Argoed Lwyd Outdoor Education Centre

Our centre offers groups a home away from home in the stunning hills of the Brecon Beacons National Park. You’ll love our charming converted Welsh farmhouse which comfortably sleeps up to 46 people.

We deliver all of our adventurous activities off-site, making the most of the dramatic landscape on our doorstep and the many stunning rivers, caves and mountains.

As part of Hampshire Outdoor Centres we have a shared vision with our 3 sister centres to deliver outdoor education programmes which enhance a young person’s personal, social and academic development through a journey of challenge, adventure and self-discovery.

Everything we do is delivered with our 5 core values in mind; Resilience, Wellbeing, Being Safe, Respect and Sustainability.

As part of a wider service with four centres, called Hampshire Outdoor Centres, we have been delivering our outdoor educational programmes for a long time and know what it takes to make a good residential a GREAT residential. We focus on delivering high quality outdoor activities and our staff are trained and monitored not only on their ability to deliver safe sessions, but also on their ability to fully embed your learning objectives into every session.

Our staff are very experienced and knowledgeable regarding the local area and the adventurous activities they deliver. This allows each session to be far more than just ‘another climbing session and the same spot’ but instead to have your instructor choose a venue based on the group’s ability and thirst for adventure. We ensure that time is taken each day to admire the local scenery and learn about how all was all formed over millions of years.

We are monitored and assessed by various outdoor industry bodies to ensure we deliver safe and educational activities. These include:

• AALS license
• Internal and external assessments by Hampshire County Council organisations

We deliver a wide range of adventurous activities. The activities we offer include; gorge walking, real rock climbing and abseiling, canoeing, caving, waterfall walks, mountain walks, overnight expeditions and team focused tasks at the centre.

We’re blessed to have easy access to walking trails allowing groups to explore the local area. A popular evening activity on the first night is to walk up onto hillside behind the centre and observe the stunning vistas that this offers.

We can accommodate up to 46 people in our centre. In the warmer months, we can also offer camping for groups, extending our capacity to 66.

We do not take any photos for our promotional purposes. However, groups are welcome to take their own pictures and to tag us on social media @ArgoedOutdoor to share their amazing experiences!

Our risk assessing processes are rigorously checked by external providers and internally through Hampshire County Council departments. As we are an approved supplier through the Evolve system you can rest assured that our procedures and policies are thoroughly analysed.

Taking guidance from the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel and other industry boards – we provide a risk summary instead of activity specific risk assessments.

However, if you do have any queries, our bookings team will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have.

The prices vary per visit based on your requirements and the time of year that you’re looking to visit – with significant reductions during the Winter Months.

Get in touch on bookings.hoc@hants.gov.uk or 02380 884 930 to discuss your requirements and we will be happy to give you a price.

All our instructional staff are first aid trained.

The centre itself provides a relaxing basecamp for groups to re-fuel and re-energise ready to hit the activities again!

We have all the equipment required to run:

• Canoeing on the local canals or rivers, including overnight expeditions.
• Gorge walking.
• Mountain walking, with a range of walking boots, rucksacks and waterproofs available.
• Caving, including very attractive (not) boiler suits and wellies.

Due to the nature and layout of the building, our centre is not wheelchair friendly. However, we work with a range of special needs groups and can adapt to meet all but the most mobility restricted individuals.

Accessing some of the activity venues can be difficult for those with restricted mobility.

We can adapt most of our activities to suit those with limited mobility and have experienced staff that are trained to delivered adaptive sessions.

The site is open year-round, and our opening times are suited to whichever groups we have on-site.

If you want a guided tour, get in touch on bookings.hoc@hants.gov.uk or on 02380 884 930.

Here’s what our school groups think:

‘We love it here! The opportunities to develop our young people are outstanding. The knowledge and passion you share with them so readily is first class – we always come away having learnt more.’

Stockbridge Primary School, 2019

We are owned by Hampshire County Council.

We are in a village called Libanus, just outside of Brecon.

Our centre is laid out as two separate units which are connected. The units are the Longbarn, which sleeps 14, and has a kitchen, dining room and outdoor space and the Farmhouse, which sleeps 22, and has a kitchen, dining room and outdoor space. Both units are attached to the annex which sleeps another 10. Groups tend to book the whole accommodation unit meaning they can make the most of many chill-out spaces.

There are toilets and showers allocated to each floor. There are drying rooms, a classroom space and a patio area overlooking the scenic hills.

To book, contact us at bookings.hoc@hants.gov.uk or on 02380 884 930.

We look forward to hearing from you.