The weather was giving its worst but that didn’t dampen spirits – and neither did a chilly dip in the Loch. The group quickly proved to be well motivated and extremely capable. The nightline was a good platform for exploring the fact that leadership is who you are, not where you are and the group followed this up the next morning by listing all the traits they consider a good leader should have.

We used a variety of problem solving challenges and team tasks, both mental and physical, to get the group working together on day two and to see some leadership in action. They learned the importance of planning and of leaning from their mistakes. Boy George (our famous big tree climb) was a huge challenge and saw many of the young people facing their fear of heights head on. Despite the nerves everyone completed the climb.

Wednesday was expedition day and we delayed our departure to allow time for Hamish to rejoin the group after sitting his driving test (he passed! Well done Hamish). After jumping off the parachute jump, completing the spider’s web challenge and packing our bags we were ready to head off.  The wire bridge was the last challenge of the day and the only way to reach the hut across the River Nevis.

We headed home via a different route and the group had to work together to build their own bridge to get back across the river. That evening the youngsters enjoyed a blast on the zip wire as a just reward for all the effort of the expedition.

Friday morning saw the team working together to build a raft which they tested around a course – in the cold water again, we’re back to where we started!  All the young people said that the week had pushed them hard, that they had been surprised by what they had been able to achieve and that they had learned more about what they are capable of. They felt that the experience would prove useful back in their roles at school and I hope this proves to be true. Best wishes for the future!

Lisa Diggins, Senior Instructor, Loch Eil

I soon realised that they all had a healthy interest in the environment and began to introduce each area of the John Muir Award.  Here’s how it went:

To discover a wild place, I introduced them to everything from the forest and woodlands, the seas and lochs to Glen Nevis and its surrounding crags.  Along the way they encountered bogs, sphagnum, wood sorrel and even some old man’s beard! For those of you not in the know, it’s a type of flower!

As part of our exploration of a wild place, we began in the centre grounds and later ventured out into the wild Lochans, Glenfinnan and the spectacular Loch Shiel.  We also saw the new hydro-electric development at Lochaber to try and better understand environmentally friendly energy generation.  Each of these places gave us the opportunity to see and understand a new type of environment.  And to try and conserve these environments, we took part in a litter pick and spent a session constructing bird feeders in Glen Duhlie. I expect to see some rather fat birdies in Glen Duhlie on my next visit – the feeders were enormous!  We also spent time learning about and discussing the theory of conservation, including energy and waste reduction, recycling, supermarket packaging and invasive species of plants.

To wrap up the week, the pupils delivered an impressive presentation on their environmental knowledge.  A thoroughly outstanding week!

Rich Hill, Senior Instructor, Loch Eil

The project, which included an Outward Bound residential, was funded by two key sponsors, one of which was Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, whose generosity and financial backing has given young people the chance to interact with others from a range of backgrounds, to develop new skills and to learn more about themselves and their capabilities.

During their September residential, participants considered the relationship between their passion for rugby, their experiences with The Trust and their life both in school and outside of the classroom. At first, the contrast between participants’ home life and their Outward Bound experiences meant that some of the young people struggled to connect with the challenges and showed some unwillingness to take part.

However, as the course progressed, through the skills of the instructors, participants were able to develop an open mindset and understand the links between teamworking as part of a rugby game and the importance of teamwork in overcoming challenges in their home life.  Through a variety of challenges, participants learned that a proactive response always delivered better results than reactive behaviour whilst developing their self-discipline and a new-found focus to succeed.

This 8-day Adventure & Challenge course was a real journey, reaching many highs but equally seeing a number of more challenging moments – without which, the highs would not have meant so much to the individual teams.

At the end of the course the four groups thanked the project sponsors for giving them this incredible opportunity, which allowed them to take away important skills for the future to transfer back into their own lives.

The Outward Bound Trust looks forwards to our continued partnership with The Leeds Rugby Foundation and we wish the participants the greatest success in their sport and future ambitions.

James, Course Director, Aberdovey centre

The following day we headed straight onto the steamer to Glenridding to undertake an 11km walk along the Hellvelyn ridge to camp at Grisedale Tarn. The conditions were perfect to challenge the group, ensuring that they had to apply a full range of skills throughout the day.  Each participant had an opportunity to take on different roles within the team, including navigating and leading the group. When the mist cleared at Dollywagon, the walk was worth all the effort with splendid views along the ridge and down to our camp spot for the evening. We pitched tents, cooked and chatted for a long time while taking in the views of the surrounding hills.

On Wednesday, as the group lead the walk down to Glenridding and the row to Howtown, they took it in turns to try different leadership styles and learned about autocratic, people oriented, democratic, charismatic, and bureaucratic leadership. We discussed the benefits and appropriateness of each approach. My highlight was Matthew naming each member of the group one of the seven dwarfs to motivate them when he was a charismatic leader – certainly a unique style of leadership!

Still full of energy on Thursday, the sixth formers led sections of an environmental challenge while kayaking on Lake Ullswater. Only a couple of members of the group capsized while “helping” others.  The group were still full of enthusiasm for the Cold Cove ghyll scramble later in the day – in fact they were so enthusiastic it was hard to get them to stop and at the end of the day they still wanted to carry on with the activity.

As the course drew to a close, the group had one final team challenge. A temporary member of the team, Neville – a makeshift dummy of wellies, jumpsuit and gloves – had gone missing. They had to orienteer to collect equipment, form a rescue team and locate Neville. He was found on the Lake so they had to canoe to him and bring him to the shore before all drinking hot chocolate and getting together to reflect on the course. At lake side they thought about what they had learned about themselves and other people as well as the new environment that they had explored. They also considered the feelings they had experienced throughout the course and how these would be useful in the future. These reflections were then used as a basis to write a letter to themselves which will be posted home to them for the start of term.

I wish them all well for the future and hope they will continue to have many more adventures.

Freda, Education Executive (and former instructor!)

Written by Senior Instructor Ian, Aberdovey centre

More than a year after the initial idea was hatched, students from Reading Blue Coat School & Sir John Nelthorpe School have made their first trip down the Afon Dulas. Many swims were taken and many laughs were had (mainly at the instructors), but each participant came away with a look of genuine pride in their achievements.

In late May, we found our first opportunity to use the Dulas, having gained permission from local landowners. Conditions were perfect: weekend rain had brought the river level up to a suitable height for beginners, the weather was warm and the groups excited.

As we reached the river, the students were given some coaching pointers and time to hone their skills on an easy section of water; practising how to move into and out from eddies at the side of the river as well as how to move across the flow of water. Then we were off!

An important theme of the day was for the students to take responsibility for themselves and others. This involved the students tuning into exactly what was going on around them, and reacting to the information they were given.

As the group progressed down the series of rapids, each more challenging than the last, their skills and confidence increased hugely. We reached the point where I felt confident in the students and allowed them to take over the leadership of the group, making vital decisions on which section of the rapid should be paddled and where the group should gather afterwards before moving on. It was great to see the students starting to really believe in their ability to paddle, but more importantly the group’s collective ability to lead itself in a challenging and ever-changing environment.

As we neared the end of the challenge, the final and most difficult rapid came into view: a narrow slot between two rocks just wide enough to fit a kayak through, dropping 2 feet into a mass of frothing water below. The students were offered the chance to paddle the rapid or to carry their kayaks around to avoid it. Happily, most of them decided to go for it.

One short swim and many smiles later, the group found themselves loading the kayaks onto the trailer ready for the journey back to the centre. The mood of the group had changed dramatically through the day, from one of trepidation at the prospect of a new and unknown challenge, to a feeling of relief and satisfaction at having conquered the river. Well done!

I look forward to sharing the experience with many more students in the future. Bring on the rain!

Written by Instructor Lisa, Loch Eil

A quick dip in the loch woke them up from their travels and gave them a taste of some of the challenges that lay ahead.

The following morning the group were set team tasks to get them working together. They learnt the benefits of planning and reviewing and I got them thinking about the characteristics that make a good team member. They ended the session on a crate stack, having learnt to set and achieve smart goals and to stick together when the going gets tough – skills that they would come to rely on later in the week.

That afternoon, the group packed their bags and set out on expedition, ready for the an ascent of Meall Cumhann. Warm sunshine accompanied them all the way past Steall Falls and on to the ruins. From here it was all uphill – hard going but the team learned that big challenges can be overcome with support from others. As they reached the summit towards late evening, the sky was clear and the views were incredible.  Everyone agreed it had been worth the effort.

The group returned to the centre the next day, ready to take on new challenges. Roles were allocated, as the team was tasked with creating a bridge across a river and swiftly learned that it’s not what you do but how you do it that counts!  Taking on what they had learnt, they applied good leadership skills to a gorge scrambling challenge, before pushing their comfort zones on Scimitar Ridge and testing their team work on the Jacob’s ladder.

The group were incredible in the final raft building challenge, resulting in paddling in record time against the wind, back to Loch Eil.
The team headed home with a greater knowledge of what they are able to achieve. Well done to all!

On Monday 13^th June, 6 12-13year old girl scouts got off their minibus at Loch Eil. Some having travelled for over 24 hours to get here (coming back from America for the girl scout troops annual trip.) Little did I know those 6 giggly girls would turn out to be a group of EPIC proportions.

From the start the girls were up for any challenge I through at them and their leaders encouraged me to throw bigger challenges at them. Jog and Dip was the start of things to come with a big swim from the pontoon back to the slip way and a slightly rolling sea coming in behind them they took to the water like it was a paddling pool.

On the Tuesday a few team challenges were followed by Jacobs Ladder where they got every team member to the top. Then packed and out on expedition. A beautiful sunny evening took us into the north face of Ben Nevis where a camp at the base of North East buttress saw us face a windy night.

The weather in the morning was heavy rain but the girls just got up and did there thing. We got what we needed for the day and scrambled up the abseil posts. This route on Ben Nevis is usually done by older groups of 16/17 years plus or classic groups who have been here for 3 weeks, but the girls were so capable, strong and ready to take on the challenge with a positive frame of mind. I had no doubt that they would succeed in this very harsh intimidating environment.

Although the girls have known each other for years throughout the week they seemed to grow closer as a group and really support each other through the challenging conditions/activities.

The girls were really tired after expedition but once again once we got to climbing they put their all into it trying some hard climbs that again are only really taken on by older groups.

This group not only amazed me with their strength, courage and spirit but made me totally re-think the challenges I will set for my groups in the future. To Pilar, Carolyn, Meghan, Maggie, Sarah and Roxy thanks for an amazing week and Cynthia, Linda and Rebecca thanks for bringing them and encouraging me to push the boundaries with them.

Last week an energetic group arrived at The Trust’s Loch Eil centre from Gracemount High School in Edinburgh. The school brought a range of ages, including mentors who had attended a Leadership course earlier in the year at our Ullswater centre.

The clan had an action packed week ahead of them: gorge walking, scrambling in Glen Nevis and an expedition on the stunning west coast of Scotland.   

Rather than me, the group’s instructor, give my impression of the course, here are a few thoughts from the MacLean Clan.

“I liked everything but my favourite was the expedition.  We went to Smirisary beach (white sands).  The place was beautiful.  I quite liked the food, as it tasted good.  The only thing I didn’t like was the mine field of sheep poo! We also saw the Harry Potter train.”  Keiran

“My best activity was the parachute jump.  I found it quite scary because it was the first day and I was first to go.  I didn’t know what it would be like.”  Ian

“The expedition.  We walked for two hours to a beach to camp and then the next day we walked another 2 hours to get back.  I thought it was extremely hard, cold at times and amazing as well.  The food I did not like and I didn’t sleep well, but that place was full of tranquillity and worth it!  The scenery was gorgeous and the people with me made the day even better.  It taught me you have to work hard for what you want.”  Laura

“I enjoyed the expedition because it was challenging but fun all in one.”  Josh

“I enjoyed the scramble on Scimitar Ridge because it made me push myself and I am now a better person.  I am extremely scared of heights, but even I have to admit it was a pretty good view, all the walking was worth it.”  Sean

“My favourite thing this week was the gorge walking because I think it was really good and I think it brought the whole team closer together.”  Murray

The Maclean Clan: Laura, Leigh, Natalie, Tia, Ian, Jack, Murray, Josh, Liam, Keiran, Sean, Jason and me, instructor Susan.

By James, Senior Instructor Metro/Aberdovey

The last weeks of March saw the arrival of students from school in Glasgow and Edinburgh to Outward Bound Metro.  The 3-day course, sponsored by the foodservices provider Sodexo, aimed to build a connection between young people’s eating habits and their participation in outdoor adventures.

The course was set by the spectacular Loch Tay, which was our base from which we canoed, hill walked and mountain biked our way around the Highlands.  Besides taking part in outdoor activities, the students also learned about new ways of cooking and preparing food, whilst bearing in mind how important it is to have a balanced diet.  To support the learning, Sodexo had brought along a chef, who would assist the students to make a whole range of meals.

It was fantastic to see the students taking on new experiences, as simple as taste testing different foods or engaging with activities like hill walking, mountain biking or canoeing.  It was great to see young people enjoying themselves in a natural environment, away from the distractions of mobile phones.

During the course, the students tracked their daily food and water intake and reviewed how this would affect their emotions and energy. This increased awareness and transfer of learning will help these students to make the first steps towards changing their diets for a healthier lifestyle.

The conclusion of the programme will see both courses from Glasgow and Edinburgh Schools present their learning to a panel of staff from The Trust, school teachers and directors from the Sodexo group.

I wish the students every success in their future.

Eat healthy and stay active!

By Elaine, Senior Instructor, Metro

Four students involved in the programme took part in a 4-day residential (as part of an 8 day course with The Outward Bound Trust at Metro) based at Craggan on Loch Tay. During the course they were working towards achieving their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, John Muir Discovery Award, canoe one star and Bronze National Navigation Award.

The adventure began straight away as the students were dropped off in the wilderness en route to the hostel and spent the day learning about navigation and hill walking. It was a very challenging day with difficult route finding and inclement weather. The team worked hard to support each other and overcome any difficulties which arose. Wildlife spotted during the day included a herd of around 30 red deer, 3 white mountain hares, a toad and some frog spawn – to the great delight of the boys!

Other challenges included a day of canoeing, after which 2 of the students achieved their one star award. It was also a great opportunity for a practice D of E expedition in the Queen Elizabeth Forest near Aberfolye. Highlights of the week included Robert’s home made shortbread biscuits, camping on the shore of Loch Venachar, waking up in tents to fresh snow, Dave (Senior Instructor)’s macaroni cheese, and seeing the boys pull together on the final day with massively improved motivation and team awareness.

The week was a real challenge for the students and they experienced a roller coaster of emotions, but ultimately learned to work together, and as individuals. They became more confident, more able and more engaged with the world around them. We are all very much looking forward to the second installment!