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On Saturday October 22nd ten students and two Activities Department staff headed north to Scotland. We arrived at Nethy Bridge, just a few miles from Aviemore late that evening. On Sunday we explored Inverness, mostly to get some more warm clothes for a week of canoeing and community service. Students had some free time to explore the town and visit the cinema, the last glimmer of civilization before tackling the River Spey in a canoe! Take a look at our photo gallery here.

Our first day on the water was a huge learning curve for most of the team. New skills and techniques needed to be learned as well as getting along with your partner in the canoe. The combination of Cristina Azpurua and Abraham Roka were destined for success. They picked up the skills easily and even managed to land themselves in some bushes within the first few minutes! The technical Cristina and powerhouse Abraham were a strong team and they proved themselves to be quick learners and good at canoeing by the end of the week.

We were blessed with not only beautiful weather for the rest of the week but a perfect time to visit Scotland. The season was changing from summer to autumn and the blue sky was a spectacular backdrop to the colours on the highlands and by the river Spey. Marco Malzone learned some valuable skills which enabled him to paddle for a few other days during the week. Marco enjoyed his trip to Scotland and we are sure he will look back fondly on the experience.

As the week progressed we became more and more confident of riding the rapids, ferry gliding across the river and trying acrobatics inside the canoe. Stephanie Song was the official photographer of the week. She was able to canoe and take photos all at the same time! She missed the most perfect photo opportunity when a salmon fish jumped into her boat; it was so big it tipped her and Justin Bradley from Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre out! Needless to say, her photo's are no more, but she still managed to continue to smile for the rest of the trip.

Aigerim Turleybekova and Azamat Ozdoyev were like a poorly married couple in their boat. It seemed as though they bickered, fought and yelled at each other every day. Apparently they were being very nice to each other and just speaking passionately in Russian! They managed the long journey to the sea and both are still here to tell the tale. Aigerim canoed every day and covered about 70 miles over five days, with her greatest achievement of making it to the sea and keeping the rest of the group laughing with her impressions of a Welshman we had met recently.

Maya Matsunaga and Tara Allen were dubbed as the technical team. They were superb on the water and able to tackle all of the challenges placed before them. Tara got into the Scottish spirit on our last evening at Nethy Bridge, dancing the 'strip the willow' and singing along to the Scottish tunes. Maya as always participated in everything available, proving that she is very adaptable and enthusiastic in any conditions.

The group were able to offer their services on a Community Service project in Nethy Bridge. They cleared a path for wheelchair use for the local community and were able to chat to some locals about the area and about what was required. This was a worthwhile project which not only helped the local community but was a good way of introducing the college to another area of the UK with such a worthwhile project.

Daria Karpova and Aigul Nurpeissova were given constant re-enforcements for the skills learned during the week. They will continue to be haunted by Kevin Jackson from Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre saying 'Pull Dasha, sweep Dasha, back paddle Dasha, paddle Dasha paddle!' Their skills did improve throughout the week on the water and they also successfully completed the long miles down to the sea.

Overall, it was a wonderful week in Scotland. The students were able to learn new skills, do some exercise, experience another culture and provide a valuable service the community of Nethy Bridge. Our heartfelt thanks go to Justin Bradley and Kevin Jackson from Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre, Richard and Patricia Eccles from Nethy House and Lesley and Tony Barnes for afternoon tea in Edinburgh.

Meg Claringbold
Activities Department