DEEP within the woods of a country house hotel a group of archers lay in wait with their bows drawn, ready to shoot their latest prey. But vegetarians need not be alarmed as the archers in question are not taking part in a bloodsport but the latest outdoor activity set to take the UK by storm.

Field Archery is the 21st century version of the medieval tradition made famous by the likes of Robin Hood and William Tell. It is predicted to be the next best thing to paintballing and clay-pigeon shooting as an outdoor activity, and the great thing about it is anyone can do it.

I was invited by Adrian Caddy, of The Archery Company, to spend a day taking part in the sport during a corporate day at the luxurious Danesfield House Hotel in Marlow. I had never done archery before and had no idea what I was letting myself in for, so I decided to drag my South African cousin, Sudhir, along with me for moral support.

Adrian, a TV executive and wildlife film producer, took up field archery eight years ago under the guidance of his good friend and professional field archer Tony Weston, who is the founder and owner of The Archery Company, along with his two sons Simon and Alexander.

They were taught how to shoot, and were supplied with carefully matched gear to suit their shooting styles, and before long Tony had encouraged Adrian to do an archery coaching course with the National Field Archery Society (NFAS).

Adrian says: "I qualified in April this year as a coach and decided to offer field archery as an alternative outdoor activity to the normal events such as paintballing or golf. I think it will really take off in Britain, particularly, because of the history."

On arrival at Danesfield House we were given a briefing by Adrian, which took less than 30 minutes, and were introduced to our bows, but there were a few things we had to do before we could even pick up a bow.

"The first thing that you have to do is work out whether you are right-eyed or left-eyed," explained Adrian. This involved focusing on an object with both eyes open and then you cover one eye to see if the object is still there or if it has moved. If the object is still in the same spot as when you had both eyes opened then that is your best eye. I was right-eyed, so I was given a right-handed bow. My cousin was left-eyed, so he had to have a left-handed bow.

We then ventured out in to the woods where Adrian had set up a little target practice area where we could unleash our arrows on our unsuspecting targets. To begin with we were shown how to correctly hold the bow, which is different from bows used in the Olympic sport, and how to take aim.

The bow is made up of wheels and cams, unlike a traditional bow, which makes it easy to hold and is a lot steadier when taking aim. There are also three fibre-optic coloured pins on the arm of the bow which you are supposed to use as your guide before aiming.

My first arrow went way over the target and I was quite embarrassed, but once Adrian showed me the correct way of holding the bow, I managed to hit the target several times, and so did the others in the group.

The next task was to hit a selection of balloons. This was to help us improve our aim, and I must admit it was a lot of fun and extremely addictive. It is really frustrating when you miss or overshoot because you know you can do it.

After lunch, the fun really began as Adrian had set up some targets in and around the woods which we had to get. Each target had its own scoring zone and our aim was to get as many points as possible as we made our way around the course.

We ended up shooting a fish, a turkey, a ram and two dinosaurs, which are all made of high-density foam plastic and are completely safe and non-pollutive.

I was one of three women in the group and we all did well and thoroughly enjoyed it. Actress Kathryn Harper took part in the day with her two teenage children, and they absolutely loved it.

She says: "It was really good fun. We loved it so much that we are now thinking of buying some field archery equipment so we can take part in it regularly. It was easier than I thought it was and our group of women did really, really well.

"We wanted to keep getting better at it and I would get really upset when we missed the targets."

Kathryn particularly liked field archery because it is something women can do on an equal par with men, and her son Robbie, who is only 15, also found it quite easy.

Tragically, I came last even though I had a brilliant start, but it was a fantastic day. My cousin won the competition and was a complete natural which I put down to coming from a hunting country like South Africa where field archery is already very big.

Sudhir had never done any type of archery before in his native country where the hunting of Springbok is a regular sport, but now he can't wait to take it up when he gets back.

He says: "A few of my friends do it, but I have never really been interested in it. It is so much fun and I really enjoyed. My friends are going to be shocked that I did archery in Britain because they always ask me to join them back home and I always refuse."

Field Archery days could rapidly become one of the latest crazes to sweep the nation, especially amongst the male counterparts who want to prove their manly skills. During a typical day you can enjoy the great outdoors, take part in some friendly competitions and take part in a historical sport which anyone can do.

For more information about field archery at Danesfield House Hotel call 01628 891010 or to arrange a corporate event through The Archery Company call 01494 722210 or visit www.adriancaddy.co.uk as well as www.thearcherycompany.com Prices: Field Archery Days with Adrian Caddy at Danesfield House can accommodate for varying numbers of groups and can be tailored to combine outdoor and indoor archery activities with hotel services such as a buffet lunch, morning meeting or champagne and canapes on the hotel terrace after a day's hunting.

The day delegate rate at the hotel is £80 plus VAT per person. That the use of a meeting room and lunch refreshments. Residential meetings would be £275 plus VAT inclusive dinner and accommodation and breakfast.

Field Archery tuition with practice butts with Genesis compound bows, all target faces, targets and an afternoon of 3-Ds including insurance works out at £75 per person for a minimum of eight and a max of 16 per day. Special rates apply for larger groups requiring three coaches or more.