Our GORGEus day

Posted on | By CMay800 | 1 Comment

Today we went to the gorge. It took about a 45 minute drive in the minibus. What we had to do was walk and climb up a gorge without falling in, unlike Robert who spent most of the day in the water up to his waist…

What we had to wear while we were there was; wellington boots and waterproof trousers and jacket which Robert didn’t have so he had to wear a black bin bag (Which didn’t keep him dry at all).

The whole day was really fun although about a third of the way up Mike our instructor got kind of angry with us so we had to go and sit in a circle and think about what we had done! After that we apologized and promised to listen to what h had to say. Afterwards we climbed further and did some really fun activities. Like Falling backwards into the water, sliding down the rocks like a water slide and the press up challenge – which is where you hang over the water and move along trying not to fall in.
But the one thing they all had in common was that the water was cold.
Very cold.

After that we climbed further until we reached a waterfall. It was really funny as Mike tricked all the boys into believing that they had to either throw the smallest person over the top so they could throw tie a rope and we could climb up or that somebody had to swim through an underwater passage and climb up to tie a rope so everybody could follow them up. And yes they believed him.
We also had to sit underneath the waterfall and talk to the Goddess of the Gorge and say “Hello Goddess of the Gorge, my name is (Charlotte), Thank you for keeping me safe”.  But don’t worry there was a path that lead up around the waterfall to the top.
At the top there was a small pool of water that we could jump into which was really fun!

Overall the whole day was probably the best out of all of them, which we all agreed on. When we were walking back Mike made us all stand in a circle – shoulder to shoulder then rate the day out of ten. In teamwork, overall fun and how good we felt and all of them had an overall high rating.

Today was probably the best activity as it involved a lot more different and challenging things also they were a bit more dangerous that made it more fun to do!  It was more challenging as the was really strong in some parts so you had to hold on tighter or would end up falling in, which a lot of people did! So we all had a really good day and wish we could do it again, although we can’t  🙁

By Charlotte May and Robert Dew

To The Top

Posted on | By ETerziyski478 | 3 Comments

An early start began the day, when we found out we were going to be climbing Tryfan, a small mountain nearby. We were all really excited and couldn’t wait to get started. Molly, Maria and Dan provided us with entertainment on the minibus to start off. Although their singing was funny it wasn’t the best singing we had heard. On the bus certain people were given some safety equipment to carry with them, Maria was given a rope, and Ben was given a yellow safety shelter for emergencies.

When we arrived at Tryfan, we tried to work out the route ahead of us. We thought it would be best if we just made our way to the top, using the hardest route possible! Mr Alderson warned us that the last half of the walk would be climbing.

To begin with the walk was very tiring, but we were all determined to reach the top. The regular short breaks helped a lot and allowed everyone to regain their breath and strength. The walking part took us roughly an hour. We then reached the long climb up the jagged rocks all the way to the summit.

The climb was challenging and took us longer than expected. Mr Alderson took the lead and found the most safe and sturdy route. We stayed in a single file line helping each other to find foot and hand holds along the way. The summit seemed decades away, but before we knew it we reached the top (with no casualties, just a few wet trousers!!!), it was very scary and high.

At roughly 1 o’clock we sat down in a sheltered area at the summit to stop and eat lunch. We were all really hungry and relieved that we were allowed to eat at last. When everyone had finished their lunch we started our descent. Mr Alderson gave us some tips about how to stay on our feet when climbing down the loose rocks and stones.

When we got about a quarter of the way down Maria realised that she had left the rope at the top, Mr Alderson was not best pleased L, as the cheapest climbing ropes cost £60.There wasn’t time to head back up, so we have asked the groups who are going to Tryfan tomorrow to look for the missing rope.

The descent was tricky and Ellie fell on her bum 19 times (God knows how many bruises!!!). On the way down we saw jet planes speeding low down along the valley, not a sight you see every day! Also Will and Ben decided it would be a good idea to be blessed by the Welsh water. This meant lying down by the riverside and shoving your face in the ice cold water and getting brain freeze, it was so tempting to push them in!

The weather forecast was not brilliant and thunder and lightning was expected. Whilst we were making our way down we were shocked by a massive crash of thunder. This was then followed by two curtains of visible rain closing into us in the middle of the valley. We all scrambled to get our waterproofs on before the rain hit us, unfortunately, we were not quick enough and we got extremely wet. The rain didn’t last very long, even though it was very heavy.

We all carried on walking back towards the minibus. The path was reasonably wet and muddy. Several members of our group became very muddy, very quickly. Will managed to fall face first into to a mud puddle, funny to watch but not so fun for him. Emily felt it would be fun to jump in every puddle in sight, splashing Esme with mud in the process.

After a fun and exciting day, we made our way back to the minibus. We took off our waterproofs and packed them in our rucksacks. Molly, Maria and Dan began singing again and they made the whole minibus sing along with them. When we got back to the centre we were desperate for showers and dinner, we didn’t have to wait too long. After dinner we were all told where to meet and the majority went outside to do activities. One group was taken to a local climbing wall and our group was taken to blogging in the lecture room where we are now. It’s been a great and enjoyable day, though we are now looking forward to bed.

Written by Ellie and Esme xxx

Born Slippy

Posted on | By JVoss735 | No comments

We started our journey to Cable Bay (Anglesey) for our sea level traversing. It was very… amusing with the anonymous Human Jukeboxes providing a very O.K.ish performance. As we got to on the bay Jez (our instructor) provided us with a safety briefing after that we started climb up a wall and started to traverse

To start off it was really slippery and got worse as we went on.As we came round a corner there was a few big waves that nearly took us out. Just as we thought everything was going alright someone slipped in and got soaked up to the waist, it was quite funny. We also had to go on some stepping stones which were also slightly slippery and not very stable. Which also meant more people started to slip over.

Next we had to go through a cave to reach the cliff top. It was a bit of a tight squeeze which made us have to shuffle up to the top with our backs against the side of the rock. Once everyone got up we went back to the minibus to get some extra equipment for the rest of the activities and lunch.

Today’s lunch was not as good as yesterday but the shortbread was AWESOME!!!. Next we had to put on our harnesses, some people to soooo long but we got it done in the end. Jez took us back down and set up the next challenge for us…We went a different way than to begin but still had to traverse along a wall. This one was mostly climbing up rocks and over rock pools eventually we got to a grass area where we stopped and until they called us over. There was a rope leading us up to the cliff top for support which we attached to our cowstails and helped us get to Mr White who was taking mug shots(again)

Mr White, probably the best American I have ever met!!!

As we got to him we walked up a tiny bit and got straight to the terylene which was a bit like a zip wire but you were pulling yourself back. We had to try flip over the top however only one of us managed to do it.

There was friendly bet going on between one of us and Troll. If he couldn’t flip over the rope in 2 tries we got 2 Yorkie bars but if he did we owed him one. Obviously we won but as him being such a sore loser he tried to divert the bet. Which he didn’t let us agree on and he won anyway. Jess Voss the ninja flipped over and made it look easy whilst the rest of us tried and failed.

Then the weather went horrible but we were able to take pictures of a rare double rainbow 🙂 on the way back the human jukeboxes were making O.Kish music until the girls joined in. When we got back we were very surprised, after being last back every day so far, we were first back!!

Written by Jess Voss and Pepee le Peui

Morning

Posted on | By Mr White | No comments

Hello from Keith and Mr White… The pupils are about to get up, we have just finished reading their blogs, spotting the odd (I do teach PE!) spelling mistake and seeing the joys of a poetic mind… haha, a small wind becomes a hurricane or walking within 10 yards of a cliff about 6.4 yards high becomes one step from death :o)

We have been very pleased with what the pupils have achieved so far, taking on and finishing tasks they thought would never ever ever ever ever be completed :o) WELL DONE

Looks like it might be another wet day for many, so we need to eat our cooked breakfast before the vultures come down.

Mr White

Spy teachers…

Posted on | By GWhatley711 | 2 Comments

WOW!!! What a fantastic day!! Only day 3 of our adventure and we have all ready Concord Mount Snowdon and have made it all the way up the gorge and even been saved from the evil pixies by the goddess of the gorge, but today has been great!..

We managed to clamber over a hill through the muddy pits of doom and all this on our own with just a map and a great team of young people. Me, (Jess); me, (Gregory); Dan; Tasha; and Lucy, stayed at the back to keep everything moving (or Greg was keeping me, (Jess), Tasha; Dan; and Lucy moving!!)

The day got off with a great start with Jess V leading the way and Gregory at the back helping everyone who were lagged a bit behind. We slid through the trees and mud on our way to get to the other side. We all thought we were on our own until we realized Mr. White was watching every single move we made just like a spy! We made it all the way to Mr. White in his little roofless house to have some of our snacks, and then carried on, this time Jez watching our every move like he was on a secret mission to make sure us kids were ok.

We made it to this picnic type place and had the rest of our lunch with so Michael ate about 5 and a half Alpine bars that no one else wanted, except, Mr. White who, had mine, (Jessica C), and some other people’s blueberry muffins ;)…

We then got moving with Jez this time to get over the , and then he went off…

We got to the end of the track and made it! Jez told us a story about not jumping to conclusions and then we were off!!!!!

High five’s all round!

On the way back we made a little stop at a little place where you could do abseiling! We all clawed and scratched at each other fighting who would go first but in the end we decided to go in lunch box order. First it was Scarlett, but she passed, being scared of heights abit!All then went Lucy first, then a bunch of other people. When I (Jess!) went down, I was well pleased with myself. I managed to make it all the way down without hurting my part of my body! I even managed to jump once or twice! Scarlett was scared she was going to die, so Mr. White came up with a bet, if she lived, then she had to give him a high five, she took the bet, and also took about half an hour to get down with Jez, but she got there eventually, well done. Me, (Gregory), well I got down the classic way, bounding down the cliff as if I had done it like a hundred times before, Michael virtually fell down, and Dan, almost imbedded his face in the rock. I found Will Scarlett with a small, and thought it was because she now had to high five Mr. White. Ha! But she was happy

All around, what a great day we all had and well done Mr. White for getting a high five off of Will Scarlett.

Thanks for reading!

By Jess and Gregory

(Jesse’s) P.S: hey Mum hey Dad (Ollie, Ben, Nellie, Tim, Simon and Jack!) thanks for letting me go on this trip I am really enjoying it and can’t wait to tell you all about it, see you when I get home, love you lots xxx

(Greg’s) P.S: Hi Mum, Dad, David, Ash, how are you, can’t wait to be back home soon, and I’ll tell you more then… Bye!

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

Washed up!!

Posted on | By JFarley133 | 1 Comment

Today, we traveled in the minibus to the Island Of Anglesey which took a 45 minute drive from the KMC. Our activity was sea level traversing, which involves climbing horizontally along the bottom of the cliff face. But the sea was really rough and we got wet as the waves came smashing against us. We were given certain pieces of equipment which involved; A helmet, Water proof trousers and jacket, a harness, a cows tail (which is a piece of rope with two clips either end) and life jackets.

Our instructors were Mike and Keith, Mike was like a ninja moving along the rocks! What we had to do was climb along the rocks with no help apart from the rope. It was really fun especially when the waves splashed other people. Some people were really fast but others were really slow… Poppy 😉

There were two paths we had to take, which involved moving from one bit of rock to the other without falling in. Luckily no one did, but we would’ve been allowed to all jump in at the end but because of the weather the sea was really rough and also it was high tide so you couldn’t see all the rocks underneath. So if you jumped in it was quite possible you could be killed;D

The second path was moving along a vertical wall which had hardly any places to put your hands or feet. It was quite hard as the first few people didn’t know where to put your hands or feet, but the last few had seen others do and knew where to put their hands and feet although when it was their turn the tide was even higher covering a few of the foot holds making them get even wetter! After the awkward climb across we sat up on top of the rock and listened to Poppy’s hilarious laugh which is a mix of a scream and the sound a seagull makes.

While we did this Mike being a ninja went back around and attached a rope going down. So it was a tyrolean traverse across the water in between the rocks, Which was really fun to go down. You were hanging above the water. Although you had to time it right otherwise you got really wet, Like Jack.

After the activity we sat down and ate our snacks that we saved from our lunch. I had a mars bar and some fruit… pastilles. Then we went back to the mini-bus and got changed… behind a bush. And as the girls were finishing getting changed a group of old men walked past with their dogs!!!… personal favourite moment of the day. Also the WORST moment of the day!!!!

Jack Farley and Charlotte May:D

OUR AMAZING GORGE ADVENTURE

Posted on | By BHornsey554 | 3 Comments

We woke up at seven o’clock feeling excited about the day ahead of us. We then sat down to a lovely English breakfast. We got our warm dry clothes ready for the soaking wet day. We got in the coach and got ready for a forty five minute journey to the gorge. During the drive we saw lots of sheep and we sang many random songs.

We put on our harnesses and our helmets we got in the river and started our journey up the river. We wanted to find a frog but i never did :(. We had to make many long jumps which were hard for our little legs. We were first to get our heads under water but we were pleased about it. There were many times when if we slipped we could die, but we were in good hands. Luckily we weren’t with Mr White(JOKES). Our wellies were always full with water and we were wet in a couple of seconds of being in the water. We climbed up using rope sometimes as well. We did many activities including a small waterfall which we slid down we also crawled under a rocks and we swum under rocks as well. This was very tiring fighting the currents all day but it was definitely worth it , it was one of the funniest things we’ve ever done. Even the people who don’t like sport would enjoy this. About half way there the rocks started to get really slippery so people started to slide off track, but we didn’t. Ellie and a few more people face planted the rocks but there helmets saved them from getting hurt. Near the end there was a long rocky slide that sir told us to go down it and right at the end of the slide every body stopped for some reason.

every body in our group was really hungry because we could not eat till we were down the gorge and dry also from the start nearly every body wanted the toilet but couldn’t go till the end. Then we jumped in to a pool it was like pier jumping but safer. After we walked down one of the steepest roads ever then we got changed under a bridge then we drove home.

THE END

BY BEN & WILL

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 =)

Another day on Snowdon

Posted on | By LSrivalsanJones104 | 1 Comment

Hello, this is Lara Srivalsan Jones and Alice Rawson, here to tell you about our day on the highest mountain in England and Wales, Snowdon. The day began with another daily meeting with our leaders Mike and Keith, and our group us, Poppy, Lauren, Charlotte, Jack, Sam, Robert and Tom. We planned the route up Snowdon, and got our stuff together. We then set off in the mini bus. We arrived at our destination after about a 15 minute drive. After a quick briefing about equipment safety measures we started the long trek up, at first a simple flat walk around the lake, where we took it in turns to lead the group with a map, in little groups, all with group names. Our group consisted of us and tom and according to Tom our name was and still is Alpha Tom. Little did we know what was coming up ahead. The mountains surrounding us were so stunning that we had many stops, one by some old ruins, where we stopped for a snack and a hot drink. From this spot we got our first clear view of the enormous task ahead of us.

We then started the steep incline up Snowdon, which soon turned into a scramble up the rocks. Every now and again we got a glimpse of the other groups on their ascent of the mountain. After another hour or so scrambling up the rocks, quick breaks and walking up giant steps we eventually reached the top of the mountain (1083 feet above sea level) where we all congratulated or achievement together.

From the top we were completely surrounded by clouds, so could not see the bottom, and got very wet! We then stopped for lunch and a drink (not many people can say they’ve had lunch on the highest mountain in England and Wales!). It was freezing, but the views (or of what we could see) made up for the temperature and mist.

After lunch, and pictures, we then started the long descent down the mountain. Thankfully we didn’t go down the steep and difficult route we came up on. Instead we took a long, wet and winding path which followed the railway down the mountain. The path was also wet and slippery there so, there was lots of slips and wet and muddy bums! The views were spectacular from so high up. The group stayed together except for a few wanderers and stragglers that we had to keep waiting for! Exhausted and aching everywhere we all finally arrived at the minibus and headed back to the centre where we were very glad of a warm shower and rest! In total the walk took us about 5 hours and was an amazing day out! It was such an amazing, if a bit tiring day and it was such an incredible achievement for us all and it’s definitely a day we will all never forget!!

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