HOLDING on with a vice-like grip half way up a pole and suddenly feeling my mid-life terror and fear of heights return, I desperately wanted to climb back down.

But then came the call “you’ve got this” came from one of my new friends that I had met moments earlier at the start of our PGL activity holiday.

“Oh no,” I thought to myself.

“Have I got this? No! I can’t go on,” I thought.

Looking down at my children, wife and other assembled families, some of which had already made it to the top, I desperately wanted to summon the ability to do it.

I don’t know what happened to me. I used to love this. But I hit 40 a few years back and all of a sudden, as soon as I am a few metres up in the air I feel like I am teetering dizzily off the end of the pole in that picture of the workmen eating their lunch above New York.

I used to help my dad, working up ladders and the like. I was fine.

But these days. No.

We had just started this holiday though. More climbing was to come and I really wanted to do it and enjoy it.

One trembling hand reached higher. The encouragement continued from below and it really did help. I managed to focus on the ladder going up and at the top I walked to the edge and jumped off as planned, hitting the huge ball and lowering safely down, strapped in as I was with the safety harness.

“I did it,” I thought to myself, and the tone was set for a wonderfully exhilarating holiday.

Many of us have heard of PGL as a venue for school age groups of children to visit. But they offer family breaks too.

We tried out Bawdsey Manor, in Suffolk, but you can now visit Windmill Hill, near Hailsham, which would be perfect for half-term, or any other school holiday.

On arrival at Bawdsey you see the imposing manor building and the view towards the coast is breathtaking.

Bawdsey Manor is a Grade II listed coastal manor house which was Britain’s first radar station and survived multiple Luftwaffe attacks.

It is a home fit for royalty, set in a grand 144-acre estate on the Suffolk coast with a mansion that looks like the Royal Sandringham House.

It is so beautiful that one of the activities is a coastal walk around the manor where you learn about the fascinating history of thebuilding, gardens and the people who lived there.

I loved looking out towards Sealand, a tiny principality off the coast of Suffolk that claims to be the world’s smallest country. The micronation, in fact a solitary Second World War-era anti-aircraft platform, was first erected in 1942 as HM Fort Roughs, an armed sea fort outside of Britain’s then territorial limit in the North Sea.

We were told all this by the great PGL instructors.

That gentle excursion was our first activity, before the aforementioned first climb up to punch the ball in the sky.

That filled me with such confidence that I was determined to go on the giant swing later and then on day two the big challenge for me was the abseiling. They kindly let me go first so I could do it before I got too scared. This time it was the instructors who gave me the ability to step back over the edge, telling me beforehand that if I concentrated on what I was doing instead of a fear of falling, it would help.

As I bounced happily down the wall I was actually enjoying myself. When it came to the climbing on day four I really was a changed man. Not exactly Wim Hoff, but no longer a nervous wreck when faced with heights. I was even able to join in on the Jacobs Ladder climb where you work as a team getting as high as possible.

PGL really is a place to create treasured memories of family time.

The archery was really enjoyable, as was the fencing in the old hall in the manor. We were all saying en garde in no time.

Shooting with air rifles was a special experience too.

The children really enjoyed the raft building, and of course, falling off into the river. The buggy build was another great chance to build something as teams.

We made new friends and enjoyed chatting at the lovely meals provided as part the holiday

And there was fun in the evenings too. We had a quiz, there was singing around the campfire with marshmallows, which included a hilarious song from the instructors.

Probably the most fun in the evenings was the great family showdown team competition on the last night, with team challenges and water balloons entertaining us all. PGL provides the chance to forget any stress and just have fun. I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.

PGL has 4 Family Adventure sites: Windmill Hill, East Sussex, Bawdsey Manor, Suffolk, Caythorpe Court, Lincs and Barton Hall, Devon. PGL also offers Kid’s Only Adventure Camps at 10 centres located across the UK.

The 4 Family Adventure sites are open for stays during the October half term – length of stays and availability is venue dependent.

Prices range dependent on length of stay and location, but are inclusive of all accommodation, food, and activities.

For more information go to www.pgl.co.uk or call 0333 321 2114.