Lake District Activity Centre
Set in the lush green countryside with hills and valleys all around we were keen to start our activity adventure. We kicked things off with a bush craft session, building dens and learning to light fires. Most importantly we got to toast marshmallows and enjoy a hot chocolate.... very important life skill!
All kitted out with riding hats we were ready to mount our trusty steeds. When we weren’t riding, we were driving traps and doing horse agility. We had a wonderful time, going down the lanes on horseback, or driving the traps around a field with the help of the instructors. William and Jason, who were more experienced riders even went for a trot in the riding school. Meanwhile, Becky, put her horse through its paces in the main arena delivering objects into boxes, and posting rings onto cones, all the while leading her horse on long reins.
An afternoon of canoeing was so much fun. We were measured for
paddles and given buoyancy aids to wear before splitting into two teams. Each
team had two canoes tied together with poles so they couldn’t be separated. Lou
and Dan explained how to use the paddles and how to turn round in the water.
Out on the water was gorgeous, the sun shone, the sky was blue, and the
surrounding hills green. We paddled down the lake until we could see its length
and we then headed across to a place called smugglers cove. Here we went ashore
to stretch our legs for a moment. Back on the water Eric threw balls for us to
collect. We raced each other, but team Oli was the faster team.
We set sail on Lake Windermere on our very own catamaran. Some of us sat on the
netting in front which was between the two hulls and the remainder on seats to
each side of the rear of the boat. It was bright and sunny with no wind. Bea skilfully
manoeuvred us out from the jetty, using the boats motor. The plan was to go
down one side of the lake, loop round some islands and return up the other side
of the lake. Along the way, the passengers in the rear had the opportunity to
steer the catamaran under Bea’s supervision.
We did our best Robin Hood impression down at the archery range and before long we were hitting the targets like pro's.
The site we were to climb in was an old quarry and before long we
were kitted out in our safety gear. First, we learned to transcend across a rock face, which we
all managed to do. Then came the climbing. George was keen to go first and did
very well, Becky also managed to get quite high with Lou and Ben’s help.
She was extremely pleased with herself. Robert, Will and William climbed as
high as they felt comfortable with as did Charlotte. A brilliant effort
everyone. But it was Jason (who didn’t like heights) who excelled. Again, he
didn’t go too high, but he was such a natural. He’d really conquered his fear
and that was great.
Next, we were off to an old airfield which had been turned into a nature
reserve. We were all fitted
out with three-wheeler or low bikes which were super. The trail round the site
was flat, so we sped along, meeting at interval spaces along the way. Halfway
round, at an aeroplane engine site, (which held George mesmerised) the girls
stopped for a drink break whilst the boys continued their ride. Everyone was
super pleased with all their achievements today.
This was going to be fun we’d be doing the High Ropes and Zip Wires in the
trees above the main buildings. Once we’d met Dan, we collected helmets and harnesses
from the sports hall and attached a special piece of equipment called a carabiner
to our belts. We climbed the ramp in two’s to go across the obstacle course
using the high wires. Everyone tackled this challenging course with smiles on
their faces. Our exit down was to travel on the zip wire. William couldn’t wait
to go first; he loved it so much! This was quickly followed by Charlotte. What
an adrenaline rush!
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