Author name: Cannon Park

Heavy rain met the children on wake-up this morning: the day looked bleak. Despite the weather, the children woke up happy again after a second good-night’s sleep. The breakfast choices included shredded wheat today, which proved a popular choice for many!

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After breakfast, the rain clouds disappeared, and the sunshine made a welcome appearance just in time for our orienteering activity around the Dol-y-Moch centre. The children worked in small groups or individually to find different points around the centre with only a map to aid them. This afternoon, we’ll put our newfound orienteering skills to the test in a nearby wood before heading to the beach after lunch for more fun and ice-cream!

The day started with a 7am wake-up call for the children. They (mostly) shot out of bed, happy to start the day – parents, you’ll be pleased to know they slept soundly through the night! After a breakfast of cereal and toast, we met our instructors for the day and prepared for the activities.

Our day was split into two halves – kayaking at the lake and bouldering at the beach. Despite a light rain, the children were all in good spirits during kayaking, developing their paddle skills during a variety of fun games. The session ended with the infamous ‘Dol-y-Moch dive’ – it’s amazing to see so many children happy to be pushed into freezing cold water! They all came out shivering but smiling and wanting to do it again. Fortunately, the fireplace was burning back at the house ready to warm us back up.

The time at the beach was spent attempting various different challenges from bouldering to scrambling to jumping. The children showed lots of enjoyment in approaching the tasks with such a positive attitude.

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Some quotes from the children:

‘The dive was really cold and the kayaking was brilliant. It taught me a lot about how to kayak.’

‘The water was freezing but I enjoyed it!’

‘The rock climbing was excellent because I completed the leap of faith!’

We have arrived safe and sound in the Welsh countryside. After a lovely tea, the children worked as teams to make their beds – some needed more teamwork than others! After a brief welcome from the staff, we are all ready for a good sleep before a busy day tomorrow.