Kids Residential Camps

Surrey Hills and Rivers was founded in 2020 by Ben, whose own childhood was steeped in the English countryside. A former green beret in the Royal Marines and a father of three, the purpose of his team is to provide the magic of time in the countryside in some respite from the suburban and the indoors, from technology and from sedentary lifestyles.

On our summer camps, every day will be filled with the fun, challenges and minor chores of an outdoor camping environment. The children will be physically active, increasing their appreciation of the countryside, and most importantly experiencing fulfilment and creating special memories with friends new and old.

We are a specially selected team of experienced adults and parents who share the Surrey Hills and Rivers ethos, but we also pride ourselves on recruiting some of the wonderful young people that we know, or that we have come to know on our camps, to help us make sure every child is happy and involved at all times.

Our camp is located at Furnace Place Estate near Haslemere (GU27 2EX).  The camp is set in a beautiful field bordered by woodland and sheep-grazed fields, set in tranquility away from any private residences and roads. 

Our camps typically number between 10 and 30 children, in the age range 8-13 years (with flexibility on the upper limit especially for children returning and siblings of younger guests). 

When we know it’s going to work best, we’ll split the group for activities, between the younger ones and the older ones (eg. Year 7+), to reflect their relative maturity. 

The children will at all times be in the near vicinity of an adult with first aid training.  Overnight our staff will be camped in close proximity to the group, where they can be available at any time for any reason. 

Where the activities involve paddlesports or similar, our staff team are not just experienced instructors, adults and parents, but they also have suitable national governing body qualifications and experience. 

Children will stay in very spacious bell tents of at least a 5m diameter.  Typically we will have about 4 children per bell tent of the same gender and similar age, however the bell tents have a much larger capacity than that, therefore there is plenty of room and we can adjust numbers slightly to accommodate any children that know each other.  

Along with those normal assumptions, we will ensure that every child has a sleeping arrangement that they are happy with, taking particular care of the many children who do not come to the camp with other children that they already know.  Existing friendship groups will be able to thoroughly enjoy the experience together, but everyone will be integrated into a single seamless group from the very outset, in fact this is the first and most important accomplishment for the group.  

The children will be provided with a roll mat which will sit on an integral groundsheet in the bell tent.  They will provide their own sleeping bags or duvets, and pillows (although we will have some spares).  

Children will be expected to be considerate of fellow campers – we will ensure that everyone is getting the sleep that they need so that every day is magic, not just the first one! 

The children will be well nourished with 3 healthy meals per day plus suitable snacks, with a range available to help accommodate any fervent dislikes – and of course with full attention to any special dietary requirements and any allergies that are notified to us. The key themes will be a healthy, balanced diet that takes into account the weather conditions and the activity levels and the use of fresh, local produce as far as possible.