The final day

Posted on | By Mr Taylor

Today as the last day. Mary decided to go on a nice gentle hike and have fun. On this hike all we needed was: our clothes, our lunch, our waterproofs and our hiking boots. To get where we were going we took a van and a minibus. We parked the van at the destination where we were to finish and we took the mini bus to a lake.
We then left the minibus and walked along a rugged, public foot path. Soon we came across a bridge. At this bridge Elliot and Oscar dropped sticks to see whose would go the quickest in the water. Next, we started to walk up a stone rubble path, which meandered up a hill. Along the path we found a collection of a small house; Mary said that this would have been a shepherd’s house. She explained how he or she could watch all their livestock from his house because he or she was on a hill. Also, there was a stream and lake so there was water for his or her animals. We also ate our lunch in that house. After we ate our lunch we continued to follow the path up the hill. Then it started to rain heavily. Everyone reached for their waterproof coats. We now ascended the hill climbing over obstacles on the way. After looking at the amazing view, we descended the hill and followed a stream down over to a boggy area.
Along the downhill muddy path, we came across an old copper mine. At this mine Mary showed us how to find fool’s gold. To find it we looked for dark rocks and hit it with another rock to crack it and split it open. When you do that, sometimes you find gold and sometimes not. It’s all about luck. Klark was the first one to find fool’s gold in our group. After we had a hunt for gold we continued to descend the hill. On the way down, we saw a bench which was a memorial for a male who died while scouting. After that, we came across a river that we crossed by stepping stones. I fell in. WHOOPS! Now we continued down to a car park and ate some lunch. Next, we walked along a rapid river to the town where we parked the van.
At the town, we went to the toilet. Also, we went into a shop and brought chocolate and a drink. While we were there, Mary walked to the white van and drove to get the mini bus. While we were waiting for her, Elliot was talking to sir on how ‘Supreme’ [the brand] is good compared to other brands and explaining why it is ‘rare and expensive.’ When Mary got there, we climbed into the minibus and everyone fell asleep and it was silent. The only people awake were the teachers.

By Isaac Croft

Llyn Aderyn Lunge

Posted on | By Mr Alderson

Friday was unfortunately the final day of challenges of our action packed and adventurous week. We were instructed, by our instructor Mike, to carry out a set of tasks. We were given maps and had to undertake roles of leader, navigator and back-marker; only this time with a twist! Mike wanted both our independent and team-working skills to shine through.
The first activity was both exciting and heart-wrenching at the same time. The group was tasked with abseiling off the bridge adjacent to the location of the KMC. Mike set up some tricky and spectacularly tight knots, which gave the rope a certain tightness to it. The group geared up and clipped on their harnesses before abseiling down towards the ground beneath the rusty bridge. Once we had reached ground level of the bridge, Mike waved us off before we set out on our journey towards the first marked point on the map; the coal mine museum.
We had decided between ourselves that Jake would be our leader, with Cobi and myself as the back-markers, and Sophie as our sophisticated navigator. We journeyed on a path towards the museum, slumbering past rocky roads and back- woods covered in foliage, with scattered leaves and animal defecation aftermaths.
We reached the first point a little over twenty minutes after we had set off and Mike stood eagerly with orienteering maps for us to acquire. The task was to find landmarks in a certain surrounding area of the coal mine museum from which we were able to collect letters that coincided with the numbers given out. We explored top to bottom with the aim of collecting further information for our task and uncovering a secret message/code. Due to the fact of our time limit to perform each activity, Mike frequently checked our progress on finding a fair ‘chunk’ of the letters. He told us we were to meet him at the ‘land rover track’ indicating a point on the map with certain landmarks on that route, such as the morgue and hospital, which were famous due to their ancient history.
Our journey started again with Tom as the head of the pack, as well as the navigator, and myself as back-marker, once again working alongside Cobi and Jake, ensuring no male or female would be left behind. The traverse started up a secret, meandering path in which the whole group had to work as a team, ensuring the right route was to be taken, to meet Mike. After a long, sluggish and stretching saunter towards the destination, we met Mike waiting, in a smug fashion, as he sat in the boot of his Mercedes.
The third and final activity tasked us with the challenge of rock scaling and climbing. With tight ropes fitted once more and harnesses strapped and ready for use we ascended a great boulder, in a tight fashion, with two going up at a time, until we had all reached the top and from which we would witness a marvellous, majestic view of the surrounding landscape; mammoth and mossy mountains, tight and compact roads where vehicles daringly drove past and an eerie and misty sky which masked the tip of enormous mountains.
Mike instructed us to return back to camp, giving us precise instructions on where to go, the whole group started to walk home in a bedraggled but satisfied manner in the knowledge that the activites behind and the experience of KMC, as a whole, were at an end.
Mike complimented but also constructively criticised each one of us on where we needed to improve. Overall the day was amazing and definitely a great way to bring to an end our fantastic time, of this amazing adventure, at KMC.

By Theo Athinou

Sea(l) level traversing!

Posted on | By Mr Taylor

Today, we trekked along the cliff side, journeying to our first location (the rocks and rock pools) to complete our main task of the day moving along the dangerous, jagged rubble of the cliff. This also included swimming in treacherous wave conditions whilst carrying heavy equipment, this was by far the best day yet and we were all totally exhilarated and it even came to the point where our instructor wanted to jump into the cool water. Our instructor Mary wanted to get all wet so she took us along the hardest path which involved getting soaked but it was great! Plus much more!

First of all we started off with a tiring and hard rock climb ( with no ropes ) however a good mate Klark found it very hard at the back but with a much help from all his mates, he progressed and became an asset to the team, as he went on to help others as well such as Josh, as at first he was worried about getting wet but after 5 mins, was jumping off the rocks into the water again and again and that was thanks to Klark! We all loved jumping and diving into the plunge pool; this was also a very daring experience!

Next we struggled and swam across the often crushing sea with our waterproof bags floating in front of us, Elliot and Oscar had the challenge of leading our group onto the safe rocks and into the cave and they did it with outstanding support safety and success, wow! Even with the hard task of the heavy bags we scrambled to shore and into the cave and were submersed in darkness. We soon found a sense of direction and with Elliot’s amazing senses we travelled through a thin close crevasse (there was lots of climbing and swimming), finally we emerged thanks to Elliot! Then we dived into the water to cross to the other side of the rocks; we where all having a lot of fun and were absolutely exhausted.

After an eventful day of climbing at traversing we sat down, had are lunch and some games and then rigged up some rope and were given the task of making our way down a large opening in the rocks. Oscar went first and made it down with ease, shortly followed by the rest of the pack, however, it wasn’t all so sweet as Matt nearly fell off!  But being strapped in by harness, he was safe.

Lastly, we all jumped in the water and were swimming around having a blast however all good things always come to an end and we packed up and went back to the van where our almost ‘lifesaving’ spare pair of clothes came in handy and we were all dry and ready to go home after a long and eventful day.

It was a very successful and enjoyable day and i think i can speak for most of the team in saying that it was one of the best! We learned some great skills and facts and we even saw a seal bobbing about the water! We all got very wet and cold but it didn’t matter because we where having such a good time that it was worth getting cold.

We would definitely like to do it again; sea traversing is our new favourite thing!

By: Oscar Miles and Elliot Williams

Old cliffs of Anglesey

Posted on | By Cstavri

Today we had lots of fun adventuring across the 600 million year old cliffs of Anglesey. After eating a hearty meal we explored the deathly Barcoldiad y Gawres burial chamber, then continued our journey to traverse the freezing Welsh seas using the thin but sturdy rope to help us from getting from cliff to cliff.

The day started of well with all the girls oversleeping (even Miss Webster!) and rushing down to breakfast. Soon after, everyone rushed down to the dry room to collect our essential water proof clothing and got into the mini bus to start our exciting day.

When we arrived at our destination of Cable Bay on the peaceful island of Anglesey we started by scrambling across the jagged yet beautiful rocks, using our teamwork to help one another get around safely. Mike our instructor was extremely helpful and caring to each and every one of us and making sure that we could all have the best day possible (which was achieved).

After getting our socks drenched we headed back to the minivan to eat some of our delicious lunch. Once our stomachs were full, Mike got out our harnesses and taught us how to put them on. Unfortunately, some of us got it wrong but with a hand from a friend, we all got there in the end. Then we walked to the Barcoldiad y Gawres burial chamber with our feet squelching in our shoes. Behind the bars of the chamber there was a thick burning smell with many carved stones for the dead.

We soon moved on to tying the sturdy rope to 2 different cliffs with a deep drop to the sea. Shayan was the first person to scramble from one cliff to another, at first he was petrified with a bit of friendly encouragement he faced his fears and couldn’t wait for a second go. Soon it was Cobi’s turn and he was eager to try and do a flip, but was unfortunately unsuccessful. After many tries from different members of the team Kuba came along and was determined to do it and on his first try made it! Everyone had a few goes on the ropes and Jake couldn’t wait to jump. Some people were a bit skeptical at first but after other friends jumped, they were finally convinced and ended up having a great time.

With blue smiling faces and chattering teeth, we all headed back to the minivan to get changed into warm fluffy clothes. With the boys shouting at the girls to hurry up getting dressed behind the minivan, we all eventually went back to the mountain centre and had a karaoke session on the way.

Overall the team had a wonderful, adventurous day but were all happy to be back in the warm and could not wait for the next day to arrive.

By: Sophie Ingoldsby, Ella Berry

Our day at the gorge 

Posted on | By Cstavri

Today we dove into a freezing plunge pool and squelched down a quarter mile of vertical roads all muddy and so cold I couldn’t unzip my coat, only to then get changed in the woods 20 feet away from a road. But it was well worth it, it was the best day of the week!

As we approached the gorge the sound of crashing waves on the rocks became evermore fierce and then Jez, our instructor, stopped and showed us a map of the gorge which was very deceiving as it looked tiny.  After a brisk talk about the gorge, we progressed onto the first stage of scrambling over the boulders.

It started off with a wide plateau and quite dry but after the first corner of easy skipping over stepping stones, it became thin and deep.

We came to a little pool with a short climb around it that we all finished with ease, this was coupled with a small challenge that Jez likes to call the ‘elephant’s bottom’, which was a thin slippery slope with crashing water coming through our feet, at the top were 2 rocks balanced together that we had to squeeze through; it was really tight, we could barely fit through, the biting water completely soaking us to the skin.

We then found a natural slide which lead to a small pool so each person had a turn going down it, first on our front and the on our back, each time getting absolutely drenched in freezing cold water which made 90% of the group scream, especially Josh.

After a while of hilarious scrambling up the gorge, we came to the finale; the plunge pool… it was absolutely freezing, colder than the little streams. Jez took us to a ledge about 5 meters above the pool and told us that it may look big but it’s actually tiny. It was surrounded by a submerged ledge that would break our legs if we were to land on it. We each took our turns to jump in but some of us, Ben and I included, wanted to do more jumps, so we had a competition who could make the biggest splash.

All around it was an amazing day that i would defiantly do again if i could and i am really glad i did everything and got as wet as i did …oh and by the way, Mr. Stavri face planted into a stream (due to a slippery rock) not once but twice,  in the space of 20 seconds…it was hilarious!

By: Josh C & Ben M

Sea level traverse

Posted on | By Cstavri

Today we travelled to Anglesey to get stuck into some sea level traversing which many people were slightly worried about. Firstly, we all got up and had a great breakfast of either croissants or a cooked breakfast and then everyone split into their groups and went to complete their activities for the day. After a bumpy journey by minibus, we arrived at the sharp edged cliffs to begin our venture. One after the other, the members of our group clambered around the jagged cliff face to reach a narrow cave which was extremely difficult to get through and took a bit of time for everybody, especially Matthew and Harvey, but after a while they conquered their fears by keeping up and jumping into the water at the end of the day.

We approached a sheer cliff face. Mr. Alderson attached and clipped on all of the caribenas and rope in which Mason had to unclip on the way across after he had finished, we anxiously climbed and clambered along the difficult path across the edge of the cliff.

Next, we struggled into a narrow cave which produced many screams and shouts as the freezing cold water came crashing onto us. Soon after maneuvering into the claustrophobic cave, we came across a huge rock which became a struggle for all, however after many slips and scratches we all ascended over the mighty obstacle. Then after escaping the cave we all sat down and tucked into our pack lunch and the top of the cliff.

After eating our sandwiches and cakes, we set off again, however this time we continued our adventure with another group. our next activity was much more exciting, we were about to scramble over the tyrolean traverse challenging ourselves with different techniques and Matt started off with the hard method thinking that it was easy but quickly realising it wasn’t as he fell off within the firstly 2 meters off his journey but he then attached to the rope over the water to the lower rocks which we were then all able to jump off at the end. Despite being drenched in water, we got changed into our spare clothes and we began our drive back to the center.

On arrival the group members all felt a sigh of relief which was mixed with hunger as everyone was starving from a long day of hard work. After placing our damp clothes into the drying room we sat down and snacked on our delicious roast dinner and either  banofee pie or fruit salad.

By: Todd Henniker and Matthew Weatherley

Snowdon

Posted on | By Cstavri

Today we conquered Snowdon, the largest mountain in the range. We started off at a brisk pace, thriving to beat the other three groups, who were also climbing the mountain. About 5 minutes in, the majority turned around to see Beth about 30 meters behind us, because her tiny legs couldn’t catch up. We then had to stop to let her re-join us.

Later on, we rounded a corner onto a small, stone bridge over some water where Harvey asked his usual question, “Sir, please can we go swimming?” the answer, obviously, left him downhearted. After crossing the bridge we became face to face with a digger and Land Rover which ended up following us up part of the hill before we crossed a small stream of water. We stopped for a quick photo and to check how far in front of the other groups we were, which was about 500 meters!

At this point we faced a steep accent up the rock face. As we scrambled we helped each other pick the right path to get to the next resting point. Roughly a third of the way through our treacherous journey, we realised we were all pretty hungry (as usual) so stopped for a snack.

We carried on climbing, and not long later, Harvey realised he was among the clouds and got really excited (again) and screamed, with a rather impressive voice break. This climb was quite difficult because there was a lot of loose rocks, resulting in a continuous shout of below below below. (Below is a word used internationally by mountain climbers to warn others below them that rocks have fallen, so they can take cover).

After a tiring scale we finally reached the top of Snowdon, where Harvey decided to scream again, which resulted in yet another voice break. Unfortunately the cold got to us and we had to wrap up and only managed to stay at the top for a couple of minutes before descending to a sheltered area to eat the rest of our lunch.

On the way down Beth suddenly had Eliza’s hands over her eyes and mouth while Mason stole her hat (which she didn’t release at the time) which led to Beth walking up to the place where she thought she dropped it and looked back down at the others where Mason was beckoning to her. As she got closer, she realised Mason was actually wearing her hat which resulted in laughter all around including Beth. Then we finished walking down the rest of the hill, with a more slips along the way, and Eliza, Beth and Izzy rolling down the road to the mini bus, where we waited for the other groups with a grin on our faces as we had managed to stay in front of them the whole way.

By: Eliza & Beth

Snowdon with Sunbeams

Posted on | By Cstavri

We gathered in the courtyard and were told we were going to climb the largest mountain in Wales: Snowdon. It took us most of the day, which involved seeing the Snowdon train and some exciting rock climbing.

We gathered in the courtyard after breakfast, putting our boots on while mentally preparing ourselves for the long day of scrambling and climbing. We waited for our group leaders, Mr Stavri and Jez and then took a minibus to the base of Snowdon.

As we arrived, Mr Alderson’s group set off first (of course), and our group put an extra layer on to keep us warm. We walked a along the beautiful pathway with a few breaks, so we could regroup, then after around an hour, we reached a steep, rocky incline.

We formed an order and climbed slowly up an impressive rocky, ridge meeting a flock of goats and a few sheep high in the clouds. It was thrilling how high the mountain really was and how easily we could fall and injure ourselves, so we regularly stopped and had a snack – Holly sat and enjoyed the views.

Suddenly, in the distance, we saw both other groups, one ahead of us (Mr Alderson’s) and behind us (Mary’s group). We waved and called and they responded. As we reached the clouds it all became blurred and misty, the temperature dropped and Holly’s cheeks were bright red.

We finally arrived at the summit, but because of the cloud cover, were unable to see anything. We took photos of our group at the summit and Katy saw the ‘Brecon Spectre’ in the mists and took a photo, (circular rainbow halo in the clouds) it was amazing!

Shortly after we ate our lunch and then started the trek down the stony walkway. Not long after leaving the top , a lady, with her puppy fell across the mountain path, we went to help her, but she was fine and asked her husband to look after the excited animal from now on!

It was a long and exiting day but we were glad to be picked up from the other side by the minibus and go back to KMC.

By: Amelia and Holly

Scaling Snowdon

Posted on | By Cstavri

Snowdon was a thrilling and exhilarating experience for every participant involved. The climb lasted for around two to three hours and our group took the long and adventurous walk up the monstrous mountain and involved scrambling, fossil finding and fool’s gold scavenging.

The group chose three members to rotate the roles of lead, back and navigator. The climb took a long time with several stops for food and drink as well as drinking from a stream half way up the mountain. The top of the mountain was cover by cloud and fog, making it hard to see further than a few metres ahead as well as being cold and rather wet.

The team worked hard together when trudging up the beast that was Snowdon, ensuring that no man or woman was left behind and from which we travelled together in a tight horde with the leader keeping at the pace of others. We partook in every activity explained or demonstrated to us and enjoyed every single second of the physical and social challenges that occurred.

We were told of several myths and legends of Kings and their involvement with the mammoth mountain. One story consisted of two kings ready to fight before suddenly they were disturbed by a giant living on the top of the mountain shouting at them and bashing them about before finally taking their beards for his own use, this led to the gang of kings living in UK to assemble and take on the ghastly giant himself before falling to the same fate as the first two kings, although there was one king missing, king Arthur. King Arthur approached the giant months later and stabbed him with a magical sword in which turned him to stone; creating the last section of Mt. Snowdon.

On our way down we trekked through grassland, ran along country roads and tramped past stone walls; stopping many times so that Jake could relieve his overfilled bladder. In total, Theo fell over at least 27 times and Tilly fell in about 6 holes in the marsh.

In conclusion, the trip was a fulfilling and memorable experience, the walk ran parallel with all the new challenges we have so far experienced, both social and physical, and led to a sluggish slumber down the mountain where we were collected by the KMC team looking back at the great beast that is Snowdon and waving in sorrow.

By: Daniel Banks, Theo Athinou

 

Climbing the highest mountain in Wales

Posted on | By Mr Taylor

Today we climbed the beast that was Snowdon but before we went we had a hearty breakfast of sausages, spaghetti and hash browns.
We were told to wear thick socks, long trousers and a thick jumper; spare gear was to be put in our backpacks.
The journey in the minibus only took 15 minutes but was fun as everyone started to sing ‘Fireworks’ at the top of their voices.
At the foot of the mountain Mary said we had two choices of route: easy and hard. She decided the easy route was the best for the group today so we started off on the Pyg Track.
A helicopter flew over and Elliot had a good shout hoping the pilot would hear. The walk was long but the scenes around us were breathtaking.
In the distance we saw both Mr Stavri and Mr Alderson’s group climbing up the hard trail; it looked cool and we hoped that they would turn around and see us.
After a while the cloud descended and we were walking inside of it! We heard the sounds of sheep, but could’t see anything at all.
We stopped for lunch at at Llechog and ate our sandwiches and cookies which were tasty!
When we finally reached the summit we were very tired but satisfied. We climbed the last set of stone steps and touched the highest point.
We had done it! We had climbed the highest mountain in Wales!

As we walked down we saw Elliot, Tom and Oscar crawling through a tunnel, making us all laugh.
The minibus back was a welcome break for our tired feet.

By: Ben Combe and Josh Relph

Next Page » « Previous Page