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Diary of the Year 7 Golden Eagle Trip to St.David's, Pembroke, Wales - June 2010 Apologies for the delay in setting up this blog - one of the great attractions of taking this group out to West Wales is the contrast provided by the remote rural conditions, giving the children a taste of the simple pleasures of living close to nature for a week. Unfortunately, this means that we are usually out of touch with the modern world and it was very difficult to pass on information. Many thanks to Tim Wright for his valiant efforts to keep you as informed as possible under these constrictions.
Walking on the Preseli Hills Mon. 21st June 2010 Four minibuses head off west in convoy at 9.30 am on their way to St David’s Head, Pembrokeshire. After a short stop just after crossing the border into Wales, the group continued on to Brynmau Preseli, the mountains from which the bluestones of Stonehenge were cut, to meet the instructors and to start out on a 7km walk across the rolling mountains and through granite outcrops. Beneath a perfect blue sky, it was a hot operation and quite a trek for young inexperienced walkers, but the team are really up for the walk and the guides are impressed by their positive attitude. The scenery is sensational – a fantastic way to start the week. We arrive at the farm in time for dinner and the groups separate into their groups and explore their new dormitory areas. The girls seem reasonably happy to share their accommodation with a family of housemartins. A good walk in the fresh mountain air ensures a good night’s sleep.
Surf's Up Dude Tues. 22nd June 2010 After breakfast the children make their own packed lunches and pick up their wetsuits, then it’s straight off down to Whitesands Beach. Two groups spend the morning surfing and two groups walk across the headland to climb and abseil up and down the cliff face. The beach is one of the top ten in Europe and the weather could not be better. Charlie and Mika are the professionals on the boards with Coco and Eloise also impressive. However, everyone is having fun catching waves and playing in the water. The experts in the afternoon were Jenny, Arabella and Borja. Sophie too, persevered till she was able to stand up on the board. A seagull flew off with Mohammed’s packed lunch while Mr Barron and Mr Guest both managed to put their wetsuits on back to front. Their hopes leapt (but not for long) when they heard that South Africa were beating France by two goals
Climbing and Abseiling Noah was the mountain goat of the morning, scampering up the ascent in no time and abseiling down again. It was great that nearly all the party were keen to make the attempt to overcome their fears and see if they could do it. In the afternoon everyone made it up and down – Lana was the hero, cause she really had to battle with her fears, but she made it - how good did that feel! After ‘Chicken & Scone’ supper we all take an evening stroll down the coastal path to the cove nearby where a few brave souls take a freezing swim before ceding to a stone skipping session - Robin and Danny taking the plaudits tonight. ‘Salty’ the seal called in to say, ‘Hello.’
The Legend that is Llyr
Surfer Girl Wed. 23rd June 2010 Stomachs lined with a cooked breakfast we drive north through Fishguard the ferry port and on to Cilgarren where we collect our canoes and prepare for a 6 mile paddle up the River Teifi, the longest river in Wales. Some of the party are in kayaks and others team up in open canoes – they practise their skills on an open stretch of water before heading downstream. It’s blazing hot again as we paddle through leafy countryside. We see heron, buzzards, swans and cygnets, as we pass by the old slate quarry and on to Cardigan. There were some interesting combinations in the boats. Daniel, Cory and Rudy formed one crew on an open canoe that seemed destined for the riverbed, but they safely negotiated their way downstream. A few groups needed an occasional tow to keep up with the main flotilla but Emma and Sophie were usually in the vanguard leading the way to the sea. The two dogs, Penny and Tipsy were also stars, jumping from boat to boat and hitching rides down the river.
Rapids on the River Teifi As we reached the bridge of this tidal river, in Cardigan, the current was running very powerfully against us and it was almost impossible to make headway. Mr Barron and Lana fell victims here – one minute they were paddling furiously and inching past the bridge and two seconds later they were in the river, carried off swiftly in the other direction. With the weather so warm, it was good fun. Soon after this the route was completed in the pretty village of St.Dogmaels although a small group chose to carry on past the mouth of the river and on into the Irish Sea where they were able to ride their boats in on the surf right next to the camping position in the dunes at Poppit. The surf claims a few more victims right at the end of the run, but it’s well worth it.
Birthday Cake Beachcombing for driftwood and logs was very productive and Jenny’s team of girls arrived with enough to burn for a week. Two tepees were erected and a host of barbecues were fired up for a late supper – There is a little birthday party and a cake for our three birthday children - Rudy, Lewis and Arabella - after supper sleep comes quite quickly to the tired party.
Good Morning? Thu. 24th June 2010 We woke up just after dawn to a light drizzle, but it soon blew over and the skies were clear again. Everyone looks surprisingly fresh as we strike the tents and everyone works hard to transport all the kit back to the vans. We also do a huge clean up operation of the area leaving it absolutely spotless. Well done. We drive back to Berea for breakfast and ablutions then we’re ‘full on’ again – wetsuits fitted it’s round the corner to Abereiddy Bay to try Sea Kayaking/Surfing and Coasteering. The children are really up for this and the Coasteering is particularly popular. The party traverse their way around the rocks, leaping in and out of the sea, encountering jellyfish and oystercatchers. The ‘Toilet’ is a small rounded inlet, where the breakers lift you up, suck you down and swirl you around – James, Aman and Mika enjoyed this while Mr Udi and Rudy were flushed away together.
Down the Toilet! Everybody is looking forward to the immense challenge of the high jumps and it is amazing that so many were happy to hurl themselves from the high rocks. Only one brave soul managed it last year – it is amazing how much more inviting everything seems in fine weather! Meanwhile it’s chaos on the ocean as canoes veer everywhichway, out of control in the surf. Most part company with their craft as the breakers accelerate to the shore, but in a short time people start to apply the technique and chaos gives some way to order. After an hour Carl takes those who would like to go on a trip around the headland. Over there we see the coasteerers tackling the ‘Toilet’, then we carry on and explore a few caves and inlets. We see ‘Salty’ the seal again and he sends his regards.
Coasteering Over lunch, the two groups exchange bravura tales of their exploits before swapping over. The surf has died down now so the kayakers explore the coast from the sea while the coasteerers explore the land. The ‘toilet’ is unfortunately ‘out of order’ as the tide has come up too high now, but that opens up other opportunities and Borja amazes us on the ‘Ramp’ with his headlong rush and dive into the lagoon. Back home for supper, we freshen up and say our formal thanks and goodbyes to Jet and Carl who will be leaving early the next day. Our delegations speak well and express their gratitude. Katy is particular eloquent in her appreciation. All sorts of wild dorm raids are planned but no one has any energy left and Mr Barron’s duty night is easier than he might have expected as snoring is the only disruption to the silence after lights out.
Not for the weak of spirit! Fri. 25th June 2010 It’s a very slow take up at breakfast. Everything is ready but the dining area is deserted. After loud military-style rousing, dribs and drabs of tired children arrive, but they quickly perk up with a little food. Washing, packing & tidying take up the early hours before we meet up for a short debrief on the grass in front of the farmhouse. Mr Guest says that he is delighted with the way the week has gone and the way that everyone has worked together to make a success of the trip. There is no doubt that there have been some great adventurers in the group, but each individual has contributed in their own way, working together to make for a very happy party. The duties were not well done at first but the groups got better and better as the week went on and you got used to the regime here. There was very little equipment, clothes or rubbish left behind after events and the atmosphere was really positive throughout. The only point that our instructors mentioned was that it was always hard to get your attention to give you directions - they were reluctant to mention this as they were absolutely delighted with the way you went about things in every other way. The farmer who owns the property said, 'The boys and girls are a credit to their school and their parents - Eagle House will always be most welcome to stay here.' Mr Gillam said that the individuals in this party will almost undoubtedly find themselves as leaders at some point in their lives - probably sooner rather than later. He asked the question, 'What kind of leader would you want to be?' He hoped that we can be the kind that gets the best out of people, helping them to achieve great things. The drive home is smooth. We make a few stops en route at Carmarthen and The Severn View before arriving at Eagle House in good time. We say our thank yous and goodbyes and the party breaks up. Someone mentioned that there is a World Cup happening.
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