Bugsboarding Mountainboard Centre

The first time you see someone mountainboarding, you think it's a joke - a skateboard crossed with a mountain bike, ridden down a hillside like they've lost their mind. That's Bugsboarding Mountainboard Centre, just outside Gloucester, where people do exactly that and seem to love it.

It's a proper niche sport, all-terrain boarding with bindings that let your feet move freely. The centre runs lessons, rentals, and has dedicated terrain for beginners through to people who actually know what they're doing. If your crew likes skateboarding or surfing but fancies something different, this scratches that itch. Kids find it exciting - that's the core market really, though adults absolutely come too.

The setup works best in dry conditions, so summer months are your friend. You'll want to allow a couple of hours minimum if you're trying it for the first time, longer if you're serious about improving. Check their site for lesson pricing and whether you need to book ahead - these things do fill up.

For a caravan holiday around Gloucester, this fits if you've got teenagers or young adults who need something beyond swimming pools and archery. Red Lion Inn Camping is the closest base at 3.7 miles away. It's not the kind of thing you'll spend a whole week doing, but as a half-day novelty activity during a broader Gloucestershire trip, it beats sitting in the caravan watching rain. Go in with realistic expectations - this is specialist, not mainstream - and you'll get on fine.