Monday 11th of November
The Welsh say that Wales is ‘God’s own country’ and it certainly felt like that when we arrived at Pendarren shortly after midday. The brilliant sunshine showed the stunning autumn colours of the Brecon Beacons National Park at their best and gave us a wonderful afternoon in the great outdoors. After a play outside, a picnic lunch and a tour of the house, we got going with our first activities. For many of us that meant climbing Sugar Loaf Mountain and then watching the sun go down over the Welsh hills as we descended. Other groups used orienteering skills to navigate around Pendarren House and grounds. The children then had their first Pendarren supper which was followed by unpacking, a fire drill and a room inspection. Never a dull moment! Everyone settled down to sleep quickly in anticipation of more fun to be had on Day 2.
Tuesday 12th of November
After a surprisingly good night’s sleep (all children slept through the night!), we were treated to a hearty breakfast of cereal, toast, beans, sausages, waffles and mugs of steaming tea. Then dorms were tidied ready for room inspections before splitting off into our groups and getting kitted up for our activities. Some children went pond dipping in the Pendarren grounds, finding newts, water snails, shrimps and more, and using the classification skills they have developed in science lessons to identify the species they had netted. Others set off on a canoeing adventure, improving their skills to a point where many could even stand up and paddle. A few then toppled in to the canal and many jumped in voluntarily! Two of the groups set off on a river study for the whole day. We jumped into minibuses and travelled through the stunning Welsh countryside to the source of a river. Following the river down into a vast underground cave network was such an exciting experience for us all, and allowed the children to develop teamwork, resilience and physical skills as we navigated our way through a series of tunnels and chambers in search of the river. Finishing off our river study with a visit to a magnificent waterwall was a fun end to the daytime activities, before heading back to Pendarren House for hot showers all round. We have finished off our action packed day with a fantastic visit from a local story teller, whose engaging, faced paced and interactive tales had us all on the edge of our seats. Everybody is looking forward to another good night’s sleep, ahead of a busy day tomorrow!
