At a time when school budgets are being cut and the vast majority of us are feeling the pinch, Her Majesty looks set to receive a rather lavish gift as a reward for 60 years of, er, receiving lavish gifts, in the form of a new royal yacht.

Not content with already making questionable policy decisions, Tory education suit Michael Gove has sent a letter to senior politicians demanding that H.R.H be furnished with a new luxury boat so that the “diamond jubilee is not overshadowed by the Olympics”.

It’s been quite a boat-themed week for news, what with an Italian cruise ship running aground and now this, so we thought we’d tie it all in with one of our favourite nautical things to do in the summertime, the Marbella stag trip! Whilst The Queen is sailing the high seas we’ll be enjoying a few beers, some tasty grub, water-skiing and wake-boarding in Puerto Banus, thank you very much!

Yes folks, not surprisingly our ‘Striptide’ package out in Marbella has proved very popular since its launch last year. After a day out on the waves living the life of the jet set we’ll hook you up with the world’s smallest bar crawl. We say smallest because all the bars are within thirty steps from one another and many of them line the waterfront itself. Who needs a luxury yacht, hey?!

Amongst the other Marbella stag weekends popular with sea lovers is our ‘The Business’ package. This one allows you a full day at a luxury beach club with VIP sun loungers, a private pool and al fresco lunch with cava. Now we’re no experts on royal tastes but we’re sure this is one day in Marbella that old Queeny would really appreciate. She could anchor her new boat just off the coast and be relaxing by the pool in a jiffy. We wouldn’t recommend you invite her to the strip club gig later on though, mind.

When you think of stag weekends you think of carefree debauchery; plenty of boozing, perhaps a visit to the local strip club and, if you’ve got time, a slap-up meal to soak up the sauce. The last thing you’d perhaps associate with a hazy weekend away with the lads is a 31-mile bicycle ride around some of UK’s toughest terrain in potentially lethal weather conditions.

But that’s exactly what a group of Thai boxers from Darlington are doing. Groom-to-be Michael Dicks is due to fight in the world championships at the 02 Arena in March, plus a number of other competitions, so it “wouldn’t make sense to go out drinking,” according to best man and trainer Paul Hamilton. As if that wasn’t enough, the group will also be getting their teeth into a seven-mile kayak and the infamous Fan Dance, a 24-kilometre walk across harsh terrain carrying a heavy backpack used to train SAS members. Could this be one of the toughest stag weekends ever to see the light of day? We certainly think so! What’s more, it’s all for a good cause. Good lads!

If you fancy a spot of the Great Outdoors on your weekend away then a Bratislava stag do ought to do the trick nicely. Amongst the thrill-soaked activities that groups can get involved with is white water rafting, quad biking and the famous bobsled experience, with each likely to make you sweaty, wet or muddy. Also perfect for indulging that competitive spirit for which all us men are known and sometimes loved.

For the thrill-seeker’s stag do Bratislava has long been top of the pile. Bobsledding involves jumping into a narrow Toboggan and hurtling down an Olympic-standard track at 50KPH. We don’t blame you if you end up crying for your Mummy, ‘coz the others will be as well!

The Mayor of Krakow has rubbished speculation that England football fans may be out to cause trouble when they come to stay in the city for next Summer’s Euro 2012 tournament. With the England squad due to be based in the city and reports that the Dutch national side will also be setting up shop for the fortnight, there had been concerns that one or two of the teams’ fans may be keen to ‘have a quiet word’ with one another. The mayor however has declared himself “very happy for the English supporters and tourists to come here”.

With Mr. Blatter continuing on with his typical buffoonery, it is indeed good to hear of the prospect of a welcoming environment in regards to football, so we here at TSC HQ thought: why not combine the tournament with a stag do Krakow style?! Just picture the scene. A beautiful old city awash with a party vibe, blistering sunshine and all of the cold beer you and your mates could possibly want or need. Plus, we’ve heard that Krakow is teaming with gorgeous female University students from the local Jagiellonian school, so what more could you want?

Well, we’ll answer that one for you! We’ve got stag do ideas coming out of our ears and we’ve tailored some of the Krakow activities to fit in perfectly with the Euros. By morning you can get stuck into a spot of white water rafting on the River Wisla and then hit the town square for some big screen footie action in the afternoon, with a (female) guided bar crawl by night to celebrate that Lampard hat-trick!

If guns are your thing then we’ve got an activity for that (gosh, we sound like an advert for an iPhone, don’t we?). Spend the morning being trained to shoot high powered firearms by the Polish Firearms Champion (as you do) at a series of targets (not the stag!) and then hit the bars for a sing song with your England supporting mates.

So, for that ultimate Krakow stag do we’d recommend tying it in with the Euro 2012 tournament next June. However, we’d advise booking now to avoid disappointment. It’s going to be a popular one!

Photo: fstockfoto / Shutterstock.com

They say it can’t be done, but The Stag Company’s very-own Tom Coulson will attempt to eat the equivalent of 10 foot-long sandwiches for Comic Relief, in conjunction with Subway.

Party expert, Tom, has an hour and a half to consume this man-sized treat, in a marathon binge on Friday 18th March. Tom, who stands at 6 foot 5, is giving up his entire week’s calorie intake all in the name of Comic Relief and you can donate here at our Just Giving page.

Subway’s Regional Office scoffed,

“No human could possibly eat that much sandwich in one sitting. You’ll be clearing up vomit all day.”

The equivalent of 10 feet in sandwiches stand between Tom and his goal, but he’s got form,

“I’ve been kicked out of the odd Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet in my time, so I’m not nervous. You’ll all be laughing when I’m hungry an hour later.” He said.

Rob Hill, Managing Director of the Stag Company was moved by Tom’s charitable spirit,

“This is Tom’s LiveAid and we’re all behind him… he’s made some big claims and he’s got to back them up come Friday.”

Tom’s feast will be comprised of a full range of different flavours from Subway’s menu and will test Tom’s stamina and commitment and could even see him waddling into the record books. There’s no registered world record for Subway Foot-long sandwich consumption (that we could find in 5 minutes on Google), so there’s alot on the line.

Tom’s Sandwich of choice is: 3ft Giant Sub – Italian Herb & Cheese Bread, Roast Chicken filling with “standard salad” (Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber, Green Pepper, Red Onion and a little Light Mayonnaise).

We’d like to thank Subway’s Shoreham-by-Sea branch for their kind donation of the 3ft Giant Sub. Keep it here at the Stag Company blog for more news on this noble quest.

ENDS

Editorial Notes

Rob Hill, MD of The Stag Company and Hen Heaven, is available for comment on this and other stag and hen party subjects. Contact him on 01273225070 or rob@thestagcompany.com.

The Stag Company is ABTA accredited and was established in 2002, specialising in providing bespoke stag weekends in the UK and Europe. http://www.thestagcompany.com/

Stag weekends are given something of a hard press in cinema. Seldom do films capture the solemn spirit of brotherhood ensnared by a weekend sojourn to pastures new. Instead, a picture of debauchery is painted, of excess and its subsequent degeneration of the film’s hero and cohorts. Let’s examine some of cinema’s guiltiest parties. It is the Oscar season, afterall…

Very Bad Things (1999): Starring Hollywood bad-boy Christian Slater, this film depicts a Las Vegas stag party in which a stripper is inadvertently killed by the drug-addled, boozed up bachelors. The body count swells as the boys turn on one another in the fall out. Also starring Cameron Diaz, who is on the cover brandishing a bunch of flowers with a saucy finger to her lips. Shocking behaviour.

Recreate: The Stag Company takes an extremely dim view on murdering strippers, whether inadvertent, or not. However, we do recommend getting a taste of that Las Vegas style with a stag night at a casino.

The Hangover (2009): This is more like it. It ain’t big, it ain’t particularly clever, but I’ll be darned if I didn’t allow myself some hearty guffaws. Another Las Vegas-centric stag night is followed by the morning, which yields a baby in a cupboard, a tiger and a chicken in the hotel suite. There’s also the small case of a missing groom to attend to, via a quite brilliant cameo from Mike Tyson. If you haven’t seen this one – get out from under that rock and do so.

Recreate: Call it unoriginal, but the only way to truly get that “what-in-God’s-name-happened-last-night feeling, is to drink yourself silly with one of our depraved Bar Crawls.

So, there you have it.. no stammering royalty or malnourished ballet dancers, just a standard bevy of booze and birds. Will your stag weekend be worthy of committing to celluloid?

A stag weekend is for some a very rare time when a group of mates can get together, so why not roll back the years and indulge is some kind of sporty competition just like you did back in college/university, or wherever you became stuck with each in friendship.

If you’ve been longing to get the lads together for a bit of ‘jumpers and goalposts’ down the park, but found their wives and girlfriends don’t let them out to play, well this is your chance.

Depending on your numbers a 6-aside match can be arranged on an all-weather pitch at most UK stag destinations, while many of our European venues arrange for a match to take place against a local team for added excitement.

The opportunity to drink in the bar afterwards is the best way to delay realising how many aches and pains you’ll have after your exercise.

For something easier on the limbs you could try a golf stag weekend which may be leisurely but still involves a fair bit of walking and the lure of the clubhouse does make it a challenge to go the distance. A golf activity is a great way of spending the day between two heavy night outs as the fresh air does wonders for hangovers.

Other sporting ideas include volleyball on the beach in coastal locations and finally to be controversial we also offer fishing experiences, but is this a sport? You decide.

There is a lot of focus on what to do during the day on your stag weekend as everyone assumes the evening will fall into place once the beers start flowing.

However, not all stags are happy, or able to, spend an entire evening focusing on drinking and being the subject of tricks and ridicule. So, before you head to the night club, lap dancing joint or casino, which are all best after a few drinks, what else can you do?

Comedy Club

The obvious and most popular choice is to visit a Comedy Club as you can sit back, relax, enjoy a beer or three, and (hopefully) laugh a lot. There is always the chance the stag will get picked on by the acts to provide even more humour, even if you’ll struggle to remember any of the best lines in the morning.

Night at the Dogs

A great way to pass the early evening hours is with some light hearted gambling at the dogs. You’ll quickly get carried away in cheering on your chosen bitch (so to speak) and if you are very lucky you might head off to the next part of your evening quids in.

Steak and stripper

Sadly the UK is slow in moving with our European friends and adopting this type of evening. If you are lucky enough to be leaving politcal correctness at home then this is the evening stag do entertainment that can not be missed. We all love steak and we all love strippers, so it is a bloody good idea to put the two treats together.*

*The Stag Company is not liable for any chocking incidents, so please chew responsibly.

Check out our full range of stag weekend activities.

Nottingham is already one of the best destinations for a stag weekend in the United Kingdom, but now it has got even better thanks to a host of new daytime activities on offer for the stags.

Laser Tagging

Al the fun of paintball, just without the paint and the bruises. Laser Tag uses state of the art laser beam technology to create adventures in a purpose built laser tag arenas in the heart of Sherwood Forest. This also works out a lot cheaper than paintball as each player has over 1,000 laser shots per game.

Falconry

For a totally different stag do activity try falconry, which offers real hands on experience as you handle and fly some magnificent birds. Our professional Falconer will bring at least 5 different birds of prey from owls, hawks, buzzards and of course falcons.

Ultimate Race Experience

This is not for lazy lads! Far from it! The ultimate race begins with a run down a hit strapped in a ball and just as your head stops spinning you’ll be kayaking across a lake before you play Jesus and walk back across the water. Ok, that last bit needs some more explaining. You use special water walkers to keep afloat and then once you get back onto dry land it is a sprint to the finish. The loser will be getting the beers in and after that you need it.

Segway Experience

Imagine you had the ability to hover above the ground and were able to control your movement by simply leaning. Does that sound like science fiction? It doesn’t need to be as you can get this feeling from the Segway X2 in Nottingham.

It is extremely popular for stags to include some adrenaline-rushing activities on their stag weekend, so it gives everyone a chance to show off their macho side, or presents the opportunity for good natured banter when one of the lads goes weak at the knees.

We offer a range of activities that are perfect for those of us with a head for heights, or some may say it is perfect for those that don’t have a head for heights as they’ll provide the most entertainment (guys are cruel).

Here is a run-down of our stag activities when it may be best not to look down:

Abseiling

Try this one out on your stag weekend in Nottingham, Bournemouth or Bristol (and many others) and see who has the courage to lean back and let themselves go, relying the ropes and harness to do their job as you try and walk horizontally down the cliff face, or rock wall. No matter how comfortable you are, there is no doubt your heart will be pounding when you lean back over a sheer drop, but as your confidence picks up you’ll be bouncing off the wall like a pro.

High Ropes Experience

Have you ever watched monkeys leaping about from tree top to tree top with envy? Well, high ropes is effectively this, but without the danger of missing a branch and falling to the group, something which monkeys and the like never seem to do. You are secured by a harness at all times as you walk along rope ladders in the sky and swing about like a circus professional. This activity can be enjoyed on a Bournemouth stag weekend, and is also offered in Swansea, Nottingham and Riga amongst others. Who can handle the height?

Sky Diving

Well this is undoubtedly the ultimate test for bravery, and same may say stupidity, as you’ll be jumping out of a plane with just a big piece of fabric between you landing on your feet or landing with a rather messy splat. This is not for everyone, but it will make sure of a stag weekend that will never be forgotten. You can do this on a Madrid of Riga stag weekend.

If the groom-to-be is a fan of the Sport of Kings (Horse Racing) what better than to include a trip to the races on his stag weekend.

This will certainly not be the most obvious of stag activities, but it is worth considering for something to do during the day as a leisurely and relaxing build-up to the all-important last night of freedom.

Of course horse racing isn’t for everyone, so other than propping yourself up at the bar and placing the occasional bet it might not get you all excited, but for those with an interest in the sport it can be as exciting an event as it comes.

Of course the availability of beer at the bar and of the odd flutter on your chosen horse can help add to the drama and excitement of the occasion and if you are lucky swell the drinks kitty for the night ahead.

The races also attracts some fine fillies of the two-legged variety so you can enjoy your knees-up while mixing with the glamorous girls sipping on their champagne.

If you’ve only cheered on a nag from the inside of a dingy betting shop then you are in for a treat with a day at the races, which are on offer at some of our most popular stag destinations, such as Brighton, Newcastle and Nottingham.

Find out more about a horse racing stag weekend here.