The Duke of Edinburgh expedition season really seems to get going each May, and this weekend saw pupils from Oswestry School getting stuck in to their training with a weekend based out of Carrog Station campsite, along the River Dee to the west of Llangollen. As is normally the case, they came with varying degrees of previous experience and skill but they had all received some … Read More »
Climbing at Trevor
Today I had the chance to get some personal outdoor climbing in. It doesn't happen very often - I think the last time may have been September. I'm fortunate enough to have a local climbing partner, who introduced me to rock climbing while I was still a teacher, but opportunities don't arise too often when we're both free. However, today was one of those days … Read More »
Climbing at Llanymynech
With the Easter holiday drawing to a close, it seemed like a good idea to get the kids out and about again before they head back in to the classroom for a new term. This time I decided to take them rock climbing on an outdoor crag and thought it would be nice to take them somewhere new. We often go over to Trevor Quarry, … Read More »
3 Star Sea Kayak Assessment
After completing the training 4 weeks ago, I had hoped to get a few additional sea trips under my belt before going into today's 3 star sea kayak assessment. Although I really enjoy getting out in a sea kayak, I find that I'm not able to find the opportunities very often, so my paddling is not as proficient is it is in an inland kayak … Read More »
Ellesmere College at the Adventure Rope Course
Day 4 of Ellesmere College's Adventure + Easter holiday club took them to the Adventure Rope Course at the Albrighton Hall Hotel, on the northern edge of Shrewsbury. Most of the group had done some climbing on an indoor wall with me on Tuesday, so were still familiar with belaying, but the additional height pushed some of them out of their comfort zones. There is a … Read More »
Basic Mountain Bike Skills
Day 3 of Ellesmere College's Adventure + Easter holiday club had me doing a 3rd activity in 3 days. I love the variety I can get from my work (and play!) and this week is a perfect example, working on different things every day of the week. Today was the turn of mountain biking. Due to the expensive nature of buying and maintaining a fleet of … Read More »
Plas Madoc Indoor Wall
Day 2 of working with Ellesmere College and their Adventure + Easter program saw me taking 2 groups to the indoor climbing wall at the Plas Madoc leisure centre. It's always nice to work with the same group of people over the course of a couple of days and, having paddled with them yesterday, it was interesting to see them in a different activity setting. This … Read More »
Canal Trip
For the next few days I'm working for Ellesmere College. They run a few different holiday clubs / courses, and have asked me to provide a few adventurous activities for their Adventure + programme. The course ran for the first time last Summer and proved very popular with those that took part. There are a dozen youngsters this time, trying various activities in two groups … Read More »
Thrill Seeker Climbing
This was another session provided free of charge through the BBC Thrill Seeker campaign, aimed at encouraging people to try new activities for the first time. One or two of the participants proved to be familiar faces, having taken part in previous Thrill Seeker canoe session on The Mere in Ellesmere, although this time we ventured across the boarder into North Wales to Trevor, near … Read More »
Family Paddle
Having taken a week off to enjoy some time with the family, it made sense to take advantage of the fantastic weather by getting the children active outdoors in some way. The suggestion of paddling on The Mere in Ellesmere went down well so, with 5 boats on the car and neoprene on the kids, we headed to enjoy some time on the water. I find … Read More »
