Niche travel

Not many holiday experiences promote themselves by saying this “may hurt a little” or asking potential customers if they “have what it takes to survive”.

But then, this is no ordinary holiday, it’s the Bear Grylls Survival Academy and it’s launching next month with an inaugural six-day course.

The event takes place in the suitably wild surrounds of Sutherland in Scotland and among the gem-like experiences on offer are river crossings, making a fire in extreme conditions, building emergency shelters and then having to shelter in them. Worst of all, you’ll have to hunt your own grub and rodents to sustain you.

Perhaps it’s the “academy” element that will entice participants, as if it were something they could add to their CV. Or it may be that the organisers are hoping to mobilise Mr Grylls’s TV fan base, the biggest challenge for which will be surviving a week without telly.

Even if you are a fan, don’t get your hopes up about meeting Bear – real name Edward – as the website clearly states that while he may make an appearance, even this “will be dependent on his schedule and commitments at the time and cannot be guaranteed”.

As further academies are rolled out in the US and Africa, the chances of an appearance will only reduce further.

The six-day stint costs £2,999 (about €3,700) so by far the smarter option would be to have someone to drop you off empty-handed in Connemara and tell you they’ll see you back there in a week. It’s cheaper and you are not likely to meet him there either.

[ beargryllssurvivalacademy.com ]