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| Year 5 Golden Eagle Trip Blog |
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Diary of Year 5's visit to Abernant Lake Hotel with Manor Adventure 21st - 25th June 2010
A huge thank you to Tim Wright for keeping the blog up to date during our visit. Now we are safely home I have added a few final images and notes. The Year 5s were a great group and their constant singing on the coach home highlighted how bonded they are as a year group. They listened well to instructions throughout the week and if any mistakes were made, they were only made once and comments and requests did not need to be repeated. Many children really grew in confidence over the course of the week, but we still feel that perhaps a few more leaders could emerge from the excellent potential to be found in this year group. Hopefully as they embark on their future Golden Eagle trips, they will be able to continue to build upon what they have learned about themselves from this week away and continue to develop and grow into wonderful young people. HDEB Monday 21st We have arrived - we were allowed to cross the border with not too many problems despite the fact that we had a few England football supporters, but the men at control just laughed to themselves. A very vomit free journey and we arrived to the warmth of the welcome of the weather and the staff of the Abernant Lake Hotel. Feeding time.....
Having had our guided tour, Group One coped well with the initiative exercises, Group Two shot for their supper and Group Three challenged each other to a duel. The children had to listen to instruction respectfully and attentively. Lamb chops, chicken in breadcrumbs or sausages in gravy with lots of juice followed by apple pie - hunger sated. The children are in the following groups:
Evening activities in the setting summer's sun start in ten minutes( tower building, power slide, fencing) then shower, teeth, bed, ......sleep hmmmmmmmm. We will update around 1830 in the evenings - hope that these will reassure, cheer up, amuse or bemuse. TGW The crow's nest, or crate stacking, proved to be a very popular activity. Teams of 6 raced each other to build the tallest tower of crates possible in 5 minutes. This activity was so good as it relied so heavily on teamwork - not only to build the crate stack, but also to ensure the children were safe. Rather than being held up by an instructor, fellow teammates held the support rope, as well as used the pulley system and carabinas to hoist up more crates. Communication was key and throughout the session you could see all the children improve these skills dramatically. Tuesday After a hearty cooked breakfast, teeth brushing and slapping on of suntan lotion, Group Two headed up the valley for a couple of hours cycling across dale and ford. This is really a beautiful area on days like this. Group One were on the obstacle course and thence to the zip wire, while Group Three were very amusing and amused by the Blind Trail and the Crow's Nest. Lots of water breaks required as the Summer's sun beat down on the green pastures.
Another hearty meal at lunch time prepared all the children for an afternoon on the water either kayaking or canoeing. Last year it was a little miserable as it was cold and windy, but this year it was beautiful and the children had a great time pursuing and chasing each other and talking to the fish (don't ask). Back for showers and another massive meal (gammon and pineapple or braised steak or Spanish chicken) before shooting, fencing and raft planning - and then an early night......-ish. TGW
Wednesday Another good day cycling, climbing obstacles or raft building followed by a two and a half hour walk up the valley.
   
It was lovely to leave the centre and experience the wonderful Welsh countryside. The instructors were very impressed with the children's fitness, commenting on how they completed the walk quicker than any other group of their age. Throughout the walk there was never a negative comment or attitude and there several of gasps of awe as we reached the top of the hill to see the view of the valley below.
Then we set off down to the river to pitch camp for the night. Supper was 'cooked' by the children on their barbecues, before ice creams and games. Later there will be a camp fire, with hot chocolate and marshmallows, songs and then tucked up in their sleeping bags we will await the dawn chorus once again.
Thursday Despite sleeping under 'canvas' last night, the children did not wake when the sun rose but instead stayed in their tents, some chatting quietly, others snoring not so quietly, until 7am - very impressive, thank you! Many had clearly had a good night's sleep as there were not too many bleary eyes and the site was quickly cleared before breakfast. The biggest challenge seemed to be getting the sleeping bags back into their sacks, but with Sam being our resident expert, everything was soon loaded onto the van. After a hearty cooked breakfast and time to shower, change and tame long hair we all headed back outside for yet more activities. Today it was group 1's turn to jump on the bikes whilst group 3 planned, built and sailed their raft. All the groups tackled the high ropes course and it was wonderful to hear the children waiting at the bottom of the course constantly cheering and offering support to their friends stranded many metres in the air. Encouragement that I'm sure was very welcome...
This evening, group 1 are shooting, group 2 are trying to stack the crates (kicking them over from a great height is much more fun!) and group 3 are abseiling from a very tall tower! With our return back to Eagle House in sight, it is probably best that I head into the deepest, darkest depths of the drying room and start returning the smelly lake clothes to their rightful owners. Don't say you weren't warned.....! HDEB
Friday With all the bags packed a ready to be loaded onto the coach, the children are enjoying their last 2 activities of the trip. The majority are dangling high in the air by either jumping of a platform and down the zip wire or throwing themselves off a wall in the form of abseiling. This year group have been very impressive with every single person having a go at all the activities - and most of them a second and third go too! Kai was even able to give a very energetic rendition of Spongebob Squarepants as he descended the abseiling wall, much to the delight of his fellow teammates! The week has been wonderful. The warmth of the weather was matched only by the enthusiasm of the children. They have been a delight to look after and I am sure they are full of stories to tell you when we return later today.
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