If you’re going on a holiday to a Haven park, then you can expect there to be lots of activities to take part in. As there are lots to choose from, it can be hard to know what to pick! Find out more about Target Shooting, an activity we took part in at Haven Wild Duck.
How to book
You can book activities in advance of your Haven holiday online, or on the My Haven app. You can browse through the days of your holiday to see when certain activities are available. It might be that some activities are only run once during this time.
If you book in advance, you can do so via your Haven account or the app. You will need to select the day and time of the activity from the activity listings, and how many people will be participating. Adults supervising don’t need to pay for a space. You will need to pay in advance when booking via the app.
Booking is also possible at the Haven site you’re staying at. There is usually a desk or area for booking any activities, possibly in the family entertainment centre.
How much does this activity cost?
This activity costs £12 (2024 price) per person.
What age is Target Shooting suitable for?
Target Shooting is suitable for all ages 10+.
How long does the session last?
Target Shooting sessions last for 45 minutes.
In order for your session to start on time, it’s important to be at the Activity Range at least 5 minutes before the start time.
Target Shooting: What can you expect from the activity?
Target Shooting at Haven Wild Duck took part in the Shooting Range. The map on the app will tell you where this is if you’re not sure, and it could be in a different area depending on which Haven park you are staying at. Be sure to get there at least 5 minutes before your session is due to start.
Health and safety
Be sure to check the app before your session to make sure you know of any requirements with clothes and shoes. It does state that you will need closed shoes when booking this activity. There are a list of rules though on the outside of the Shooting Range too though.
Before our session got started, we all had to make sure we had glasses to protect our eyes. Normal glasses were fine but for those of us without, we were given safety glasses to wear. I also had to tie my hair back as it was down and quite long.
Target Shooting
The session started with our instructor explaining what we were going to do, a bit about the rifles we would be shooting and what to do. It was a quick introduction but as the session only lasts for 45 minutes, this seemed like long enough.
In front of us were 3 tables, set out with a chair and the rifle in a bag. There was also a blue line on the floor which we were not to cross while someone else was shooting. This was for obvious safety reasons.
To start, we went up 3 at a time for a practice round. We learned how to load the rifle and how to reset it for the next turn. We had one of the heaviest guns and it was quite hard to reload it at times. It took a few goes of practice to really get the hang of this. On this turn, we were able to learn how to line up the target and hope the pellet hit when we shot the rifle. I missed all 3 times!
The second round gave us a bit longer to have a go at shooting. This time we were given 5 pellets at a time and could be a bit more relaxed about shooting. Not once were we rushed but instead, encouraged to take our time to line up the shot. I thought I had everything lined up well but I kept missing the target. On the images above, the targets we were aiming for were the smaller ones!
In the last round we played a game, quite like snooker but with a gun. We had to aim at different coloured circles on the target, each of which was worth a different amount of points. This game was really fun but still, I wasn’t very good at it. I ended up hitting white paper rather than any specific colour. I was quite happy with this though because it at least meant that I hit something.
The session went really fast and was a lot of fun! It was much harder than I thought it was going to be, and I came away with a few bruises from where I rested the gun. For £12, I think it was good value and it’s something I’d do again on another trip to Haven.
More Haven activities you might like:
- Plant pot art
- Target shooting
- Archery coaching
- Grass head creations
- Pebble art
- Wild Wizards
- Sand bottle creations
