Category: Louise’s Group 2011

Louise’s Group on Crimpiau – Friday

Posted on | By KYesil346 | No comments

Hi my name is Kaan. I am writing our last day in Wales, we went to Mount Crimpiau (Crinkly mountain) and we Abseiled down a rocky slope. We started our journey with a 20 minute bus drive, to keep ourselves entertained we all sang our songs sometimes songs that were not necessarily amazing but when we got there we were all in high spirits. When we got there we climbed the first part without many interruptions or delays but then we started walking in marshland and bogs that was when it all started to go wrong. Most of the way the path was full of mud and little ponds with more mud. We was half way through the muddy path but then there was a person crying for help (“THE MUD HAS EATEN MY FOOT!!!” was the cry), as we all went back to see who it was we found Martin waist deep in the boggy mud. Half of us spent a little time trying to pull him out as the other half was taking pictures and laughing. Soon enough we started scrambling and walking up the mountain, having a little lunch break in between our journey to get to the top of Mount Crinkly. Later on we found out there was more muddy paths we had to go through, but we got through those paths easily and we were at the top of the mountain.

We made our journey back down pretty easily, and then our instructor set us a task leaving us just a map to help us to get to a bridge by ourselves. We had done pretty well on that, taking our time to get to the bridge. After that we had one last task to do, we went abseiling down a short cliff which everyone found was fun. The bus journey back was another 20 minutes before we all got back, sodden, mucky but cheerful.

We had out last dinner at the Kent Mountain Centre, after that we had certificates given out and had a quiz at the end of the night.

My time at the Kent Mountain Centre has been a great experience and an enjoyable time, and I would recommend to come on this trip.

Wheels on the Bus

Posted on | By RNoone157 | 1 Comment

On this fine day or not so fine in the morning we woke up at the breakfast bell. Today we were probably the most tired we’d been so far when waking up, but the idea of getting soaked in the gorge changed that.

After breakfast we were told that we were going to go gorge walking. It was about a forty-five minute drive to the gorge, we were so tired we (Charley and Róisín) fell asleep. After a bit of lunch we got off the bus and had to get on our harnesses which like yesterday made Charley feel like Spiderman…

We went through the forest and found the bottom of the gorge, which was full of rocks and lots of small waterfalls with a huge one at the end. It didn’t take long before we started slipping off Elliot, being the first man down. It was pretty challenging to get up at parts but the worst bit was definitely the first time you fell in one of the pools and the cold water got into your boots! When we were about 1/3 of the way up Louise set up another zip wire thing between two of the rocks which was really fun.

Next we went up a few more waterfalls which were hard because we couldn’t see where the next rock was and sometimes we had to pull ourselves up. Next Louise said we could go the easy way or the hard way and we ended up going through the elephant butt. It was basically just two huge rocks leaning against each other half in water with a pretty small hole in the middle. We had to sit down up to your waist in FREEZING water and slide through the hole which was quite scary because we were worried we couldn’t get through half way. It was optional but most of us did it anyway. We then climbed up another small waterfall slipping another few hundred times. When we were pretty close to the top, we took off our harnesses and left them on a patch of grass, it was great not needing to carry them anymore. Going up the last few waterfalls was hard as there was so many deep parts which we didn’t know were there so we fell into pools almost up to our chest. D:

Once we got to the top we climbed along some of the rocks and slid into the water. We walked underneath the waterfall on stepping stones and there was a gap which was the shape of a chair which was really cool because we could sit in it and stay dry for a few precious seconds before getting into the really deep pool. We thought there was more stepping stones but there wasn’t so we were both on the last one screaming at each other not to let go because we didn’t want to get cold. Eventually we manned up and pushed each other in. We were standing neck deep in the freezing water as Kaan floated past us on his buoyancy aid and couldn’t get back up. We wish we could say that we helped him.

Then we swam and walked awkwardly full of water to the water fall we had recently climbed and slid don it like woooossshhhhhhhhhhh and then we climbed back up for another go! We then climbed down more of the smaller waterfalls that we had climbed up to start with. Once we had finished and Kaan had finished floating we got back to the grass patch where we had put our harnesses previously. Then we walked down the slope where we met the other group and we walked back down to the car park. We got dressed in the woods, the girls on one side and the boys on the other.

Back in the coach we had more lunch before driving back to the centre. Today charley decided to sing the wheels on the bus again in attempt to get them to put the radio on of course every one joined except an odd few (Kaan bashing his head against a window).  After the tenth verse we admitted defeat and gave up. Kaan was hitting Róisín with his hat so she stole it and he went metal but he EVENTUALLY got it back.

– Charley and Róisín

Sustenance, Sea and Soggy Socks

Posted on | By ELoft711 | No comments

Eight teenagers, one teacher and one instructor plus cliffs, waves and a windy day equal’s terror, aching muscles and plenty of slips. This is an equation many of us learnt today. Wrapped up in waterproofs and thick fleeces we marched down the beach to our doom….

Okay, so here is what happened next in the easiest way possible:

  • Slips
  • Screams
  • LOTS of screams
  • Grief
  • Relief
  • Small holes- big squeezes!

And now for………………………… LUNCH!

After our lunch we strapped ourselves into safety gear (“Anyone feel too safe?” “I feel like some sort of spy…”) and started our adventure on the cliffs. Scrambling our way across wet rocks and seaweed we were yet to realise what was to come…

Now; for the best part! Tyrolene! (For those parents that just went ‘huh?- Tyrolene?‘ a zip wire)… so our instructor Louise amazingly tied a rope from a rock to another rock – you have to see it to understand ‘LOL’ we zip wired (Pru manically humming the Indiana Jones theme tune…) from a to b and Holly’s shoe fell off!!!!! So well done everyone we did it! Then ………….. The bubble bath, willingly I (Elliott) went first climbing back up – you have never seen a wave like ours! Everyone laughing watching me get bombarded by the ocean’s weapons …

I decided to go second and since I’m not the tallest, I was up to my shoulders in foam and seawater. Because of the foam I couldn’t see the rocks I was meant to stand on and had to hang onto the wall whilst I was buffeted by waves and foam. Screams and squeals were popular ways of communicating. “I never want to have a bubble bath again! Aaaah!”

Now, it’s sadly the end. Well , what do we finish off with?! Well I (Elliott) gladly convinced everyone INCLUDING the instructor to BAYWATCH RUN into the sea! Now that was an experience!

Best part of the day :

zip wire AND bubbles

Worst part of the day:

Bubbles! and slipping LOL.

My best AND worst part of the day had to be the bubbles, I never knew something so innocent looking could be so horrible! My quote has to be “Don’t put that on the blog! My mum reads that!”

by Elliott Loft and Prudence Vary

Snowdon – Louise’s Group, Tuesday

Posted on | By AMcguire535 | 1 Comment

We got up early and we had a good filling breakfast which prepared us for the long journey we had ahead of us. This was a climb to the top of mount Snowdon which is the highest mountain in England and Wales(1080m). We left at around 9:40 and took a 20 odd minute to the base of the trail. The trail was long and many people found the high steps difficult. We then endured a long walk to the base of the moutnain where we met several other people – this must mean its a popular route. =)

We couldn’t believe how beautiful the scenery was and the height we had to climb. There was two huge lakes, towering mounds of rock and swirling white clouds that where like cotton candy. We kept a good pace to begin with, pausing when needed to drink some warm cocoa, even though Mathew kept stopping to take pictures.

However the speed of our ascent was halted slightly as the mountain streams ran over the rocks and some of us slipped but nobody was injured in the slightest. We kept overtaking and being overtaken by group two but we all took this light hartidly – of course, it doesn’t matter who got to the top first, its the way you get there that matters!

(Courtesy of Abi: It doesn’t matter who got there first of all the groups, hundreds of other people have already done it. We will get there anyway!)

The route was long and arduous and we were getting tired. Everyone got there and it was awesome becuase of the clouds we couldn’t see around us because of the clouds swirling around us in a beautiful flurry, so we relied on each other to find our way to the very peak.

The group all helped each other with words of encouragement.

The people in our group were Matthaw H. Martin D. Kaan Y.  Prudence V. Roisone N. Charlotte T. Elliot L. Abigail McG. and Holly W. Lol

We all found the journey downhill more fun as we could chat and have more fun. Everyone was smiling and was happy.

There was a building that we passed that was half demolished but seemed a beautiful building when it was not ruined.

We found our own pace was different to others so we waited for them to catch up.

Our instuctor Louise was nice and was a fantastic teacher who told us many, many, many interesting facts about the history of Snowdon and all of the surrounding area.

The end of the walk ended in a horrible rainstorm – luckily, we were so tired by this point that we didn’t really care what the weather was like. Therefore, we returned to the centre a happy, but exhausted, group of hikers.

But WOW, everyone feels proud of our achievement! So we shall leave you with a few quotes to smile about.

–  ” Goodbye my beloved Cliffard and my beloved Cliffard senior, I will never forget you.” *

–  ” Woah! Gravity sheep are awesome.” **

– “Oooh damn – I have no tea left!!! ” ***

*Cliffard is a giant rock sticking out of the ground. Cliffard seniori s the same but 4 ft higher. One member of our team got emotionally attached to Cliffard. Goodness knows why

**Gravity Sheep are sheep that are standing in the weirdest places that nobody knows how they get there – the only posible way they could have got there is by diffying gravity and flying

***Prudence absolutely adores tea

By Matthew and Abigail =)

Scenery, Sheep and Success

Posted on | By HWhite918 | 1 Comment

Heyy people.Today was our first day here! we started off on a half hour minibus ride. then We climbed a 400m mountain. it was really hard because the mountain was so steep. Elliot suggested tomorrow we tackle Mount Snowdon. WE were just like noo because today’s mountain is 400m & Mount Snowdon is just like 3 times the size. Today’s was hard enough. The walk was worse than the climbing though. the way up was really hard. we had to walk through rocks & stuff & i fell over like 500million times. there was a stream running down beside the paths at some point. the scenery was sooo pretty:). it wasn’t raining so we could see the scenery better. there was loads of mountains & little streams it was just amazing. we saw loads of sheep & prudence did her weird sheep noise & creeped everyone out. the walk was really steep and wet. i kept slipping on wet rocks & stuff. we kept having breaks & at one point we were just eating & exchanging penguin jokes. after that there was a less steep walk and then we had to scramble for a bit. Abigail kept managing to get her hands caught on the prickly bushes. the scrambling was the most fun bit of the whole day. it was very challenging though. everyone helped each other we had good co-operation thankfully. after that we were at the summit. the feeling was really rewarding by the time we got to the top. everyone was soo glad and we spent ages taking pictures & checking wind speed & stuff. the best scenery was the most pretty on the summit. we could see the little village Beddgelert in a tiny valley down the mountain.

the whole thing was amazing.

Of course, what goes up, must go down. The journey down the mountain was harder than going up. This was because at the part where we had to scramble, we didn’t have as many handholds.After this though, everyone was pleased to finally be going downhill! we had gone quite far from the mountain when we came across a rocky river path. This was one of the hardest parts of the day, but I thought it was the most fun part, because the rapids were beautiful and viscous. Some of the rock pathways were really thin and small, but the people who looked after this part of Wales kindly provided handholds. After we emerged from the ‘Rapid Path’, we had a clear pathway the the village of Beddgelert.

With a cry of “CIVILIZATION!!!” from Abigail, we set off. On the way to the village, we came across a small memorial ruin and a grave. This was Beddgelert. Not the village. Beddgelert is the welsh for The Grave of Gelert.

The tale of Gelert…

In the thirteenth century, in wales, there was a man named Llellwyn. He was the prince of wales, and was known as the greatest huntsman for miles around. His best friend was his hunting dog, Gelert. The pair were inseparable, the most fearsome hunting team in the kingdom. One day, Llellwyn could not find Gelert anywhere. He was very worried, but went off hunting without Gelert, assuming he was at home guarding Llellwyn’s baby son. Llellwyn returned home after a hard day’s hunt, and at once knew something was wrong. The house was deathly quiet. Llellwyn entered the house, and saw his son’s cot, overturned, the sheets torn and blooded. Suddenly, Gelert walked into the room, tail wagging and blood dripping from his mouth and paws. Llellwyn was overcome with a surge of anger, he thought Gelert has ripped his son to pieces. Llellwyn drew his sword, and struck the dog dead in one mighty blow. The dog screamed and died. Almost like an echo, Llellwyn heard the familiar cry of his baby son. He looked under the overturned cot, saw his son, and the corpse of a massive wolf. Gelert had defended the baby from the wolf, and Llellwyn had killed Gelert, his lifetime companion and best friend. Llellwyn was said never to smile again.

Quotes of the day

Matthew- no matter what injuries i have, no matter what the weather, as long as i have food i will be OK
Elliot- its the best day ever
Martin- this mountain water tastes funny
Miss Hodgett- you’ve already fallen over 500 times holly, are you trying to break the 1000 mark?
Abigail- CIVILIZATION!!! we are saved

by holly & martin 🙂 xxxx

2011 Activity reports

Posted on | By Mr Alderson | No comments
Intense blogging in the lecture room at KMC
Intense blogging in the lecture room at KMC

Our aim is to publish at least one daily report for each activity group (written by the group members) along with photos of their adventures.
Typically, posts will appear during the evening but I am sure you will understand if things take a little longer.