Be a wild child
Promising an injection of animal-like fitness, Wildfitness courses use the sea, lakes, sand dunes and hills of Kenya's Watamu Beach as a training ground. Achieve physical, emotional and mental wellbeing through healthy nutrition, massage and other therapies. Courses range from a nine-day kick-start to a five-week total immersion, all with half a day off for extra activities or, more likely, recuperation. Nine-day kick start courses are £2,655 single and £2,205 shared, full board, including transfers from Malindi and transportation, fitness and health assessments, one massage per week, yoga, training sessions and workshops. Prices exclude flights. Check out Lotusjourneys (020 8965 5727; www.lotusjourneys.com) for course dates.
Stretch and grow
Stretch your legs and mind in the Picos mountains of northern Spain with The Big Stretch. Each day starts with a few hours of intensive soul-searching before walking or kayaking in wild landscapes. Places cost £2,350 each, including access to two coaches all week, guide, transfers, excursions, canoeing, luxurious single en-suite room and whatever you eat in the region's best restaurants. Flights and drinks are excluded. Courses run in May, June, September and October. Visit www.thebigstretch.com.
Join the forces
Join hard core military-trained fitness instructors on an 'Escape and Evasion' weekend. Learn some of the techniques used by the armed forces to escape and evade capture, then become prisoners trying to escape in an exercise similar to those organised for troops operating behind enemy lines. A one day course will be held on 1 September at a location to be confirmed in London and the weekend itself takes place near Plymouth on 8-10 September. Call 020 7751 9742 or see www.britmilfit.com.
Chocs away
Give your diet an overhaul at a Beyond Chocolate retreat at Puglia, in southern Italy. It's run by the people behind the Beyond Chocolate weekend workshops (www. beyondchocolate. co.uk), which are designed to help control how, when, why and what you eat. You will stay at The Masseria La Rascina (www.larascina.it), a beautiful country home just minutes from the sea. The total cost is £1,445, including workshops, full board and activities, but not flights. Courses run from 25 May-1 June and 7-14 September.
