P7trip

Home...safe and sound!

So...the week has come and gone! All the build u p and excitement...and it is over in a flash! But we had a great week....weather.....the centre itself and of course the children. The children really did themselves proud and took part with great enthusiasm and represented their schools extremely well. We have a good reputation at Loch Insh and they have helped to extend this reputation even further.

The last day was colder and the skies were cloudier. However, the group all enjoyed their last activities even though they knew they were going home later.

This morning we had archery, Canadian canoeing and skiing! And....no one got overly wet when out canoeing. One group had FOUR canoes all rafted together and the instructor commented that he had never managed to cover so much of the loch before with a group.

So...we hope the children really enjoyed their adventure and will have many happy memories to look back on in the years to come. And, if we are lucky, some of them will have discovered some new hobbies that they might want to continue with in the years to come.

I think it is fair to say everyone was very tired by the end of the week....but were all happy they had been and had taken part in a  great trip that will hopefully have made some new friendships they can develop when they get to Mintlaw Academy.

 The staff of course can look forward to next year's trip!

Photos from Friday to come!

Photos for Day 3

Another beautiful morning here! Photos from Day 3!

Download Loch Insh Day 3 Photos Web

Loch Insh 2016: Day 3 Thursday

Photos will be uploaded in the morning at breakfast time!

That is the end of day three and everyone is beginning to feel tired! But the staff are still raring to go….no…they are tired too! But, we have had another successful day today…nice weather….good food….good friends working together and great activities.

The children needed to be woken again in the morning and the morning started off cloudy and quite chilly. It was not as nice as it had been but as the day went on the weather just got better and better again.

So….up early…down for breakfast……packed lunched made….and back up to the accommodation to get ready for the day ahead. Mrs MacDonald from Longside was leaving today and Mr Imlah was coming up to do the last two days. We hope that Mrs Mac enjoyed her two days with us and she was a great help as one of our leaders.

So…..two groups were kayaking and two groups were Canadian canoeing in the morning with the last group going mountain biking.

The kayaking area was very busy and after getting the lifejackets, helmets and paddles they were off to be shown all the different ways of using the paddles to help them when they were in the water. Then they were put into kayaks on their own or in a pair if they preferred. Once on the water they spent a bit of time getting used to the kayak and trying some of the different techniques they had been shown. Before long the groups set off on their adventure on the loch. Some of the groups went up the loch against the current knowing they would get to come back down with the current while another group headed across the loch and went round the island at the far side where the ospreys have their nest. All in all they certainly covered a fair distance on the water and they all came back excited about their journey. They were quite wet and both the morning group and afternoon groups were keen to make it back up to their rooms to get changed and dried!

The Canadian Canoeists went out on ‘rafted canoes’ – meaning that two canoes were joined together to create a super steady canoe which would not be able to be tipped over. This allowed Henry to go out on the water, with his plaster covered in two plastic bags which were taped up and join in the fun. The groups had a great time and they too covered a lot of the loch in their journey. It was almost perfect conditions for kayaking and canoeing today.

The other group were off biking and again they had a great time. Some found the going a little bit difficult and did a shorter route and one didn’t feel too great so Mr Jenkins took him back to the base and then went out to re-join the group….only to take a right at one point where they had taken a left and so ended up away on his own and had an extended run to get back to the centre – but still before the rest of the group.

After another picnic lunch outdoors they were ready for the afternoon. More biking, kayaking and problem solving for the five groups. The two cycling groups split into two mixed groups and set off out on the road. Again Mr Jenkins ended up having to take one back who had pulled a muscle..but as he found it hard to walk the long distance back to the centre we phoned for someone to come and collect him and drive him back. So again Mr Jenkins was left to make his own way back to base!

However, all was well and everyone from all the groups made it back safe and sound in time for tea! Thursday tea is always BBQ night! They cooked the food in the kitchen but we ate down on the beach and enjoyed the sunshine and Alfie the dog and the cutest puppy which caused a big distraction to them eating their tea! They had burgers in a bun, chicken, backed potatoes and salad as well as soup to start and a choc ice to finish. Then before the evening activity we went to the big play area to let them let off some steam and those who had not made it to the shop got a chance to spend their pocket money!

Then it was time for the ‘wide game’ or ‘capture the flag’! The kids love it…..most of the staff love it…..and one spends 90 minutes watching them run, jump and dodge eachother as they run through the forest trying to capture the enemy ‘tails’ and their ‘flag’ to win the game! However a great time was had by all and they all joined in very competitively!

After this we gate crashed the disco the other school was having and then they were shown the video that had been made by the staff over the week! It had captured the week perfectly and showed some of the highlights of what has been a great week!

So….after a later than normal bedtime we have to look forward to the last morning before we travel back home tomorrow. We will be up early, have breakfast and then have to be packed and tidied and ready to leave for home BEFORE we do the morning activity at 9.30. This will be a stressful morning ensuring that everyone is packed, all the clothes from the drying room are claimed and the rooms are left tidy!

In the morning two groups are canoeing, two are doing archery and one group is sailing. Let’s hope for a dry activity before we have to get everyone on to the bus for coming home!

Loch Insh 2016 Day 2 Photos

Photos from Day 2:

Download Loch InshDay 2

Loch Insh 2016 Blog : Day 2

Loch Insh 2016 Blog

Day 2: Wednesday

So here we are…half way there….and everyone is having a great time.

Today we celebrated a birthday….Tyler managed to have a special day in Loch Insh instead of being at school. Everyone sang happy birthday for him tonight which took him a bit by surprise.

We woke up bright and early……well….early as we had to be down for breakfast for 7.30! In some rooms all the occupants had to be woken up and would have merrily slept on. But we were up and ready and down for breakfast by the allotted time. They had cereal, toast, potato pancakes and bacon and fruit juice as well as making their packed lunch for the day which is always an entertainment!

After breakfast we were back up the hill again to get the rooms sorted out and get ready for the morning’s activities. So by 9.15 we were getting lined up again for the journey back down to the Boathouse to get going. The weather was lovely yet again and the sun was shining and the skies were blue. However, there was a frost on the car windows early in the morning.

So this morning we had groups doing problem solving, mountain biking, sailing and two groups raft building. In the afternoon three groups were raft building while two groups were problem solving while in the evening we had two groups Canadian canoeing, two groups doing archery and one group mountain biking.

The problem solving went well with all groups and they set about the challenges with enthusiasm although it was good to see the groups work together with pupils they really don’t know well. This is all part of the trip and stands them in good stead for their new challenge after the summer.

Again the sailors were out in the bigger boat as a group. The water is still too cold to take them out in the smaller boats due to the recent snow that means the Cairngorms are still covered in snow. They enjoyed the experience and all got a turn at doing the different tasks needed to sail the boat!

The highlight of the day for ALL of them was the raft building. All the groups did this over the day and is always one of the high points of the trip…..although one or two…..well…one of the ‘older’ members of staff finds this activity quite stressful when they all make their way out on the rafts into the unknown!

Each group is provided with 6 wooden poles, 8 ropes and four or six barrels and are challenged to set about planning, designing and building a raft and then testing its successfulness by taking it out on the water. Again the key here to the who activity is team work and looking and learning from the advice and help the instructors give them. The groups were quite competitive and they spent a fair bit of time building their rafts before going back to the boathouse for their helmets, paddles and life jackets! This is when the excitement grows. They get their raft down to the water’s edge and wait for the signal to head out on to the water. This is the moment of truth. Will they or wont they float and support them in their efforts to go from the shore out into the loch and back!

The air is filled with the screams, shouting and laughter as they set off on their maiden voyages. For one group ….it was only going to be a maiden voyage as the barrels kept disappearing from under the logs and they spent more time in the water! However, after some remedial work they were soon back on track on were off.

The rafts were a great success but of course most of the fun is getting soaking wet and being allowed in the water…..until they realise just how cold the water is and then the faces change quite quickly!

So…after all the fun they have then to dismantle all the rafts and get the gear tidied up again before trudging off a little more slowly to the Boathouse than they did coming across to return the paddles, helmets and life jackets before the long, slow climb up the 69 steps to the Hall where they could get changed, showered and into dry clothes. The fact the weather was kind to us today helped a lot….although they said the water was FREEZING!

But everyone really enjoyed this activity and really is one of the standouts of the trip.

This evening another group was cycling, but with the shorter session than during the day they did not manage to go quite as far. This was a blessing to some who were quite happy to get back as they were so tired!

Again the cycling is a popular activity with most of them. They have a mix of on road cycling and ‘off road’ tracks to be a bit more adventurous on! All I can say is thank goodness for the electric bike once again just to give a little timely boost when you come to the hills! We still have three more groups to go cycling so by the end of the week I think I will have generated enough electricity to power all the lights in Loch Insh!

Two groups were Canadian canoeing tonight. They had a beautiful night for this and the water was very calm and meant that the conditions were almost perfect. They worked in groups of three to a canoe and after being given instruction on using the paddles effectively and again getting their life jackets they spent some time in the sheltered bay to get used to the canoes before heading out on the loch for an adventure. Again the children came back full of excited tails of what they did and how ‘cool’ it was.

So….after a long day it was back up to the Hall for juice and biscuits before going over the programme for tomorrow and getting them ready for bed. Lights out was around ten o’clock tonight and we think most will easily get to sleep tonight as they were certainly tired after a full day in the outdoors carrying out all the activities.

Tomorrow Mr Imlah arrives from Longside and we look forward to him joining up with us for the rest of the week.

We had a surprise visitor tonight at tea time! Mr Taylor arrived t spend the evening with us. Mr Taylor was Longside’s P7 class teacher before he moved to a new job in Macduff. The children were delighted to see him and he joined one group cycling for the evening.

However, he was instantly recognised by one of the instructors! He looked at Mr Taylor and said, ‘You are that teacher from last year that joined in the ‘Wide Game’ and ran about like a mad man for the whole game!’ Well, that just said it all!

Anyway, another great day. We just hope the children have another great day tomorrow. Two groups made it to the shop today and hopefully the other three groups will get tomorrow.

 

DAY 1 Photos

Photos from day 1.

Download Loch Insh Day 1

Loch Insh 2016 DAY 1 - Great start to the week!

Loch Insh Blog April 2016

Day 1: Tuesday

So the big day had arrived and the pupils were excited that the waiting was finally over! The parents were also glad the day had come…..no more counting down the days and hopefully four days of peace and quiet!

The bus arrived on time at Longside and by the back of eight they were off to Mintlaw and then finally Strichen by just after 8.30. Fifty five pupils were on the bus…..raring to go along with the staff who had psyched themselves up for the trip!

Poor Henry is on the trip….but he broke his ankle just before the holidays and although he is on the trip he won’t be cycling, skiing or raft building! But he will be able to join in socially and meet all the other pupils from the other schools.

The bus journey went well and the bus driver commented on more than one occasion about how well behaved the children were! We stopped in Aberlour and this allowed everyone the chance to get off the bus, go to the toilet and then have a few minutes to run about and let off some steam! Mr Jenkins was dispatched with the coffee order to the café to get carryout teas and coffees!

Soon we were off again and the next stop would be Loch Insh. Loch Insh is about 6 miles south of Aviemore on the old A9. It is located near Kincraig and the bus coped with the low bridge under the railway line and the narrow bridge with the very tight turn across the Spey at the foot of the loch. From there it was just a couple of minutes to the centre where we were met by Jess who organises the trips from the Loch Insh end.

Once everyone was off the bus and had retrieved their bags….some of which were BIGGER than te pupils…we took them to their rooms! Each room was met with a gasp and a, ‘Oh yes…..bunk beds’ or ‘These are great rooms!’.

After they had been to their rooms we went outside for our lunch in the sunshine, yes…..sunshine, before heading back in for the welcome talk and safety briefing from Jess. Then it was all hands to the decks to get ready for the afternoon activities.

This year we drew the short straw…..EARLY breakfast and EARLY tea! Breakfast will be at 7.30am and tea at 4.30am. The other school have breakfast at 8.30 and 5.30! So, we will be up early and be down for breakfast and lunch making before going back to tidy rooms, get ready for the first activity and get juice sorted out! A few groans were heard when they were told that breakfast was at 7.30AM!!

The first activities in the afternoon were Skiing for two groups, sailing for two groups and Problem Solving for one group.

The skiers went off to get kitted out! This can be a long and laborious task…..get a helmet that fits…..get boots that fit and then GET THE BOOTS ON and then get the right skis for their size! Getting the boots on is a challenge and many needed help to get the straps buckled up so they were tight enough. After a real chav we got the two groups on the slope with their skis and they were eager to get going! Skiing, especially if it is the first time, is a slow business…..you need to get confident walking in boots and then getting the skis on and walking with them. However, they were soon side stepping their way up the slope to the mid way point where they were going to set off from. For some this can be a real moment of terror….especially if you do not know what to expect! But the two groups were great and there were remarkably few fallers amongst them. In fact, there were more fallers as they side stepped up the slope as opposed to falling while skiing back down! For those who had not skied before it was great to see the looks on their faces as they got to the bottom of the slope in one piece!

At the end of the session…..comes the chore of getting the skis off, the boots off and then handed back to the instructors! But they all enjoyed it and many found it more tiring than they expected!

The sailing groups were out in the ‘bigger’ boats in groups of 7 or 8 with an instructor and member of staff. There was really not enough wind for the smaller boats and so they got to sail round the loch in the bigger boats and got a chance to steer and put up and down the sails. Again this seemed very popular with the children and they all arrived back in one piece and DRY apart from the odd wet foot or two! They got a short trip on the power boat to take them out to the sailing boat which was anchored out on the loch. The group with Johnny, one of the owners, even had Archie the dog with them for added excitement!

The last group were problem solving. They ventured off in to the woods with their instructor and Miss Clark to take part in a variety of problem solving activities which involved team work to be successful. They ended up on the beach and took part in a number of games involving moving their teams from one place to another using skis on ropes and leading a partner blindfolded through a number of obstacles. Again the children worked well together and had great fun trying all the different activities.

Some of the sailors nipped back to the accommodation to change wet trousers and shoes before coming back down to join the rest for tea. They had potato and leek soup, sweet and sour chicken with rice or salad or baked potatoes with cheese and beans! They had worked up a healthy appetite and enjoyed the meal. The meal was finished off with chocolate fudge cake with cream! This seemed to go down especially well!

We then had some time before the evening activity which now runs from 7.00pm to 8.30pm which is slightly later than it used to be. So the children got some time in their rooms and in the meeting hall to chat and just ‘chill’ for a while before heading out again.

The weather was still great and the evening activities were skiing for two groups, sailing for two groups and archery for one group. As the evening activity is only 1.5 hours it means they don’t get as long as the activity time during the day which is 2.5 hours! This can be a problem for the skiers as by the time they get kitted out…..it is almost time to get back to put all the kit away ! But again the groups all had great fun and the archery group were enjoying the challenge of trying to hit the target with their three arrows when they had their shot! As one boy said later on to the others in his room, ‘He was quite strict (the instructor) as archery is dangerous and you have to follow the rules to make sure no-one gets hurt!’

So after the evening activity it was back up the hill again to the accommodation where they had juice and a biscuit and we went over some points from the day and went over arrangements for the morning routine.

Lights out was around 10pm and hopefully they will sleep soundly till morning! We hope the weather stays as it was as we really had a great day weather wise!

 

So…a good first day…..three to go!

PHOTOS TO COME!

Loch Insh 2016

We are all excitedly looking foirward to going to Loch Insh tomorrow. The pupils got their new 'hoodies' today and were delighted with them. We hope to update the blog every day with photos and information of the trip!

For information about Loch Insh go to www.lochinsh.com !