 Paintball guns are powered by compressed air |
Forget beer at the pub - the modern stag party these days is more likely to involve guns in the forest. Kitted out in camouflage and armed with the latest in high-tech weaponry, welcome to the world of paintball stag parties.
The combat-style sport - which involves teams shooting each other with small pellets filled with dye - has been growing in popularity for several years.
But in the Nottingham area, which is already a favourite destination for stag and hen parties, the sport has exploded.
Skirmish Paintball Games, based in Robin Hood's old stomping ground of Sherwood Forest, has been drawing record attendances this year.
 | LOCK AND LOAD |
On one recent weekend, the facility attracted nearly 1,000 players.
Director Sally Sanders expects players to blast through 15 million balls this year - each of them fired at 160 miles per hour.
She says: "Not all guys want to just drink themselves silly these days.
"But people do still come to Nottingham for their stag parties, and we are taking advantage of that."
Stag weekend organisers, Off Limits, say it has put more than 4,000 people through paintball games this year alone.
Office manager Steve Love said that was "significantly more than previous years".
| CHICKEN RUN BBC News Online joined Steve Hill for his paintball stag party |
He said: "Nottingham is by far our most popular destination for stag weekends, and paintball is definitely growing in popularity."
Another paintball company in Nottingham, The Paintball Jungle, says the sport is gaining mainstream acceptance.
Events manager Ron Logan said: "You see it now on TV, in movies and advertising.
"It is no longer seen as an extreme sport... it is just something you do."
Despite a few hen parties trying the game, all paintball organisers agree the sport is dominated by males.
BBC News Online joined a recent stag party in Sherwood Forest, and stag Steve Hill perhaps best summed up the male attitude to the sport.
"It's fun because you get to shoot people without all the danger.
"It beats joining the army."
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