The last two days have been a little strange for me. My local primary school were sending their Year 6 pupils to Arthog, a Local Authority Outdoor Education Centre on the Welsh West coast. I’m actually Chair of Governors at the school and, with the school being a little short staffed, I found myself being asked to go as a member of the staff team. Naturally, it was a bit weird going to an outdoor centre that I sometimes work at, but as a customer rather than an instructor. In may have been unusual for me, but I can only imagine how bizarre it must have been for the regular instructors.

Although the group are due to be at Arthog all week, I was only needed for a couple of days. Yesterday we spent the morning exploring the old slate mines and scaring everyone silly in the pitch black. It certainly seemed to make some of them think what it would be like to live and work in such a dreary place. After lunch, we headed into a nearby gorge which proved a real winner with the pupils. They worked so well together, supporting each other through awkward sections of powerful water or difficult steps.

The evening was a mixture of free time and an hour or so on the Night Line, which involved feeling their way through a maze of obstacles.

This morning, we had been due to go surfing. However, the wind and tide combined to mean that there was little or no surf to play with. Consequently, we headed for another gorge which the centre usually reserve for the older groups. It was a very different experience from yesterday, descending the river rather than heading up, with lots of drops and jumps. It was perhaps a bit more extreme, and some nerves started to show through at some points, but everyone showed determination. After a quick break back at the centre, we took the sit on top kayaks down to the beach to play in what surf there was.

My role at Ellesmere Primary School is usually one of meetings and legalities. It was a a real pleasure to spend some time with the pupils in a different environment, and see them enjoying themselves so much. They were great fun.