PGL Barton Hall | Gluten-free in Torquay

Vera van Wolferen
01/10/2017

3

I worked for PGL Barton Hall as an Activity Instructor and Group Leader from May 2016 to August 2016. While I would honestly discourage anyone from taking on a position at PGL, I would definitely ask people to give a holiday here a shot! I'll list some positives and negatives below. Negatives: - Most rooms are very outdated, as are the bathrooms. They're not always very clean, as there's only a small team of cleaners and the rest is done by the Activity Instructors/Group Leaders when they're not doing sessions/aren't with their groups. - Food is far from good. The essentials are usually available (pasta, potatoes, vegetables, salad from a salad bar), but at least one of your three meals a day will include chips - which is great for kids, but for adults it gets dull pretty quickly. - The turnover of staff at PGL is pretty high, so a lot of the staff is not very knowledgeable on the ins and outs of the centre (although they'll be great with their respective sessions). This can be frustrating for visitors. Positives: - Sessions are good! Especially rope sessions are exciting (I was a zip wire instructor) and most instructors on these sessions will try their hardest to give everyone at least two goes. NOTE: Please don't be upset if your child was scared and the instructor spent no more than 10 minutes on them. This is because everyone wants to have a good time and if more time is spent on a single person, second goes are nearly impossible. - Located in Devon, the weather is almost always good! There's a few rainy days but sessions are only cancelled if it's really chucking down, as it could make sessions dangerous! - There's a heated swimming pool with - if you're coming during family holidays and not as a school - sunbeds to relax on. - Staff are very happy to accommodate your needs. - There's a shop with PGL merchandise and food/candy. Tips: bring extra clothes and a pair of shoes you're alright to get wet (for sessions on the lake), bring an extra towels (also for lake sessions), make sure to pass on any food intolerances/allergies.