Day 5 - Lagganlia Trip

Wow! Another Lagganlia trip over already! The time flew past last week, with many tired children and staff travelling home on Friday morning. The children coped well with the heat on the buses, mainly by watching DVDs and listening to music. We then enjoyed a pleasant sailing on the Hamnavoe on Friday afternoon. 

We hope the children enjoyed themselves and had a good time. The Lagganlia staff were once again highly complimentary about our P7's saying how well behaved they were and also how accepting they were of trying new and varied challenges over the course of the week. Well done everyone!

I've added some videos to the Lagganlia Photos 2018 link on the blog.

Day 4 - Lagganlia Trip

Good evening

It has been another beautiful day down here again! Lots of sunshine and warm again although it has been quite windy too. I can't believe it's the last day of activities already. It's been another quick week.

Group 1 - Mr Peace

Today we did 2 gorge walks. One big one and one small one. For the big one, we wore a wet suit and a buoyancy aid. For the small one we wore a jumper and waterproofs with wellies. We got to slide down waterfalls and swim in the river. The water was very cold but it was a really hot day. 

On the big one we were jumping off rocks.During the second gorge, we went on loads of different slides. At the end, we went on this massive one. It was a really big drop.

by Beth, Callum and Declan

Group 2 - Mrs McNeish

Thursday, by Rebecca, Ronnie and Dylan on behalf of Group 2

Today we got our bike helmets and gloves and got a bike and we drove over and cycled around the Cairngorm forest next to Loch Morlich.  The first bit of the cycle ride was uphill, tiring and depressing.  Dylan found it very boring but it was worth it.  Rebecca found the hill tiring but after that it got easier.  She saw a red squirrel!  Ronnie saw something that looked like a tarantula.  The cycling was very bumpy.  We got to cycle through a bit of water and it cooled our feet off.  We finished our cycle at the beach at Loch Morlich.  A couple of us went for ice cream.  Ronnie liked his so much he bought another one.  The beach was very warm and sunny and the sand was nice on your feet.  Rebecca found it spiky.

Canoes were waiting for us on the beach and we played some games to get used to using the paddles.  We put life vests on and Jon had to tie all the canoes together as a raft because it got too windy for us to manage by ourselves.  We paddled past a blue barrel, past some speed boats and reached our destination at the other side of the loch.  The paddling was tiring, wet and sore.  Dylan saw a dead fish.  We got a really nice view of a really big mountain with some snow on it.  It was called Cairngorm and it was the sixth biggest mountain in the UK. 

After we landed we got fruit pastilles, then we tipped the water out the canoes and loaded them in the trailer.  Then we got to jump in and the water was warm in some places.  Ronnie found the water manky (but Mrs McNeish would like to reassure everyone it was actually very fresh).  The jumping in was fun!

It has been one of the best weeks of our lives.  Dylan and Ronnie have jumped off the highest rock they’ve ever jumped off.  We have had a brilliant week but looking forward to going home.  Rebecca is looking forward to her bed and Ronnie is hoping to go pier jumping.  Dylan is excited about going home but he’d also like to stay a bit longer. 

Group 3 - Mrs Coltherd

Today was probably one of the toughest days for everyone. We were going to do an all day Munro climb. The weather was hot and sunny so we had to layer on the sun cream. We left at 10am and headed off to the first Munro. We started off in the forest then slowly headed up towards Sgor Goaith. The views were pretty stunning but we were getting hot and sweaty. By 12.30 we stopped to have our lunch and filled up our water bottles from the fresh water stream that ran down the hill. We layered on the sun cream again and headed off upwards once more. We reached the first Munro then headed for the next one. The views from there were fantastic once again and we finally had our cake supplied by the centre. We now had to head back down which was pretty tough but we managed. We walked about 14km and got back to the centre at just before 5pm. All in all this was a real challenge but our group didn’t complain, worked incredibly hard and were pretty pleased with themselves. 

Group 4 - Miss Coltherd

This morning we went canoeing on Loch Insh. For this afternoon we went to the Feshie gorge walk.

We lifted the canoes as a team and we put them into the water. First we paddled to a dead tree. Then we found 100 year old mugs from monks. After that we paddled around an island and we went back to the shore. This afternoon we went to Feshie River for the gorge walk. First we walked there and then we walked into the freezing water. Then we swam about and climbed some stones. When we got to the top we jumped into deeper water. Then we jumped off some higher stones and went down some rapids. Today was fantastic.

By Wiktor, Adam and Stewart

Group 5 - Mr MacKinnon

Last night all the groups did an activity called the Night line, where we were all blindfolded. we had to hold on to a length of rope, we then had to walk for a bit, we then got to an obstacle course which was very interesting. The worst part was how everyone was shouting.

Today we went canoeing it was kind off hard because some groups didn’t know what to do.  Canoeing was difficult than all the other activities for we were not using our legs.  We had super fun and saw ducks and ducklings. 

When we did the Gorge (we went to the river Feshie) we all fell over because of the movement of the water.  There were two jumps you could do, each with two stages, lowest, medium and highest.  It was really high and awesome because the water went in your nose.  We also slid down some of the currents which was fun.  Troys screams really loud. 

Lagganlia’s been really fun.  Thanks and goodbye to our instructor Simon. 

By Stephen, Troy and Victoria

  

Group 6 - Miss Spence

Amelie:  Today my group went on a short walk to a newer outdoor climbing wall where we took a side route to the top of the wall and had our lunch.  Then once all the ropes and mechanics were set up we went to the bottom.  Though I have some experience in climbing, I haven’t climbed for a couple of years and was a bit rusty.  But when I got into the swing of things I had a fantastic time and the views were amazing.

After we did climbing we went on a wild walk through the forest with only a compass and map to guide us.  When we got to our destination, a gorgeous loch surrounded by trees and mountains, we had a snack and the brave (idiotic) ones of us got into the cold loch and had a splash around.  Since it was such a lovely day, by the time we got back to the van, natures natural drying (the sun) had made us completely dry again.  All in all it has been a brilliant day inside an incredible week.

Logan:  Today we went climbing.  The walk to the cliff was long but fun.  We had to carry lots of gear.  We also walked through heather for about half an hour to get to the loch.  We splashed about for a bit and then we went back to the bus.  It was very nice weather, a lot of sun cream was needed!  I thought it was a fun way to end Lagganlia.  The weather was amazing, it made everyone happy.  I also think I did well in the climbing.

Harriet:  Today we went climbing but before that we went to the top of a hill and had lunch it was a really nice view.  After that we went and climbed down off the hill. One was quite easy for me and the other was quite hard, but fun.

After that we went to a loch and we did our daily diary and then we jump in the loch. It was really cold but fun.  On the way back was the worst because I was wearing shorts and we walked back and I had lots of scratches on my legs because we were going through heather.

Evening Activities

On Tuesday night, we joined forces with pupils from other Orkney Schools including St Andrews, Hope, Burray and Papay. Gregor sums up our evening:

Yesterday night, two student instructors organised a SKATTER COURSE for us and the other schools from Orkney. We got into groups and went outside. We needed to find clues and write them down on our sheet. Our group didn’t win but it was still kinda fun finding the clues.

By Gregor 7E

The Winners were:

Last night, we did the Nightline for our Evening Activity. In our groups, we had to work together to navigate our way through the Nightline blindfolded. It was very comical, lots of fun was had and there was some good communication happening between most of the groups.

Lagganlia - Day 3

Good morning,

Apologies, we had no wi-fi last night so were unable to post anything last night. Mr Peace has been up early to get everything uploaded before breakfast!

It was a scorcher down here yesterday and the sun is shining once again this morning! Very tired bairns last night after another action packed day of activities. 

Once again some children from each group were asked to write about their day so you know what they've been up to! Thank you all for supporting the blog. Both Monday and Tuesday night's entries have been viewed in the hundreds and the Papdale staff that are away with the children value your continued support.

Group 1 - Mr Peace

It took us the whole day but we walked up three Munros with the rest of the group and Raffa. They were called Carn Ban Mor, Sgor Gaoith and Sgoran Dubh Mor.

It was easy when we were walking flat or slighty down but when we were walking down heather and walking up hill, it was challenging.

It was a really warm day. After we passed there was a little stream and our instructor Raffa poured water on our head and we got to drink fresh water to cool down.

By Jamie, Darcie and Naomi

Group 2 - Mrs McNeish

Wednesday, by Payton, Ryan and Isla on behalf of Group 2

First we did skiing and we had lots of fun.  It looked very steep at the start but most of us got the hang of it after a couple of fallings over.  Isla found it fun and she got the hang of it after a few goes.  Ryan fell off the ski lift at the start but then he did it properly.  He was eager to go to the top of the slope but he didn’t get to.  Payton found it hard at the start because it felt like you had duck feet and she was happy when she was asked if she wanted to go to the top because she was managing her turns.  Then she fell off the ski tow and was pulled up on her belly and it hurt but they didn’t turn it off!  She let go and slid down backwards. 

This afternoon we went to the Feshie gorge.  First we had to suffer putting on wetsuits, which took twenty minutes and most of us still didn’t get them on.  They were tight at the start but once we got in the water they loosened up.  First we slid in and it was quite cold.  We did sculling and then we climbed up the wall and jumped in.  We rolled like sausages into the rough rapids and we got thrown about the water.  Isla’s face was funny when she came up.  Isla enjoyed floating in the current.  There was a humungously gigantic jump and we had to jump in with our hands in the X factor position and water went up your nose.  It looked scary when you were falling but when you hit the water you wanted to do it again and again.  We had 3 shots each.  Mrs McNeish wanted to chicken out but the group wouldn’t let her.  She had to be brave and she was very proud of herself after she jumped.  When you were in the air you felt like there was no turning back.  The water felt warm because of our wetsuits.  On the last jump we all thanked Jon and we shouted LAGGANLIA FOREVER!

Payton feels sad that it is over now and so does Ryan.  We are excited about tomorrow because we will get to go on bikes and in canoes.

Group 3 - Mrs Coltherd

Today we went canoeing on Loch Insch. In the middle of the Loch there is an island called Osprey Island. This is where the ospreys nest. We could see the nest then later we saw the osprey with a fish in its talons. Anyway, we had to unload the canoes, carry them across the road and get them ready. We managed to get into them then set off. We paddled about learning how to go forwards, backwards, sideways, right, left and all the way around. Once we got used to it we played a couple of ball games. Robyn, Chloe and Mrs Coltherd got 9 balls, the others got 5.  We stopped for lunch next to the loch and then played camouflage in the trees.  We got back into our canoes, paddled back to where we started, got the canoes ready for the next group and went for a swim.  We came back to the centre and quickly got ready for skiing.  First we had to try to get used to the skis, then we tried going down the slope a little bit and then learned how to stop.  We practised standing up in case we fell down.  It was really warm outside so we went in for iced juice and some shade from the sun.  We got back outside and learned how to use the tow pole.  Once we knew how to use the tow pole we could ski from half way up.  We all did really well and caught on quickly.  Before we knew it our time was up. 

We are all really enjoying ourselves, it has been warm and sunny today and we are looking forward to tomorrow.

By Robyn and Chloe

Group 4 - Miss Coltherd

We went a walk up Mount Bhuachaille. It took 2 hours to get to the top, and half an hour to walk down. The mountain is 810 metres above sea level. When we got to the top, we ate lunch and threw rocks down the side. Most of us were tired, and all our legs were quite sore. When we got to the bottom of the hill we went to a Lochan, and we all had fun with (fish eating) leeches. We ended up naming them. There was: Lily, Leah, Lara Jnr, Liam, Lauren, Laura, Larry/Garry, Louis and Jeremy (he was the vicious one). As we were heading back to the van we got thirsty so we filled up our bottles with stream water.

We all had super duper fun today, but all feel tired.

By Alex, Orla and Emma

Group 5 - Mr Mackinnon

Today we went on an all-day hill walk up Creag a’ Chalmain. It took a long time and we stopped for breaks often. When we were at the gap in between the mountains, there were rocks EVERYWHERE! We sat on the rocks and had lunch. On the mountain beside us there was snow! We climbed up the mountain beside us and looked over at the view. Then we walked all the way back, got in the van and left.

By Eilidh G 7E

Group 6 - Miss Spence

Reen:  Today we went to the dry ski slope.  We had to look for ski boots that fit and then we attached the skis to the ski boots.  Then we went to the slope and we started low down then got higher.  Some people went to the top.  We walked up the ski slope a weird way, on the side of our skis.

The canoeing was fun, we got into groups and kept going from one place to another.  We had to be quiet because there was an osprey nest.  At one point most of us jumped off the boat, we had buoyancy aids on to keep us afloat.

Freya:  Skiing was really fun.  At the start we got our equipment on.  We had to put the boots on, it was quite hard to get the buckles tight enough.  Once we had them on it was so hard to walk.  Once we had our skis on we got to go on the ski slope (it’s like a huge toothbrush).   We had to practice going up the hill. It was hard to go up the hill if your skis were flat so we had to have our ankles bent at an angle.  At the top we had to glide down on the hill.  My first few attempts I fell over but once I tried again I got the hang of it.  At the end of the session I felt like I had improved a lot.

Canoeing was also really fun. We went to a beach where the canoes were. We started by putting our buoyancy aids on.  Then got into groups.  After that we put our canoes into the water, and set off.  The first challenge we had to get to our instructor who was in the middle.  At first we were going backwards, it was funny.  There was a rare bird called an osprey.  It was cool.  We managed to get in the deep part of the lake and some people jumped in, I didn’t.  Then we got back to shore and put the canoes away.

Josh: Today we went skiing.  One of the hardest parts was getting ready.  You had to start by putting and strapping on the boots, then you have to get weighed and find a helmet and skis.  After that they fitted the skis to your boots.  Then we walked on to the ski slope and learned some moves.  Then we went up the slope and practiced getting down.  Soon after we went to the chair lift and went half way up/some fully up.  We would walk sideways leaning into the ground, then we slid down.

We started off the canoeing by pushing their boats into the water.  Then we put on the buoyancy aids and set off.  The first challenge was to row out to a little island.  Then we canoed far out and we rowed past some osprey nests and when we were far far away we played a game.  You had to jump into the water and pretend to be an animal.  After that we headed back.

Day 2 - Lagganlia Trip

Group 1 – Mr Peace

Tuesday

We went skiing, it was a lot of fun but a bit of a challenge for most people.  It was quite hard to get up the ski slope.  It was good because none of us gave up, we all just got back up and had another go.  We got to go around a bend on the ski slope and it was really hard.  It took a long long time to get all the ski equipment on.  By the end of our lesson we felt a little bit more confident with skiing.

By Ailsa and Thorfinn.

We were at the forest which was close to the centre.  We had ropes tied to the trees and we had our harnesses on and we climbed up to the top and abseiled back down.  Our instructor gave us a bouldering challenge to take a run-up and tried to get to the top.  We all had a go at it and we all had fun.

By Aaron.

Tuesday, by Ava, Sam and Erica, on behalf of Group 2 (Team Floss)

Today was really fun because we went gorge walking.  Gorge walking was really fun because we got to swim in deep water and slide and it was really cold.  It was a bit too cold for some!  Ava could not feel any part of her body and Sam floated like a starfish.  Dylan thinks he got hypothermia.  Erica was really nervous about a slide into a deep pool where she had to grab a rope but she did it because if she didn’t she would have regretted it.  She felt good afterwards!  It woke her up.

We came back and got warmed up and had lunch and then went out for archery.  Archery was so much fun (especially when Jon the instructor told us that the armbands were really expensive when they were actually cut off arms from a wetsuit).  It was hard to start with but Jon helped us improve our technique and we got better.  When Sam hit the bullseye he felt like a king (and he did it 4-5 times).  Ava hit it 4 times and Erica hit it on her last shot and it felt good!

Ava, Erica and Sam are really looking forward to tonight’s activity (maybe an activity with blindfolds?) and the group is excited about skiing and the big gorge tomorrow. 

Mrs McNeish is very proud of her group, they have all been stars. 

Group 3 - Mrs Coltherd

Today was a fun day. We went Mountain Biking and Gorge Walking. First we had to get all our gear including bikes, gloves, helmets and jackets. We had to do a safety check and a practice ride then we set off on the road to start with then into the forest. We saw a rabbit but the most exciting animal we saw was a roe dear. The bike ride was along tracks, in mud, up peedie hills, down tracks with stones and roots to ride over and we ended up on the river. We stopped here for a rest, some really tasty fudge made by the chef here at the centre (thankyou) and had a go at skimming stones in the water. We got back on our bikes and made our way back to the centre.

After lunch it was time to go to the Gorge Walk. The Gorge is called Auchlean Gorge and we had to get ready quickly because 3 groups were heading there. In our excitement we got into a bit of a kerfuffle, some of us followed the instructions, some of us didn’t so we ended up taking a bit longer than we should have but we still managed to be the 2^nd group to be dropped off. We then had a looooonnnnnggggggg trek (15 minutes!) to the gorge. When we got there we had lots of challenges – sliding down waterfalls, jumping in the Jacuzzi (HAHA!) then we had to climb up rocks. Some of us got up slippy rocks, some of us slid back down and plunged back into the DEEP water – YAY!

We are working brilliantly as a team and our instructor Cameron helped us to overcome our fears and really challenge ourselves. Thanks Cameron for a great first day.

By David, Mansie and Heather

Group 4 Tuesday - Miss Coltherd

Today our group did skiing and mountain biking.

First we got the gear on, it was a helmet, boots, skis and gloves. After we got our stuff on we walked like chickens to the ski slope because the boot soles were rock hard and stopped our shins moving forward. When we got to the ski slope it looked like a giant toothbrush because it was white bristles. We learned how to slide down the hill, stop, and turn.

Mountain biking

First we put some helmets and gloves on, and got our bikes fitted. Then we set off on to our adventures. First we went up some hills and bumpy tracks, then we went to Feshie river, got some fudge, and drank out the river for the first time. Everyone tried to get a stone in the trunk in Feshie river, then we came back.

Today it was very fun and tiring, but felt rewarding at the end of it.

By Euan, Callie and Lara

Group 5 - Mr MacKinnon

In one morning as a group we had to meet at the juice bar, where we met Simon our instructor for the rest of the week. He took us a walk round the camp.

By James

Our first activity of the day was the tree climb. It was a very tall tree with a bell at the top to ring if you get up. We all gave it a go and had a good time. We belayed our friends using a system involving friction. Then we went in and had lunch before our next activity.

By Bonnie

Today in the afternoon we went to do a gorge walk. I really enjoyed working together and getting wet, it was lots of fun! It was really cold but also very fun getting to fall back into the deep water and climbing the waterfalls. Before we went to the gorge walk, Simon (our instructor) took us to get all our kit on. I really enjoyed today and can’t wait to go into a bigger gorge tomorrow.

By Ella

Group 6 – Miss Spence

Tuesday

Elle:  Today we went on a gorge walk and got really wet but some of us got blisters! In the gorge walk Josh fell in a ditch and we went under a waterfall and slid down smooth granite in to water. After lunch we went cycling and played a game called Camouflage. Freya got scared of bugs and gave up!

Soma:  So today we went to Glenfeshie to do our gorge walk.  We got soaked to the bone! We had to put on 2 layers of very warm clothes and a water proof layer on top.  When we got to the waterfall, we got to slide down it.  At the end we got to swim, it was amazing even though we were cold and wet, we had so much fun.  My least favourite part was taking the wet clothes off, it was really hard.  Then the power went out so we had cold showers, but not long after it got fixed. 

After lunch we went cycling through a huge forest.  We played a game in the middle of the forest.  We were trying not to be seen but needed to get back to base.  We had a very bumpy track, some of us nearly went flying off the bikes!  Then we came back and put the bikes away.