Elwy Valley Outdoor Education

I’ve been hidden away for the last few days in the depths of the Elwy Valley, running an Outdoor Education weekend expedition. There wasn’t a glimmer of phone or internet reception, but between the heavy rain and hail showers there were some bright bursts of sunshine. 

One of my tasks was to set up a ‘reflector trail’ to use during a night walk. Over Saturday afternoon I left a trail of nearly 200 bike reflectors down through the fields, over the river and up through the woods. After dark, using a torch, the trail could be followed. It was exciting just setting it up as I made it go through some old cave and mine tunnels! Spooky on my own....

Once finished with my preparations, I managed to get the chance to try a bit of archery, which was fun and made for a nice change. The photos never lie, do they.... 

Following the trail with the students, after dark was a great success and once they'd managed to get to the caves, torches were exchanged for candles to guide them down to the campfire. 

As we left the campfire, there was an enormous full moon which guided us back to the house where we were all staying. Needless to say, (as with most residential courses with young people) it was a late night trying to get them into bed and then asleep.

There a bit of good old fashion Scouting on Sunday, making and then following a tracking trail through the woods. Simple stuff, but great fun.

Especially when there is so much interesting terrain to track through - this enormous rock arch for example!

Believe it or not, it rained heavily for most of the day, but in between showers, there was some excellent clarity and warmth in the sun.

Arriving back at The Cottage on Sunday evening, I was happy to enjoy a couple of hours of quiet by the fireside, after an intense, but successful weekend.

On another note, November 5th 2017 is my 19th 'Brain Day' - I marked the occasion with a nice mug of coffee when I got home, but didn't see a single firework this year.