He decides immediately to buy the property because the chances of such an event happening again are so low. As a support worker providing outdoor adventure to young people in trouble, I wish more of my colleagues shared Garp's sense of perspective. Outdoor education is increasingly being held back by an obsession with avoiding risk. Alongside them came new procedural and legal requirements to carry out 'risk assessments' for all activities and outdoor venues.
Outdoor adventure gives children wonderful and unforgettable experiences.
For many, going to a residential adventure venue is the first time they have been away from home - a chance to experience a degree of independence. Whether it be the view from the top of Ben Lomond, the moonscape of the Cairngorm ski area, the exhilaration of canoeing rapids on the river Tay, or the sweaty terror of gorge-walking in the Devil's Pulpit, outdoor adventures give children the chance to reach beyond themselves and develop new capabilities. Risk and danger are an intrinsic part of outdoor adventure. Parents are understandably concerned about their child's safety - but perceptions and reality often diverge. Listening to children's stories develop on the minibus going home, you would think that death had been but a whisker away - parents' jaws must drop when they hear the child's version of events.