We all arrived at Alltnacriche after a long, winding bus journey and a quick stop at a park from our snack and some fun.

We all really liked the big spinning disk and almost everyone was on it at the same time!

It has rained continually since we got here but we haven’t let that bother us. First, we went for a walk up the hill. It was very steep but the views were amazing. There are pheasants all around us, and some are really big. We learned how to camouflage ourselves like the wild animals do. It was more difficult for us to do it that animals though because our jackets are such bright colours. We then played land grab and got very wet looking for all the signs! It was cool because each sign had a hole punch which made a different pattern and we needed to find as many as we could. There was a burn that we were allowed to put our feet in too.

We had to make our own beds after that which the adults thought was very funny as some of us didn’t even know what a sheet was never mind what to do with it! One thing is for sure.. We need to be making our own beds at home like Evie does every week. She was really quick and helped other people. The adults were lucky because their beds were already made up for them. That turned out to be just as well for them though as they ended up making most of our beds.

We have had dinner (and managed to eat it all even though some of us have arrived with enough food to keep us going for a month…) and some free time to explore all the nooks and crannies. There is a large sports hall here where we can play with the equipment. We also have a games room with air hockey, big jenga, football table and a pool table. Mrs. Kelly and Miss Stout were playing badminton with everyone in the sports hall and Mrs Whalley was losing on the football table! Now we are off to play nukemball… But we don’t know what that is just yet!

The thing we are all most looking forward to is the hot chocolate before we go to bed.. Yummy!!

Well, nukemball is a game that is played with two teams and a ball.. We think it is a mixture of volley ball and netball all in one.

We had “feet off the floor” time in the music room after that and we spoke about choices. The instructors played a trick on us with jelly beans.. Make sure you ask us what it was when we get home.

We had our hot chocolate and a biscuit then some of us had a shower before bed. We had to put our lights out at 9.40pm but some people didn’t fall asleep until half past two in the morning.

Wednesday

It’s Katie’s Birthday!! Happy Birthday to Katie!

Katie has a big birthday hat and lots and lots of badges! She had a few parcels to open and she has been first to get her food all day because she is the birthday girl. We are all having birthday cake after our dinner

We have all worked in different groups today.

The Red group (Ryan B, Connor, Jack, Matthew, Jakub, Nathan, Keira and Joy) did the ropes course and the zip line. The zip line looked scary from the top but it was amazing when we got to the bottom and we all wanted to do it again and again. They then took part in the mountain biking and archery. The archery turned out to be much harder than it looked. But as Connor said, we got better each time and if we had had even longer we might have ended up being experts. Here are some photos of us.

Today was the first time we got to use the tuck shop and we thought we were very grown up with our cans of juice at lunch time.

~The Yellow Group (Shaun, Calum, Kieran, Luis, Kayla, Megan, Sophie and Katie) took part in the ropes course and the zip line today too. They thought that the pulley they had to carry was very, very heavy! After that they went to the watersports at Loch Morlich. It was absolutely freezing and we were glad we had wrapped up warm. It was good fun though and everyone tried their best. Shaun didn’t really like it so he got to watch and stay in the warm.

~The Blue Group (Adam, Cameron, Rory, Ruairidh, Morgan, Kayleigh, Lois-Jay and Robyn) started off with the archery. It was sunny first thing in the morning so they were glad they didn’t get soaked like the groups after them! They wore arm braces to protect themselves and they had to try and hit a target. The blue group then got to go on the mountain bikes. Some of them were brand new because they only got delivered today which was exciting. There were cones on the grass so that they could try and test out their skills. After that the blue group got to try out the ropes course and zip line too.

~The Green group (Kai, Ryan D, Scott, Ethan, Ryan Mc, Evie, Charlotte and Melissa) were on duty after dinner tonight and it took them a whole 18 minutes to finish up. That is 11 minutes slower than the last group. The instructor, Alan, told Mrs. Whalley that if any of them were to ever open a restaurant then she should avoid it at all costs.. Ethan is very good at remembering to tuck in his chair, so maybe there is hope yet.

They started off the day with mountain biking and archery and had watersports in the afternoon. We were surprised that we had to wear glasses for the mountain biking but Iain explained that it was to protect our eyes.

~ The Orange Group (Jamie, Blake, Austin, Erin, Esther, Ailbhe, Ellie and Lewis) caught the sun at the watersports in the morning then enjoyed the ropes course and the zip line in the afternoon. Some parts of the rope course are quite challenging and on the biggest part you have to stay on once you start. Thankfully they all encouraged each other and everyone made it unharmed!

Tonight we have had a HUGE dinner and now we are having fun with Fiona in the games hall. We will have our feet off the floor time again, some hot chocolate and cake then we will all be sound asleep by 10pm (or so the adults hope!).

Thursday

Hello to all the parents! We are thinking about you and looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

This morning,  the Red and Blue Group started their day at the water sports. It was sunny but snowing at the same time. Alan showed us the Cairngorm mountain and all the snow on the top.

Before we left we were all very excited. Jack couldn’t find his swimming trunks so he just wore his boxers but it didn’t make any difference. The best bit was when I got in the kayak. It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be and I struggled to turn the boat. The worst bit was when I capsized because I got a bit of a fright. The instructor helped me and took me to the bank. It was near to the end of the session so I decided to go back because I was cold. Mrs. Whalley bought me a hot chocolate and a cookie. She took a photo too which she said she will put on the blog. – Ruairidh

I liked the kayaking because I hadn’t tried it before and it was really fun. – Joy

I loved the kayaking because I was on a real loch and not just in a swimming pool. – Lois-Jay

I liked the canoeing because it was fun and I got to do it with Kayleigh and Morgan. It was easy at times and more difficult at other times.

I enjoyed it all. I found it difficult to get the boat to turn. – Connor

I had the most fun ever – Matthew

While they were doing that, the Yellow Group were mountain biking and then they went to archery.

The Green and Orange Group worked together to make bread in the woods. First we learned how to light a fire using parts of thistles, bark and a flint which you buy in a shop. We worked in little groups and took turns to try and light it. It was fun but really smoky. Then we found out what ingredients we would need to make the bread and had a look at all the different flavours we could use. When we finished making the bread we got to taste it and share it with other groups.

We all had lunch together and then some free time. Most of us wanted to play in the burn but there is also a swing and the sun was out too.

After lunch, the Yellow, Red and Blue group made bread. We all worked as a big team to collect sticks. We needed birds nest sticks, pinkie sticks, finger sticks and thumb sticks to make the fires for the bread. We all worked really well together and helped each other to carry the really heavy bags to the campfire spot.  Sophie, Conner and Adam all helped each other carry the heaviest bag. We sat in a circle to find out how to light the fire then we prepared all of our materials before we got started. Kayleigh managed to light the fire first time for her group but it went out so everyone in the group joined in and had a try. Lois-Jay and Morgan were scared of the sparks and just watched instead. On the way back up Ryan B found a bug on his hood. We are not sure what it was but we know that it was an insect. Calum, Ryan B, Rory and Sophie were part of the team who helped with the washing up.

The Green Group had their turn at the zip line and ropes course. Ryan Mc and Ethan were partners and helped each other round the course. the tyres were funny because it was easy to end up doing the splits! There was also a big net which we could race up or just go up at our own speed. Charlotte tried really hard and had a big smile on her face at the end. Scott was Kai’s partner and helped by encouraging him to keep going.

The Orange Group had their chance to do the mountain biking and the archery. At he start of the mountain biking we were asked what number we would rate ourselves in our confidence. Joy’s mum didn’t rate herself highly so we knew to look out for her. Jamie was really good at this and even made sure that Joy’s mum knew when the bumps were coming up. It was very thoughtful of him and Joy’s mum appreciated it. The sun was shining for us and we got to cycle in the forest.