Summer Residential Adventure Camp

Well, what can I say… Once again our residential Adventure Camp was another cracker!

Our 4 day/3 night camp started last Tuesday and finished on Friday, with all kids and coaches having a blast! As usual, our camp was filled with adventurous activities which kept everyone entertained and also left everyone pretty tired by the end of the week.

The camp was yet again held in Shining Cliff woods, which is approximately 15 minutes south of Matlock, Derbyshire. With it’s great secluded location it is perfect for our Adventure Camp and it’s also in a prime location to access some wonderful countryside.

This summer we had 13 enthusiastic campers, plus coaches Mark, Lawrence, Tiegan and myself. From the start of camp you could see that everyone wanted to get stuck in and general teamwork was rather good.

Tuesday started with an 8.00am meet followed by a couple of quick ice breaker games. You could quickly see who the good leaders were and also that everyone was rather comfortable in each other company. After a calculated loading procedure, it was go go go, as we set off to Shining Cliff. Traffic was pretty kind and we managed to get to Shining Cliff in under 2 hours. Once through the farm gate and down the rickety off road track, we ended up at our destination. It was a quick unload followed by a 15 minute walk through the woods to the centre… We had arrived!

We had a great day of adventure planned for Tuesday, which involved a 10 mile bike ride around Carsington water. Despite getting a little wet during the ride, and having a couple of minor bumps, it was a great experience for all and everyone did a super job. After this it was back to the centre to collect firewood for our camp fire. Unfortunately, the heavens opened and dry wood was very hard to come by. That said, all the children managed to collect some wood and after a bit of tuition, everyone managed to get a small fire going by just using flint and steal.

Wednesday was an early start and following breakfast we headed over to the Hollowford Centre where we took part in various activities throughout the day. It began with our group being divided up for some archery. Various people excelled in this, with even coach Tiegan scoring a couple of 10’s! After this, and a spot of lunch, the Low Ropes Course was calling. Children were again split into small groups of 2/3 children, with the emphasis being on teamwork and looking after each other. Again everyone did a super job, so from there we moved on to the High Ropes Course. The HRC is a real test of courage and generally pushes everyone out of their comfort zone. Hopefully the pictures tell the full story here, as the kids were epic! Finally, the day finished with a drive back to Shining Cliff and a BBQ on the open fire… Perfect.

Thursday was a beautiful day, which was perfect considering it was highly likely we would be getting a little wet. Our River Canoe Trip never fails to disappoint and with it being perhaps the highlight of the week, everyone was really excited! We split into two groups, having one group on the river whilst the other took in the sights of Matlock Bath and the nearby parks. Quite quickly several of the group found out how cold the River Derwent was, having the rest of the group up in laughter! After a couple hours on the water, it was time for the change around, but not before we all witnessed coaches Mark and Lawrence take an early bath whilst trying to ride the final rapids!

The second group, consisting of all the girls and myself, were a little more controlled and managed to get from the beginning to the end without fault. This said, we all couldn’t leave the river without a bit of slashing and finally everyone jumping in for a bit of fun. After a quick change we all visited Matlock Bath, which comes alive with it’s sweatshops and arcades. This was a nice opportunity for everyone to buy a gift for parents/guardians at home, although I think most of their spends were lost in the 10 pence machines, some would say an invaluable lesson to learn.

After the entertainment of Matlock Bath is was back up to the centre for dinner and then out for the infamous night walk. This year was a little later than planned, which did lead to a bit of a later start on Friday morning. However, it was a clear night and the stars were on show, plus visiting the old abandoned house was a little different and at times a little spooky!

We began our last day with breakfast and bushcraft activities. Leaders were selected and from there two team picked. Each team had two coaches and 2 hours to design and construct their shelters. A great effort from both teams meant that it was too hard to pick a winner. It was also fantastic to see everyone working together to achieve a brilliant team shelter.

After a quick lunch we finished the camp with some team games. As usual ‘Capture The Flag’ was quite competitive, and even the kids took it rather serious. Once the games were completed it was back to the centre to collect our gear and then begin the journey home. The short 15 minute walk back to the vehicles always seems a little further by the end of the week, but once we were all packed up it was back to PAS HQ for 6.00pm. Despite running a little late due to bad traffic we finished off the camp with a small presentation and knowing that everyone had a wonderful time.

Coaches Mark, Lawrence, Tiegan and myself had a superb week and this was made by a wonderful group of kids… Well done guys!

Pictured below is a group shot from our biking day. Should you wish to see all of our pictures from the camp, please click here… and don’t forget to Like and Share 🙂