Adolescence in the Ardennes: Outdoor sports for screen-gazers

'No point.' 'Dunno.' 'Leave-me-alone, duh.' Going on holiday with teenagers is quite a challenge for many parents. How do you pry Wi-Fi addicts away from their screens? They've found a solution for that in the Belgian Ardennes...

'Whaaaa!' In the quarry, Marieke (16) and Paulien (17) are hanging from the rock face. Thirty meters below, the other teenagers watch with wide eyes the awkward efforts of the two girls. A via ferrata has been set up in the quarry: a steel cable above a ten-centimeter-wide ledge against the steep rock face.

Equipped with helmets, harnesses, and double lifelines, the girls shuffle foot by foot along the ledge, with their safety hooks clipped to the steel cable. Under the watchful eye of outdoor instructor Björn, the climbing and obstacle course through the treetops, including crossing a real ravine, follows shortly after. With the grand finale: abseiling from thirty meters high. Try to get a smile on those pale faces for the photo then.

But: it works. And the adrenaline is still coursing through their bodies as we drive back to the campsite later. Wi-Fi awaits there, so they can immediately share their experiences with their social network.

Five-star campsite in the Ardennes

We are at campsite Parc La Clusure, in the Belgian Ardennes. The five-star campsite specializes in family holidays, especially for families with teenagers. 'Many campsites find that a difficult group and focus on ages up to 12. We also have activities for them, such as Ardennes Rangers, Aquaball in the swimming pool, and cool-glasses workshops.

But for us, that's just the beginning,' says Dutch campsite owner Jan Jehee. Originally a gym teacher, later responsible for activities at amusement park Duinrell. But that was a quarter of a century ago, because together with his wife Nympha, he has been running Parc La Clusure for 25 years now: that anniversary will be celebrated grandly during the Pentecost weekend. 'Recreation and entertainment is our spearhead. Here we activate young people who normally only stare at their screens: that is the ultimate challenge.

Teenage campfire

Our strength lies in hiring staff of the same age – motivated interns and students from recreation and sports courses. During the weekly teenage meetings, they determine, together with our guests, what the recreation program for the coming week will be. Mountain biking in the woods, canoeing on the Ourthe, teenage campfire, human foosball, abseiling in a quarry: whatever they want.

We have a very strong outdoor program. We even hire a separate company for this: B-Adventure. With professional instructors and CIOS students. And in addition to the outdoor program, we also have activities for all ages: this afternoon, for example, a bird of prey show, by a falconer from Zeeland. And tonight, when the campsite restaurant has been transformed into a theater, the hypnosis show follows. For teenagers'.

Under hypnosis

'You look at me NOW and if I blow in your face, you will fall asleep.' The hypnosis show has begun. Randomly, Patrick Pickart – strange jacket, equally strange glasses – picks young people from the audience, and within a few minutes, eight youngsters are hanging in chairs on stage, in a deep sleep. The hypnotist makes them cycle, row, and count their own fingers, completely ignoring the number 5. 'Eleven fingers, how can that be?'

The audience in the restaurant – mainly teenagers and their parents – can't stop laughing as the hypnosis victims perform one hilarious act after another on stage. There's also disbelief when a fourteen-year-old girl, under hypnosis, is laid stiff as a board on two trestles. Shoulders on one side, feet on the other – she later remembers nothing of it. But luckily, we still have the photos. 'Really? Did I do that? Email it over, I'll put it on Snapchat right away! My friends will never believe it!'

When the hypnotist mingles with the chattering audience after the hour-and-a-half show, it's a member of the recreation team's turn. Rob: 'I told him it was all a show, and a moment later I was lying asleep on the ground. He made me take all these selfies with funny faces, but I only saw them later on my phone. Really bizarre!'

About Parc La Clusure

Camping Parc La Clusure is located in the heart of the Ardennes, near St. Hubert and Rochefort. The campsite is situated in a beautiful valley on the banks of the river l'Homme. The campsite is well-equipped with modern sanitary facilities, an excellent restaurant, bistro, traditional pub, and a bikini bar by the pool.

Parc la Clusure is known for its extensive recreation and entertainment program. Throughout the year, there are all kinds of (sports) activities, theme nights, and music performances. Such as the Colorrun, Western evening, campfire sing-a-song, and the legendary horror nights in the forest. Parents are also involved in scaring their offspring – from 14 years old – out of their wits. 'They really pee their pants,' laugh Nympha and Jan Jehee, owners of the campsite. An outdoor company, B-Adventure, is also located at the campsite. Professional instructors organize mountain bike tours, climbing, and abseiling, among other things.

More information: www.parclaclusure.be

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