Who we are and why we do it.
Our Story
Addictive Adventure started with a simple vision. To show-off the best adventures you can have right here on your doorstep, in the UK.
As a team we have a firm foundation in planning and delivering adventure trips as we have been taking coach and plane loads of cheery excitable school children on adventures all over Europe for few years now with our sister business Atlas Adventure.
The ONE thing we all missed was exploring our very own stunning, diverse Isle… So, we set about to change that! We wanted to offer cram packed mini adventures that would help you to see just how strong the draw is to stay at home for adventures and squish them down into weekends or long weekends.
We have beaches in Wales that rivals the South of France, we have wildernesses in Scotland that rivals Mongolia (Well not quite, But still good!)
As our school’s business grew, we realised we spent so much time working in the office our weekends became very very precious… many a Thursday and Friday was spent working out how much adventure we could cram in if we legged it up to Snowdonia or the Lakes on Friday after work.
The Mini Adventure Idea was born…
Meet the team
Darren
Darren Harbottle-Sellens is our big cheese Director. Darren is first and foremost a father to his son Reggie and when not teaching him to “hold a paddle” he also provides the company with a vision and ensures the mission statement is being met by the awesome band of merry men and women who make it all happen.
His passion for the outdoors stems from his past life in the military and now this stirs his passion for being able to share those experiences with you through his companies Addictive Adventure and Atlas Adventure.
Day to day Darren sources and develops relationships with all our hosts and manages the day to day running of the business. He also knows the travel industry really well and builds relationships and networks to find the next amazing thing for you to do.
His favourite adventure trips are wild canoe expeditions like our Loch Maree trip with his big orange canoe. Random fact: Although he is the big cheese… He actually hates it!
Colin
Operations Manager & Guide
Colin Crockart is our Operations Manager. He oversees all of our trips and is our Technical Adviser in all things outdoor safety related. He monitors all of our trips, instructors, licences and logistics for a safe and fun outcome. Colin also runs trips from time to time, guiding feeds his Addiction and keeps his CPD active.
Colin is a Mountaineering and Climbing instructor, Mountain Bike Guide and a White-Water Canoe, Kayak and SUP coach to name a few of his talents. He loves mountaineering and adventuring around the World, is partial to a bit of sun and can usually be found kite surfing on the South coast of a weekend.
He also likes S’mores and a nip of Lagavulin if you ever share a campfire with him!
Lizzy
Administration Manager/Paperwork Ninja & Diary Wizard
Elizabeth Marshall is our Administration Manager for Addictive Adventure. Liz is responsible for the smooth running of our HQ. She organises the office, our diaries, oversees your reviews and enquiries and is the friendly voice you’ll hear at the end of the phone if you ever need to contact us.
Liz is a fair-weather cyclist and commutes to work on her bike (if its sunny) and spends time at the weekends keeping her two kids and husband entertained. She’s also a skilled seamstress and cakemaker in her spare time.
Liz has done most of her dream holidays but still thinks we are mad climbing up cliffs and into dark caves because her next dream destination is sipping cocktails in Thailand whilst watching the kids play in the sea.
