Woodlands Manor - 10:05pm

All is quiet in the big manor house!  We are all pleased with our excellent days being out and about in the glorious Welsh autumnal countryside.  Everyone, children and adults alike, should be very proud of their super efforts, hard work and what we have achieved.  It's been fantastic!

 

The children slept well last night and after a hearty breakfast of cereals and croissants, we regrouped with our activity leaders to plan for the day ahead.  Group 1 had a marvellous day down in the caves at Porth yr Ogof, with its impressive cave mouth and the river running through it.  It has been wonderful listening to the fun children had underground and how they have pushed themselves with the different challenges they faced scrambling and squeezing themselves through tight nooks in the rocks.  Group 2 had such a lot of fun on the water of the Monmouth and Brecon Canal; using excellent teamwork and their newly acquired skills to manoeuvre the canoes along the water, they enjoyed a super journey.  After arriving at the destination, one of the canoes was placed upside down on the side of the bank and children slid down it head first into the water like super heroes.  The children all thought this was fun until hitting the water and realising just how cold the water actually was.  However, they all went back for a second go and thoroughly loved it! On site, Groups 3 and 4 embarked on a range of challenges, including tackling the HUGE climbing wall, the varied high ropes course through the treetops and the super zippy zip wire.  These were not easy, and it took a lot of trust, determination and support from others to climb up the wall or navigate the different sections on the high ropes.  Teamwork, again, was essential and children were encouraging and supportive of each other.  

Cake was in abundance today, as we not only enjoyed it with our lunch, but also for pudding after a dinner of sausage, mash and veg. Following this, we had a super choice of activities including orienteering, art and a games night.  it was also fun seeing the bats and hearing the owls again this evening.  And then, after a lovely cup of warm hot chocolate, children headed up to bed and are now genuinely sound asleep.  It really has been a great day and we are looking forward to what tomorrow has in store.  

Tomorrow, Group 1 will be staying on site for high ropes and climbing, Group 2 will be caving and Groups 3 and 4 will be canoeing.   

 

Leaving you with just one of the beautiful nuggets of loveliness we are all seeing and hearing every day: Overheard at Woodlands - after a picnic lunch and being out and about in the gorgeous Welsh countryside, two of the boys were standing on a five bar gate looking over the valley beyond.  

Child A: Would you just look at that view!

...pause...

Child B: Yeah, this is the life!

💙

Good night - over n out for now!