12 Cool Stag Ideas
Horse Racing, Ireland
Leopardstown international racecourse is just six miles south of Dublin city centre. In the middle of a 220-acre estate, the course was modelled on Surrey’s Sandown Park, with an exciting uphill finishing straight. There are 23 race days during the year, including the famous Christmas Festival, Dublin Racing Festival, Bulmers Live at Leopardstown and Longines Irish Champions Weekend. Don’t worry about cramming suits into your hand luggage: the dress code is smart casual for all meetings.
Getting There
Dublin airport is about an hour from Leopardstown. Bus company Aircoach operates a 24-hour service to the nearby Clayton Hotel, which offers a shuttle bus service to the course on larger race days.
Bull Running, Spain
Pamplona is the capital city of the Spanish region of Navarre. For eight days in July, it hosts the San Fermin festival, which includes the infamous Running of the Bulls. Only for the brave and gutsy, the runs are a frantic scramble down cobbled streets – with numerous horned bulls in hot pursuit. The festival attracts over 1 million spectators who inject a serious party atmosphere. Once the early morning bull running is over, the festival continues throughout the day and into the night with live music and dancing in the streets. The opening and closing ceremonies are particularly raucous. The runs are free to participate in, but there is a strict rule that no drunk or intoxicated runners are admitted onto the course. Hotels can be expensive around the time of the festival, so booking well in advance is essential.
Getting There
From Madrid’s main Atocha train station, the journey to Pamplona is typically three hours non-stop. From Barcelona’s Sants station, the journey is closer to four hours.
Big Game Fishing, Portugal
Portugal has almost 1,000km of coastline and is a serious big-game fishing country. The Algarve offers plenty of bill fish and tuna but just up the coast is Picos Herminios – an area regarded as a fishing mecca for its large blue marlin and white marlin, as well as swordfish, tuna, blue sharks, mako sharks and hammerheads. Prime fishing time is between July and October. Take a charter out for a full or half day – the multitude of boat companies means you can get some competitively priced deals.
Getting There
Many of the fishing charters that take you out to Picos Herminios are located in Olhau, which is a 15-minute drive from Faro airport. Hiring a car is your best bet.
Olympic Bobsleigh, Latvia
Feel the need for extreme speed? Head to Latvia’s capital, Riga, for an immersive Cool Runnings experience on Sigulda’s championship bobsleigh track. It’s 1,420m long, has 16 turns and you can reach speeds of up to 120 kph. Home to the Latvian bobsleigh team, the track is run by Olympic team instructors who’ll ensure you’re piloted to the fastest pace possible. The activity is available from November to March if you want to experience the winter track in a traditional bobsled. From May to September, you’ll ride the summer version in a bobsled on wheels. Both are guaranteed to whiten the knuckles. You’ll be glad to know your day pass includes two runs.
Getting There
Sigulda is 50km from Riga airport. Buses and trains run every hour from the capital and can cost as little as €10.
@LeopardstownRC
Demolition Derby, Estonia
Billed as a ‘game without rules’, with no skills required, this is your chance to drive like a hooligan in an adrenaline-fuelled race. Take control of old Russian vehicles on a closed territory in Harju County, where you can ram your rivals and crash into your mates’ cars for as long as the vehicles last. Any accidents or repairs are taken care of by a team of on-site mechanics, who will help bring the cars back to life, so even if you trash your vehicle you can still continue to drive. Once the derby is done, the cars get demolished for good, so there is no need to worry about returning them in a decent condition. Safety gear is included and the event runs from May to September.
Getting There
Harju County is around 35km from Tallinn airport. Many stag operators will organise transport to and from the airport or from your accommodation.
Shark Fishing, Ireland
The Connemara Coast – specifically Galway Bay – is one of the sharking capitals of Europe. Between June and September, it is home to a huge number of the voracious blue and porbeagle species. The large numbers are thanks to a strict ‘catch and release’ policy applied to all fishing boats. While you enjoy a great day’s sport, you can rest assured the sharks are fished, handled and then returned alive. Tours can take you under the Cliffs of Moher or across to the Aran Islands and, if you’re lucky, you’ll catch sharks weighing up to 25kg.
Getting There
Shannon airport is 90km south of Galway. Regular direct buses take around two hours. Dublin airport is around four hours by bus. Fishing trips leave Rossaveal Ferry Terminal in the morning, returning that evening.
Polo, England
Part of the Dorchester collection of hotels, Coworth Park is in Sunningdale, near Ascot. Take a group of mates for a day and you can learn how to play polo, culminating in a full polo match (it’s a four-man team sport, so make sure your group splits nicely into fours for the main event). If you’re in for the full day, there are options to have breakfast on the lawn, post-polo cocktails and personalised polo shirts.
Getting There
Coworth Park is 40 minutes’ drive from central London. Or take the train from Clapham Junction to Sunningdale, then jump in a taxi.
Survival Weekend in Brecon Beacons
Push your group to the limits on this extreme adventure weekend where you’ll learn how to survive with little to no resources (no tent, no food and no water). On arrival you will be taught by a team of trained experts to identify, trap and prepare your food; where to source water; and which local fauna to make a part of your diet. The training will progress to knife skills, fire lighting and learning to use knots as well as wilderness first aid, how to protect yourself from an attack and how to build shelter before being put to the test. A relative level of fitness is expected – and likely necessary to fully enjoy the challenge. The course runs from Saturday midday through to Sunday afternoon; all activities are weather dependent. The maximum group size is 14, with all meals and kit provided.
Getting There
The meeting point for the challenge is Pontneddfechan Village Hall, which is about two hours by train from Cardiff.
@BearGrylls
AK-47s & Jet Fighters, Russia
A law change this year means gun ranges in central Moscow no longer allow live-round shooting ranges. Head just an hour into the suburbs, however, and you can still fire automatic weapons like the Kalashnikov AK-47. Just a short helicopter trip from Moscow airport, there is also an airfield where you can fly L-39 ground-attack jets. Experience a real Top Gun-style dog fight as well as air acrobatics and ground-target attacks. If you’re able to eat after all that, the airfield cooks a BBQ lunch on the tarmac, surrounded by old Russian aircraft.
Getting There
The airfield is four hours’ drive from Moscow airport. Some stag organisations can organise a helicopter transfer direct to the jet base. Shooting ranges are one hour’s drive from the city centre and can be combined with the jet package or enjoyed as a standalone activity.
Highland Games, Scotland
Each year the Highland Games are held in celebration of Scottish and Celtic culture. From May to the end of September, the event attracts 3,500 kilted competitors and 23,000 spectators . More than 60 Highland Games are held across Scotland throughout the season, from the Carmunnock Highland Games in the south all the way up to the Durness Highland Gathering in the very north of the mainland. Each weekend brings a different competition: from serious displays of strength in the hammer throw, haggis hurling and stone-put to endurance-based races like the hill run. Make sure to do your homework and go to one of the bigger events. The Cowal Highland Gathering is one of the largest in the calendar. Expect to see wrestling, piping and the throwing of the historic Cowal stone, before a finale of marching bands and a dazzling firework display as the sun sets over the Firth of Clyde.
Getting There
Various locations across Scotland.
White Water Rafting, Wales
Set within Snowdonia National Park, the Tryweryn river is home to the National White Water Centre. It’s here you can experience 9km of natural river rafting unrivalled in the rest of the UK. The river, which is also home to the largest number of otters in North Wales, has five sections of rapids spread along its course, with some reaching grade four on the white-water scale. The Tryweryn is open for white-water adventures on any day the Llyn Celyn reservoir is releasing water – which happens around 200 days of the year.
Getting There
Travel by road is essential. The nearest train stations (Chester, Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth and Bangor) are all around 90 minutes away from the National White Water Centre.
NationalWhiteWaterCentre.co.uk
Surfing, Spain
The large swell and high-quality, clean waves of Zurriola beach have put San Sebastian on the surfing map. In the city’s Gros district, between Kursaal and Monte Ulia, ‘Zurri’ works with all tides, so plays host to tons of competitions. There is a surf club as well as four surf schools dotted along the beach, so complete beginners can have a crack at catching some waves while pros can head towards the Monpas area, where the more powerful swells come in. Surfing’s especially good anytime from June to the end of September, when the water is especially warm thanks to the flow of the Bay of Biscay.
Getting There
San Sebastian airport, with connections to Madrid and Barcelona, is 20km from the city centre.
SanSebastianTurismoa.eus
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