Day 4
Day 4
I write this courtesy of Mrs Crotty, who has told me to have half-hour’s peace and quiet.
So…
Group D – Caving, Climbing Wall and Low Ropes
Group E – Stream Scrambling, High Ropes
Evening activity – Mixed Bag
For the start of Day 4, see Days 2 and 3, only not as long. (Miss Smith said that she had an undisturbed night, which was superb).
The drive to the cave was uneventful, as was the walk to the entrance to the cave. The cat-flap entrance proved the first challenge – creaking knees or creaking hinges, we’re not 100% sure.
The way in was a nice stroll and it got progressively more challenging, with some crawling spaces being a little tight for those of us who ate too much lasagne and cheesecake the night before. We worked our way through the cake system and ended up at the ‘Miner’s Toilet’. It’s a very tight vertical drop through the floor on to a small ledge and then a smaller ledge after that. Again, lots of successful attempts and a few tears from those determined to do it regardless of their fears.
The afternoon activities were led by Ella, our new guide (Andy promises he had paperwork and there was no other reason for swapping over…) and we attacked the climbing wall and low-ropes. This was the most successful activity in term of effort, children achieving personal goals and teamwork. We have a number of excellent climbers and some really good ‘spotters’ to help keep everyone safe.
The low-ropes was a long obstacle course and involved lots of balance and coordination activities. The end task was for the group to transfer a bucket of water from the start to the finish, dropping as little as possible. The end result belongs to Caiden (see video).
The evening activity was a ’Mixed Bag’ which is a whole host of activities based around the centre, with some crazy-silly activities designed to finish the week with high spirits.
Well done to Group D for a creditable third place.
Today’s ‘Shout-Out’ belongs to a couple of the girls for putting in some wonderful effort and making a real difference to the success of the low-ropes task.
Everyone is packed (well, that's what they've said) and we are ready for the final day.
If all goes to plan, we should be on the coach for 2pm, drop at St Andrews and back for 3.30pm. I will keep school informed as needed.
