British couple takes children on year-long adventure education trip

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 2 Nov, 22:03 · Archive

Leo and Jess Houlding took their two children out of school for a year to climb mountains and explore remote regions across six continents.

Leo Houlding, 46, and his wife Jess, 47, took their two children out of school for a year-long 'adventure education' trip beginning in July 2024. Freya was ten and Jackson was seven when they started their journey. The family from Staveley, Cumbria, travelled across six continents, including Norway, America, Japan, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

During the year, the children climbed El Capitan, a cliff face in Yosemite National Park in California. They also scaled an unclimbed mountain in Kyrgyzstan and sea-kayaked between remote islands in Papua New Guinea. The Mirror reports that the family camped on a mountain face during their travels.

Jess Houlding is a GP and climber. Leo Houlding said both he and his wife are 'very adventurous people'. He explained: 'For me it's a profession, for her it's a passion.' He added that the family wanted to take the children out of school for a year because normal school schedules left little time for family adventures. The children were homeschooled during the trip.

How it is being reported

• British couple climb Yosemite's El Capitan with their two children as part of 'adventure education' year abroadLeo Houlding, 46, and his wife Jess, 47, set off on the 'adventure education' trip abroad with Freya, now 13, and Jackson, now ten.Daily Mail · 2 Nov, 21:49
• Daredevil couple take their young kids on 'adventure education' holiday — and camp on cliff faceLeo Houlding, 46 and his wife Jess, 47, who live in Staveley, Cumbria, set off on a year of "adventure education" with their youngsters Freya and JacksonThe Mirror · 2 Nov, 13:57

In this story: Leo Houlding · Jess Houlding · Freya Houlding · Jackson Houlding · Staveley · Cumbria · Yosemite National Park · Kyrgyzstan

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log