This Lily and Courtney’s account of today. We started with a half hour journey to the mountain Cnicht, on the way Nick, Adam and Ed started singing the Friends theme tune with amazing harmonies. When we got there we looked at the summit of the mountain, and all thought that the day would be easier than yesterday. As we went along the day we realised this was true. The girls put their waterproofs on as soon as we got off the mini bus, the boys were complaining that we were taking too much time. We began walking up a steep stream, with a few breaks by the stone walls. We used these for rests, shelter from the weather, drinking and eating. It then started raining and the boys were forced to put their waterproofs on, and they started to complain and took more time than the girls. We then continued up the mountain, which started to get easier. Along the way we had to do scrambling, sometimes there was an easier route to just continue our journey to the summit of Cnicht. Some people took the harder route and some the easier, depending on how they felt and if they were a bit more tired. The majority took the scrambling route. We stopped again roughly half way, before the journey to the very top of Cnicht. We stopped to eat, drink and rest. Just before we started walking again the typical Welsh weather decided to hail on us. We saw a man with a dog coming back down the mountain, so let him pass before we continued. Jasmine and Darcie then stroked him, which led them to missing their own dogs. When Lou started talking to the man, he told her that it wasn’t his dog. The dog was a stray that had led and followed the man to show him a safe way up and down the mountain. The stray dog then followed us part of the way up, then went back to the man in red. We found that climbing up the peak of the mountain was less tiring, even though the wind was very strong blowing us in every direction. We continued up and when we were at the summit of the mountain we all had a group photo. When you looked behind us, the drop was very steep and the wind was blowing us towards the drop. The walk back down was much funnier and more relaxed. It started off with a steep walk, but then flattened out and became very boggy, this is where everyone started slipping over, except Nick. Nick was laughing his head off whilst everyone was giggling in the background. We continued whilst everyone was slipping and trying their hardest not to fall. Lily, Courtney and Jasmine were falling over every 5 minutes in the bogs and the slippery rocks with the rest of our team falling over as well. We then started walking down more rocks, and this is when Nick’s karma began. He started slipping and fell over. One of the times when he fell he just stayed lying in the boggy mud until the rest of our team caught up. This was funny because his gloves had just dried, when he slipped and made them wet again. We continued walking, which Nick then rushed ahead in the wrong direction (Oops). We then saw some sheep and the first thing Jasmine said was “The sheep have their ears pierced” which was obviously a fashion statement. We then continued the trek downwards. When we got to the road Nick and Courtney had a race back to the mini bus, which Courtney won! Her first completed Mountain. On the way back we were all singing a trilogy of songs with amazing harmonies for Ed, and great songs to all join in on.
Author: Mr Alderson
Jez’s group – Monday
Miss HODGETT’S group – Sunbeams
The coach journey was very tiring, then everyone had to sit through a load of meetings about the drying rooms and the kit. After dinner, we all had to go get our kit and then Miss Hodgett wrote down all the codes in the coats, fleeces , waterproof trousers and boots.
Some people were angry that they had to go on a walk after dark. We split into two groups. The one I was in went along the lake. Mr White made us turn all our torches off, and there were some scary bits, like when we all stood on the weak bridge and there were some slippery rocks which we had to climb down in the dark.
Mr White and Keith told us about the Lady of the Lake, which is a Welsh myth about a woman who used to row across the lake to see her boyfriend. One day, the boat sank and she drowned. If you see her on the lake (all glowing and white and scary), then you have to propose marriage to the person you’re with. In the end, everyone was scared of her instead, and we all kept screaming.
We mostly had to have our torches off. Craig’s shoelaces kept coming undone (we had to stop, shout at everyone about the lack of team work and “man down”).
When we got to another part of the lake, there was a small slate house. Mr White told us about a toll keeper who would make sure people wouldn’t steal the slate from inside the mountain. If they did, he’d run out and slam the gate.
Keith slammed the gate in the dark and everyone screamed.
Highlight: Ed fell into the marsh. There were wooden walk ways, splitting in two directions and he fell between them.
Soon, we had to climb up some rocks (I shone my torch up, caught a load of sheep and their eyes looked like lazers. It was horrible) to the castle. Mr White said something about the layout and strategy, then he let us go up the steps. I was at the back, making patterns on the ground with my torch and everyone started screaming again. The other group had come around the other way and scared our group.
When they’d left, we all tried to go up to the top of the castle. Some people say there was a spider but I wasn’t concentrating. Mr White tried to tell us more and Craig held up a coffee cup he’d found and said there was another ghost.
The rest of the walk was pretty boring. We had to stop even more. I stayed in the back (we said it was because if everyone else died, we’d be able to run). Soon, we got back, with more biscuits. The girls in my room were angry because they said eleven minutes wasn’t long enough to get ready for bed. In the end, we did sleep (Lily is really loud and the bunk is creaky).
Next day.
We set off our long walk up and down the mountain at 9:30 we arrived at our mountain destination at about 10:00 it was very tiring but exciting as we managed to get all weather conditions in one including very strong winds lots of hail snow and rain the steep hills very made with slate which was very slippery and made our journey tricky and hard. Our instructor was called Jez and he was very helpful and kind. Most of the way up we all talked about Welsh and mountains we’d been on. Our team’s the Sunbeams. He said we all had to smile and bring sunbeams.
Half way up, it started hailing. And it rained really hard. Soon, it got harder as we went past a marshy bit and a huge lake. When you looked back, the view was very pretty and all the sunlight was coming down. You could also see more hail coming.
We were “scrambling” up a zig zag bit and the hail got worse. Sometimes, we’d stop to have a drink. It got really cold, and it got harder.
When we got the ridge, we stopped for ages. You could see the shadows of the clouds, and a few peaks. We were almost in the clouds, and we could see all the way to the sea. The next part was really hard, with the hail getting worse and a huge steep part of the rocks. Miss Hodgett told us that there was a bog, which a girl fell into a few years ago up to her armpits. At some points, we had to brace ourselves against the rock. It was freezing. I don’t know how the wild horses survive. When we got to the top, everyone ran around screaming and eating food. We got a few group photos and then started down. This was better—the rain and hail stopped, everyone started running down. Esme had been feeling sick, so a few people stayed behind. A few ran on really far ahead.
I (Hannah) was walking down the very steep hill and came across a deep and disgusting muddy bog it was horrible i walked over to it not knowing how deep it was going to be and fell into it and was covered in mud it was cold and wet.
Mr Alderson’s group – Monday
Raindrops – Mr ALDERSON & MR WHITE’S group
Yesterday when we first arrived we were greeted by a rather excited Jez. When we had been shown around the old building we ate dinner and went for a hike. On the way we were told some ghost stories and one of the instructors decided to try and make them more realistic. When we were about half way through Edward Baker fell into a ditch (IT WAS HILARIOUS). At the end of the walk we came to a derelict prison. As we walked up the steps the other group was there and they jumped out at us. We then came back to the centre for a little supper and then to bed at 11 o’clock.
When we woke up the next day we got showered, got changed and had breakfast. For breakfast we had sausages and a hash brown. It was very nice. Next we watched some Formula 1 in our free time and found out our groups. In our group we had the challenge of climbing three hills which was very tiring especially for the first day. We had flasks of hot chocolate with us and a nice packed lunch to keep us going. When we summited the first hill, we had to climb up these slate rocks. You just don’t realise how far up you are until you get up there. We then had some drink and set off again. We then had to go to the next summit which wasn’t as difficult this time. There wasn’t as much slate this time but finally the first person fell! We then reached the summit which took us 3 hours from the start, but then we couldn’t stop at just one.
After having a quick tea break we leaped into action heading for the our highest summit of the day this was very steep and about 1 metre either side of us was a 1500m drop. We stumbled up the steep hill and stopped for lunch at the summit. We then went down a steep hill with lots of scree (loose rocks) sliding under our feet. When we were at the bottom we could see massive slate quarries. Then we went through one of them and found out how the slate was moved around the quarry from top to bottom. We then got in the minibus and headed back to the centre for a shower and some dinner.
Charlie BURGESS and James BULLARD
Mike’s group – Monday
Mike and Keith’s group.
This is Jasmine and Darcie writing to tell you all about our fantastic day out to climb the colossal Glyder fawr. We started our day with a very chatty journey to the rendezvous, where we would start our exhilarating fight with the mountain to get to the peak destination; where later we wouldn’t be able to see our starting point from the overwhelming clouds.
As we had started escalating up what seemed like a mountain in its self, I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to make it but by pushing myself to the limits and made it to the stop. At this point I had been huffing and puffing but still had my hat on, I decided I would remove the hat my mum had gave me ‘the magic hat’ one that would keep me warm no matter what the weather, as I took the magical hat off my friend, Ella, burst out laughing as I had the WORST hat hair in the history of the Kent Mountain Centre hat hair entries in all the years Dane court had been going. After the ‘situation’ at the stop we carried on moving and as soon as we knew it, we were standing on the middle of the mountain wondering what to do with Courtney’s ankle as on the way up she had caught it in-between two very tight rocks. Unfortunately she couldn’t carry on so she and Keith had to return to the cafe at the bottom.
We triumphed up to the part of the mountain where the clouds seemed to swarm over us and we looked down for the first time in a while and there we were on the edge of the mountain staring at our soon deaths (Keith’s comment – a little bit extreme perhaps!!). We had the first cry of the day… Ella had an emotional moment as she was scared as she didn’t believe that Mike knew where he was going, we reassured her that the man who had been climbing since he was 11 years old, knew what he was doing.
No sooner we were sitting with a fellow climber on a block of rocks eating our lunch and a nice hot cup of hot chocolate from our flasks. We headed on straight to the peak, only 90 feet further up, and we posed for a photo. All sliding down the side of the mountain, we had reached the place where we started… the bottom as we, (meaning the girls) slowly made our way back to the toilets as we did not want to go on the mountain, only seeing the boys in their seats as they had decided to run back to the van (no idea where they got their energy from) and we had a peaceful return back to the house.
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Trip payments
A reminder to parents that payments for this year’s visit should currently total £130.
The next payment is due on 9 September 2013 (see below).
| Please pay | On or before |
| £100.00 (total £130.00) | Monday 1 July 2013 |
| £100.00 (total £230.00) | Monday 9 September 2013 |
| £100.00 (total £330.00) | Monday 7 October 2013 |
Please note that;
- Our on-line payment facility is not available until 1 September 2013.
However, from this date, you are encouraged to use this method of payment. - Cash or cheque payments must be handed in to the school cash office only.
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Mr Alderson’s group – Friday
Jez’s group – Friday
Lou’s group – Friday
Snowdon and the seagull
Tim’s day started off very early with an early wakeup call and having to wake everyone else in the clyd (clid) up. Whereas Lauren woke up so late that her room were late for breakfast. The breakfast was a lovely bacon slice, potato waffles and a lovely spoon of beans (please read the above in a northern accent). So as breakfast went on Tim realised that today was going to go wrong and this feeling continued until he packed his bag ready for the day and lost his lunch, waterproofs and hats as he took a spare because it would be cold up Mountain Snowdon. After packing our bags and tying our boots (which if you were Ben was rather dodgy, who feels better now) we shuffled aboard the mini bus. Today was a special day for one of the members of our group, harry, it was his birthday, and what a way to celebrate your birthday 1000 metres above sea level.
When we arrived at the car park at the bottom of the mountain we were faced with the task that lied ahead of us. we stepped out the minibus the rain was imminent and we prepared our selves by pulling on waterproofs.
We set off on the long road ahead knowing this journey would not be easy. The path we followed to begin with was known as the miners’ road as the miners’ used it to get to and from their mines on the hill and the majority on miners would stay on cottages by Britain’s most poisoned lake. As we got to hear we realised how boring it was, honestly this track JUST WENT ON AND ON AND ON. Fortunately we decided to take the most dangerous route possible of climbing up to the summit. This route looked dangerous but as we started to ascend to certain death we realised this route wasn’t dangerous it was treacherous. As timmy prayed for his life he realised this could be the end. Lauren was in tears of how scared this route was going to be, she said to Tim “Tim… Can you tuck my gloves in I’m cold” which tim replied with “oh. Of course” so the ne3xt part of this scramble (just wrote this word and made me hungry now I want egg) route was the worst part as there wasn’t many wholes fo9r feet and hands to hold into.
After we all got up to the top of this we were relieved as well as concerned for our safety. The sheep poo we found of the rocks concerned us greatly as Lozza and Timmy we beginning to get worried that the ninja sheep up here might fall off the mountain edge. We got to the top of our scramble (hungry again.) route and were now faced with the worrying route ahead; this would be the most straining, the most tiring, the most…boring…
Walking.
As we set off Colonel Alderson(who was named this by Mr. White for some reason) leisurely said that we only had a 30 minute walk till we could stop. Tim’s faced was drooped. Walking along tim and lauren heard the squawk of one of the worlds most annoying birds, the seagull. Tim turned his head and just went” nooooooooooooooooooooo.”(This sentence doesn’t work unless you think about timmy doing this is slow motion) after hearing this the day was a little more depressing and as we carried on our long path it followed us up and up.
As we got half way the walk was getting ridiculous and Timmy was getting very tired. Lauren was being an amazing friend and incoraging Timmy to carry on. By now everyone was tired and dizzy and at one point Joe one of the team members slipped down the mountain however he wasn’t damaged.
As we closed in on the summit Timmy had a mental breakdown and was begginging to slow down as he group led off into the cloud base. Ben and Timmy were at the back once again and were walking so slowly I think that the rest of the team believed the zombie apocalypse was about to begin. As saw the summit time’s face enlightened and he thanked his prayers for saving his precious life. After setting up the camp at the top Lozza ate everyone’s raisins as she was very hungry for dried grapes.
On the descent Louis decided to be a ninja however his plan soon failed and he became one of us again. The descent was long and tiring however we eventually reached the bottom. Once we were back aboard the minibus and had set off we sung happy birthday to the birthday boy harry and went down the road. Along the road we met a bus and the colonel’s driving failed him as he took off the back of the wing mirror on a wall at the side of the road because he was speeding and not being a good Samaritan by letting the zooming blur of a bus through. We got back to the centre and all lolloped out the minibus and went to unpack their bags.
During the course of the day Timmy’s zombie symptoms increased and now lozza is sitting in the lecture room fearing for her life as Timmy is beginning to turn.
So this is lozza saying goodnight and of course Timmy too
By Lauren Palmer-Jones and Tim Norman
