5 articles
Geocaching, archery, ropes courses, horseback riding and more outdoor activities for all ages.
Not everyone dreams of thru-hikes. For plenty of people, the outdoors means an afternoon with the family, a friendly challenge, or something they tried one Sunday and never stopped doing. This section brings together activities you can often enjoy close to home, without much gear, that give everyone a good reason to get outside. Disc golf, kite flying, and hiking or running with your dog have a place here too.
For each activity, we explain how to get started: what a first session looks like, where to find good information, what to bring, and when it makes sense to buy your own gear. We also cover what to look for when choosing a club or an outfitter. Geocaching has its etiquette, from staying low-key while you search to putting the cache back exactly where you found it. Archery is best learned at a club or range, with its safety rules, before you move on to target courses in the woods. Ropes courses and trail rides are picked to match each person’s age and experience.
These activities often share space with other people, and the rules matter: private property, protected areas, multi-use trails shared by hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers, and leash rules for dogs. We quote them from official sources or national governing bodies, with a callout for each state or agency when they differ. Common mistakes get their turn too: a cache hidden where it has no business being, a pasture gate left open, an outing that’s too long for a kid’s legs. And, of course, the kite that ends up in the only tree on the beach.
As everywhere on Outfarer, the guides are practical and sourced, and useful numbers, like a bow’s draw weight or the minimum age for a ropes course, are explained instead of just tossed out. Gear is compared on the specs its manufacturers publish, and when an activity is described from experience, it’s told by the person who actually did it. This section is for families looking for a weekend plan as much as for regulars who want to take their skills further.
ActivitiesHow-to guide
You don’t need to own a horse to ride for two days or a week: guided trips provide the horse and the guide, as long as you’re comfortable at a walk, trot, and canter outdoors. Here are the formats, the French federation’s level benchmarks, a typical day, overnight stops, the season, prices, and what changes in the UK, Germany, Austria, and the US.
Arnaud Couderc··15 min
Renting a pack donkey in France: what it carries, its 1.9 to 2.5 mph pace, the Stevenson Trail, kids, prices checked in October 2026, and welfare charters.
Arnaud Couderc··14 min
Intro sessions, membership and insurance, recurve, compound, barebow, and longbow, distances from 18 to 70 m, 3D courses, and the rules of the shooting line.
Arnaud Couderc··13 min
Geocaching explained: how to find your first cache with the app, the main cache types, the rules for hiding one, and what to know in French forests.
Guillaume Hoarau··7 min
New to canicross? The harness, belt, and bungee line, how old your dog should be, first runs, the heat risk, French race rules, and why to join a club.
Nolwenn Bastide··9 min
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