Sharks & Saunas Off The M5

Now, we don't have older kids. Just a 4 and a 6 year old, so on paper, this is a strange one for us to be covering. It's also a first for us, six issues in, and this is the first time it's been just the two of us.

Jax and Finn sat this one out with the grandparents.

Over the last few weeks, 4 or 5 of you have messaged us on social media asking the same thing: what UK wildlife encounters would you recommend doing with teenagers?

Beyond The Backyard is about getting families outside, all families, all ages, including the ones a decade ahead of ours. So we didn't want to leave you hanging. We went and did the recon ourselves.

Did I hear someone say sharks?! Right here in the UK?!

Off we went. Five hours down the M5 to Plymouth, for a rapid-fire, 24-hour shark-infested adventure.

Turns out every summer, Blue Sharks follow the Gulf Stream across the Atlantic and gather off the South West coast of England. I had no idea.

This one's strictly ‘older kids’ territory for now. They have to be 16 and accompanied. So Katrien and I went to find out whether it's worth the wait.

We made the most of travelling solo, no snack negotiations, no "are we there yet." After a long drive, we checked into the lovely Boringdon Hall Hotel & Spa, ten minutes outside Plymouth, and anything but boring! The next morning, adventure time.

This isn't one for the faint-hearted (or seasick). I can see why a minimum age makes sense. After hours chugging into the Channel (the skipper literally checks French weather forecasts), the baiting begins, as boxes of rotten fish are chopped up and dangled enticingly off the back of the boat.

There's blood. There's guts. (Jax and Finn would have loved this bit.) But mostly, there's waiting…

…then the dorsal fin appears.

Long, slender, metallic blue, bigger than expected. Getting in the water feels deeply counterintuitive. But one by one, we do. Wetsuits on, we slide into an ocean slicked with oily fish juice.

The experience? Epic.

With the GoPro in hand, we waited for that perfect shot. The sharks rose slowly from the depths, curious, cautious, then right up close. Really close. Masks were frequently bumped, but the sharks stayed totally calm.

It was cold. It was wet. It was hands down one of the wildest things we've done in the UK.

Recovery was accelerated considerably by the 5-star hot shower and sauna waiting back at the hotel. The aftertaste of rotten fish lingered a bit but a decent bottle of Bordeaux helped.

Please. Please do this, once your kids are old enough.

If you've got adventurous teens ready for a proper challenge, I can't think of a better one. £175 per person for the full day, and it's genuinely one of the best wildlife encounters we’ve had in this country!

We went with In Deep Dive Centre, and they were truly excellent.

We're bookmarking it for our two, once the shark obsession has properly taken hold (and once they can swim without a noodle).

One warning: trips are very weather dependent. We got lucky, but it's worth booking a longer travel window just in case.

We've also been deep in Henry Brydon's Outside Kids recently, a weekly email helping dads raise proper outdoor kids in a very indoor world.

Same mission as us. Sharp, funny, and refreshingly honest that outdoor parenting isn't always Instagram-perfect. We've been trading notes lately and are working on something together, so watch this space.

OK, so this one is from a few years ago. My dream is to take the kids out to Guadalupe Island deep in the Pacific Ocean, off Mexico, to dive with Great White Sharks.

The island is closed at the moment, to much controversy from conservationists. We were lucky enough to spend a few days diving out there. Although a technically terrible photo, I love this black-and-white shot of a Great White, slowly approaching the cage.

From the ocean depths to the mountain peaks. Jax and Finn are officially on summer break and we’re heading over to the Alps next week. Our mission? To find a colony of fighting marmots!

If anyone has ever watched Heidi, they’ll know what I’m talking about.

We’ll let you know how we get on.