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Outward Bound Experience - Wales
It was a very early start for the half-term trip crew, 7am is not a departure time by choice, but it did provide a quiet journey and a chance to get to the outdoor centre and settle in before taking on our first activity. Outward Bound is a company which fiercely guards the right of young people to have access to safe adventure experiences through which they realise their potential. We had 12 females and two males on this trip, and what they were about to experience was not what they had expected.
Photo gallery of the week's adventures
The St. Clare's students had envisaged a relaxing week of putting their feet up and a less than challenging holiday. So when they were introduced to the likes of Jacob's Ladder and a rock climb for their first activities, most students felt exhausted by the end of the day! By day two, we had split into groups and prepared to take off for a gruelling 6 hour walk in the hills of Wales. Perfect weather and beautiful views made the adventure all worthwhile. We had mastered campfire cooking and made all of our meals on small stoves. Jinsi Wang (Alice) (IB1) even managed to carry some extra noodles on the walk and they were much appreciated after the exhausting day and a good way to warm up. A cold -4 degree night in a tent meant interesting sleeping postures developed in order to keep as much heat in as possible, and clever Evgenia Beda (IB2) even slept in the shower in order to be a few degrees warmer!
We had an exciting day at the Wharf where each group had a race against each other to develop a zip-wire and get their whole team from one side of the pier to the other. Elly Harder (IB1) showed outstanding leadership skills and patience with her group as she attempted to beat her opponents. Unfortunately, Dan's team seemed to prevail yet again. Bryn's team did beat them the following day in the boat race where we had to learn to make a raft with two kayaks and some wooden poles. Elena Djourja (Pre IB) mostly used her vocal cords to push the team along, but it seemed to work! Whilst at the Wharf we also learnt how to do complete safety jumps and plummeted into the icy cold water. Eden Su (IB2) even went twice, becoming addicted to the thrill of the jump! Yifan Liu (Monica) (PreIB) commented that she felt like a hero after these jumps and that she could attempt anything.
A local activity day was much called for after all the excitement of water-based and other offsite ventures. Each of us attempted the high ropes course and found it to be much more difficult than it looked. Tao Zhou (IB1) breezed through the course first, setting the example to the rest of us. Magin Jin (IB1) took the award for the most spectacular fall while on the high ropes course, slipping on the postman's walk and having to be rescued, but she still came out smiling at the end.
Selina Liu (IB1) led her team to present the news and weather to the rest of the participants staying at the Outward Bound centre. They did an excellent job of communicating all the information, although it was all in Chinese and Russian, with a touch of English at the end. A very entertaining report, which provoked many laughs later on!
On the final night at Outward Bound each group made a presentation to their leader. Assyl Ikhsah (IB1) and Elena Vasilieva (IB1) graced us with their vocal talents in presenting a song about their week of adventure and how much they had enjoyed the leadership of Dan. But Sheng Zhou (IB1) stole the show with his sideshow entrance about his love of "chocolate" singing in opera style! Some small awards were given out at the end of the night, Fifi Liao (IB1) was given the "smile" award as she only began to show us her pearly whites after about 3 days - perhaps she was adjusting to the change from St. Clare's life!
We left the Outward Bound centre at the end of the week feeling exhausted, but exhilarated at the thought of all we had achieved. It was a chance to experience some aspects of the outdoors that we would not have had the opportunity to do in Oxford. Next stop was Portmeirion, a small village famous for its production of pottery and scenic buildings. A truly unique place that took 50 years to build in order to demonstrate how a naturally beautiful site could be developed without spoiling it. The final few days of our adventure was spent in the capital of Wales, Cardiff, and we had one thing in mind, shopping!
Many thanks to the Outward Bound leaders; Ian, Dan and Bryn, who tailored this trip to our needs, ensured everyone was safe and provided us with entertainment throughout the week. Thank you also to Jon Halligan (Director of Activities) who put in many long hours to produce this half-term adventure. Finally, the students who attended this trip gained much more than they had expected, so thank you to those who took on the challenge with an open mind and kept us all smiling throughout.
"We are all better than we know. If only we can be brought to realise this, we may never be prepared to settle for anything less." Kurt Hahn (1943) founder of Outward Bound.
Meg Claringbold
Activities Department
October 2003