By Jessica Weston Senior Coach - 30th September 2009
Astounding Adventures have just returned from spending three days in The Peak District with 80 of Box Hills School's finest year sevens.
We camped at Shallow Grange Farm, which has to be the most tidy and beautiful working farm we've ever seen. It was a fantastic location for all the other activities the teachers had planned for the kids.
We, however, were rigging the routes and supervising climbing and abseilling sessions half an hours drive away at Lawrencefield Quarry near Hathersage. All three days we were blessed with fair weather, but fresh winds. No problem with the wind while climbing in the quarry but, while we were rigging the ropes from the top and running abseils, we thought we might get blown away at times.
Many of the students were new to climbing so, to help put them at their ease, each session began with an historical talk about the quarry and how they used to carve millstones from the grit stone there. We also explained the environmental sensitivity crag climbing and how it is imperative to leave nothing that doesn't belong there. They were such a good group we left the place with less litter than when we arrived! I think we put them all off from going to the loo at he crag by introducing them to the now infamous 'Poo Pod'. Their faces were a picture as they realised what it was used for.
After a few games to warm up our bodies we started some climbing. There are some natural climbers at the school; shooting up quite challenging routes in great style. We bottom-roped the following routes:
Some of the students needed a little bit of coaching to get past the crux sections, but many were able to solve the physical and mental problems for themselves. With the good weather, even the teachers joined in and had a bit of a climb and an abseil or two. It's amazing how competitive PE teachers can be with children at least half their age!
Twig and Flint, our Border Collie canine instructors, provided the entertainment for those who weren't climbing. There seemed to be an endless supply of willing hands to throw sticks as far as they were concerned. They were pretty tired by the end of each day and weren't the only ones thankful of the springy turf as we all slept in our tents at Shallow Grange Farm.
Do you need help choosing a skills course or guided adventure?
Call our team on 0333 121 2125 for expert advice or send us a quick question online.
© 2012 Astounding Adventures Limited • Company Number 7825247 • Privacy policy • Contact us
Sign up to our monthly email newsletter and receive:
Privacy | We will not share your personal details with anyone else. Read our Privacy Policy.
Share this page
Like this page, why not share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook or Google+?