Hawkhirst 2022 Blog

Monday

We've arrived - to much celebration!

Luckily, the weather was kind to us and rained while we were eating lunch inside, then the sun came out for our first activity – Bell Boating on the reservoir. For our first activity, we split into three teams and set off on the water. We battled the windy conditions, showed great resilience and teamwork to make it to the other side. When we got to the other side, we discovered some giant spinning chairs that could spin around to make a flower shape. Mrs Cairns and Miss Foster took a twirl. The way back was even harder because we were paddling against the strong wind. Thankfully, we had Jonny on the speed boat who kept us on track. Mrs Glenwright’s and Mrs Willson’s group kept shouting Coca Cola because they thought the water looked like coke. On the walk back it began to rain but we are now busy in our rooms playing games and starting to phone home. Later this evening, we plan to go on a hike around the site before getting ourselves ready for bed. Fingers crossed for a good sleep so that we’re ready for action tomorrow!

Tuesday

Conquering our fears...

Today, we split into three different groups and each group completed a selection of the activities on offer such as bouldering, abseiling, crate stacking, team building, problem solving and climbing. Everyone will get a chance to do each of these challenges throughout the week. Many children showed exceptional courage today by facing their fears and either going one step higher than planned on the climbing wall or stepping over the barrier during the abseiling or even managing to complete an abseil! This afternoon, the sun came out and we exercised our brains during problem solving and worked together to complete some team building. We are currently getting organised for tea then looking forward to a few songs (and marshmallows) around the campfire later this evening. The class have been set a challenge to put on some group performances for the campfire this evening. We can't wait to see what the children come up with!

Wednesday

Continuing the fun...

We’ve had four seasons in one today, we’ve had hail, rain, wind but eventually the sun shone through during our visit to the Birds of Prey Centre. This morning, we continued to complete the activities in our three groups. We took part in climbing, crate stacking, archery or low ropes. The children are becoming much more confident in the harness now and are challenging themselves to go further. They are also becoming more independent and everyone has had a chance to clean up after meals under the guidance of Mrs G. I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to them using these new acquired skills at home!! The children all had a go at holding a Bird of Prey today and took part in the show. We actually had the centre to ourselves as no one else wanted to brave the rain! We’ve just finished dinner and are getting ready for our evening activity of pioneering where we’ll need our team work and listening to complete the challenges before settling down for bed.

So sorry about the late posts and fewer photos but the WiFi is incredibly slow here.

Thursday

Learning new skills...

After a good sleep (Miss Foster had to wake some of us up), we worked in our three groups again continuing to complete our activities. Then, after lunch, we split into three new groups for our eagerly anticipated activity of raft building. We worked really hard in our teams, learning how to co-operate and tie Reef Knots, Japanese Square Lashings and Double Figure of 8 Knots. With three rafts made, we braved the freezing reservoir and boarded our rafts to see if they’d float. Success! We then set off on a short trip to see how stable our rafts were. After lots of fun on the water, some of the sensible people went back to warm up in the lodge, while a crazy few stayed to jump in the reservoir. We’ve just enjoyed a tasty dinner and are about to set off for some orienteering before settling down for bed. Sadly, it’s our last evening at Hawkhirst but we can’t wait for Bushcraft tomorrow. See you all soon. We’ve got lots of exciting things to tell you about!!

Friday

Farewell Hawkhirt, we've had a blast!

Sadly it's our last day in this incredible place, but we're looking forward to returning home and telling you all about it. We've got fantastic memories of our trip away that we'll cherish forever. This morning we split into two groups to complete some Bushcraft challenges. To make a fire and to create a shelter using only the tools that nature provided. A super fun (albeit tricky) task. The bus journey home was quieter than the one here with many children taking the opportunity to have a little snooze. We're predicting early nights all round with dreams of our wonderful trip. Thanks to everyone - children, staff and the Hawkhirst team for making this trip amazing.