the many water beds. Bliss.

The three-hour experience was over all too soon. Returning to pick up the children we discovered they’d been having fun too. Evie’s face was painted like a rabbit and they emerged with T-shirts they had designed.

Staying in Sherwood Forest, I guess it was inevitable the kids would try archery. The lessons are split according to age group and last about half-an-hour. Full marks to our instructor for keeping his patience when Jack decided it would be more fun to ignore the targets and shoot arrows over the fence.

The lessons are held in a secure environment and the emphasis is on safety at all times. Jack had no trouble holding the bow. Various sizes are available to suit budding Robin Hoods from five years up.

During our stay, we encountered several families who had visited Sherwood before. One couple were on their tenth visit.

They returned, they said, because there is always something new and exciting to do. Arrivals this year include the wonderful sounding Archery Aerobow Splat, a state-of-the-art paint ball compound, and Forest Quest, a gentle introduction to orienteering which is a great way to enjoy the outdoors.

And there are plenty of visitors discovering the joys of Center Parcs for the first time. The recession and a series of high-profile tour operator collapses have given the domestic holiday industry a major boost. In 2010, if your tour operator wasn’t going bust, a volcanic ash cloud was grounding your flight or the cabin crew had walked out on strike.

Little wonder, then, that demand for holidays at Center Parcs have surged this year. It’s the civilised way to enjoy the great outdoors.

• Center Parcs Sherwood Forest is open all year including Christmas and New Year. A midweek family break costs from £229, although prices do vary depending on the time of the year. For more details and prices go to centerparcs.co.uk