Students arrived at school in their outdoor clothes, with their suitcases and bags, ready to begin for the exciting days ahead. At 10am, staff and students boarded the coaches bound for Howtown, full of excitement and enthusiasm. On arrival at the centre students delved straight into a range of activities…

Team Atherton began hiking up Hallin Fell to enjoy the spectacular views of snow-capped mountains, including Helvellyn and the magnificent lake Ullswater. The group made it to the summit at an impressive pace and enjoyed the views from the top.  The evening activity was orienteering, which the students embraced with enthusiasm and a competitive spirit.

Team Tabei enjoyed a gentle stroll with beautiful views and incredible skies for their first activity, then a bracing dip in the calm and tranquil Ullswater. Orienteering in the dark was the evening activity which proved extremely challenging for the group.

Team Yassin’s first activity was a group row on lake Ullswater. The team managed to complete each challenge set by the instructor and got to ride back on a speedboat. After dinner, the team then completed the Outward Bound tradition of a jog and dip in Ullswater. What a great start to the residential.

Team Strachan got things kicked off and dove in the deep end with a jog and dip on arrival. Every member of the team challenged themselves and showed lots of determination and resilience. The evening activity was a night walk to the star gaze at the top of the hill. Students showed compassion when working as a team to navigate the climb and support each other to the summit.

Team Humphries got thrown into the deep end right away, starting off with the jog and dip! The students were brilliant and showed a lot of resilience, challenging themselves to go as deep as they could into the ice-cold water. The team ended the evening with a walk and stargazing.

Team Bonington arrived and had the pleasure of heading straight to the lake. As a team they rowed across the lake, taking in the stunning scenery. The group then braved the 'jog and dip', showing great resilience and bravery. The evening activities involved the group completing team work games in the woodland. The students shone throughout, a great start to the residential. 

After the evening meal, students started to share their thoughts about what they were excited about, what they were nervous about and what they wanted to achieve this week; excitement about being away with friends, nervous about facing fears such as claustrophobia but wanting to use this week to challenge themselves, face fears and overcome them.

Ryan (instructor): “thank you for a great first day/night, you are one of the best teams I’ve worked with. I’m really looking forward to doing the rest of the activities with you all”.

Team Atherton started the day with some team-working skills on the wall climb. Students had to work together to scale an 8 ft high wall! After a picnic lunch on site before the storm and gale force winds hit, Atherton set out in wetsuits and waterproofs up over the moor to the gorge. Once again, team Athertons incredible compassion, excellence and integrity shone through as they all worked together to wade through' water to climb the waterfall.  The evening was spent reflecting on the skills learnt, recognising our achievements and toasting marshmallows around the campfire.

Team Tabei worked their way through the forge at Fusedale beck head on as dark clouds gathered like behemoths on the plains and the wind began to howl. They then joined two other groups for an evening cook-out and some team-building activities.

Team Bonington started the day off completing some team bonding activities to prepare them for the challenge ahead. The team then ventured to Hartsop to Gorge scrambling up a stunning waterfall. Through excellent teamwork and communication, everyone beat all the obstacles they faced and made it to the top. The views were out of this world! The evening involves students 'cooking out' and making their own evening meal topped off with hot chocolate!

Team Yassin started with a wall climb which highlighted how far the group had come in terms of teamwork with each other in order to get over the wall. After that, we then set off to go gorge walking, which, again, the team worked together in order to get to the top. In the evening, Yassin had dinner in a yurt along with 2 other teams and even got to enjoy a hot chocolate.

Team Humphries faced a new day and exciting new challenges. The team worked together to defeat the challenge wall, walked against the strongest wind terrain and then had a go at gorge scrambling. The team showed lots of compassion towards each other, encouraging each other to keep pushing on. The team were excellent as they gorge scrambled even further than the instructor expected! They were so brilliant that the team jumped in the lake to celebrate the day. The team reflected on the values and skills they showed throughout the day and two students were selected for outstanding achievements.

Team Strachan kicked things off with team-building activities in the woods where the team showed determination to work together strategically to achieve their goals. In the afternoon, we faced the strong winds up the mountain and into the gorge. The team helped each other every step of the way and made sure every member scrambled through the water to the top. Everyone was so proud of their achievements. Well done team!

Student: “I’m so proud of myself, I went all the way into the water even though it was so cold! It really is about having a positive mindset”.

Team Atherton started the day by working together, rowing the large boat from the Outward Bound Centre to the opposite side of the lake. At that point, the group sat and had an enjoyable picnic lunch. The group then walked into the woods to the underground tunnel network and enjoyed squeezing through the small spaces playing hide and seek tig. It was great to see the students overcome their fears, grow in confidence and put their amazing team-working skills into practice to get everyone up the tunnel slide! A boat ride back, we then headed straight back out into the wilderness for our cook-out. After a “spaceman” dinner in the yurt we grabbed our head torches and headed back out on a night hike, before the long-awaited tuck shop was opened and souvenirs were bought as a reminder of the students’ amazing adventures, new-found friendships and journey of self discovery in the Lake District.

Team Yassin started the day off with a speed boat across to explore the Outward Bound tunnels where they also had lunch. Then getting another speed boat back across to the main site and headed up to the top of Helvellyn, which was worth the walk-up as the views were amazing.

Bonington team's first activity of the day was to climb Hallin Fell. The group showed great determination and teamwork to conquer the steep and challenging terrain. At the summit, the team sat and ate lunch whilst enjoying a stunning 360 panoramic view over Ullswater and the surrounding Like District Fells. The second challenge of the day involved abseiling down the side of the mountain, something that certainly took the students out of their comfort zone, but once again they prevailed! During the walk back to camp, the group talked about how much confidence they now had in their ability. The evening saw the students enjoy a campfire in the woods.

Team Tabei strolled gently down to the jetty to await the old classic Western Steamer that would carry the group up Ullswater to Glenridding. The steamer trip was spectacular and left the group in awe of the majesty that surrounded us. The Shackleton Boat (named after the shape of the original boats that Shackelton used on his Antarctic trip) required team work, communication, resilience and fortitude - they tried. A beautiful stroll back to base around Hallin Fell revealed spectacular views. What a day, what an adventure. What a team of amazing young people.

Team Strachan started the day by canoeing across Ullswater, working as the brilliant team they are to support each other across the choppy water. In the afternoon, the team hiked across the beaches and up the mountain to meet beautiful horses at the summit. As night fell, the team collected water from the stream and cooked their dinner together under the stars. What an amazing last day!

Team Humphries had a long and challenging day but, as always, the team showed excellence, determination and resilience. We were all ready, prepared and packed from the night before and were eager to go for their mountain climb. The team worked together to orienteer and lead the way. Along the way, team Humphries were feeling brave and got a burst of energy from abseiling! We then continued up Hallin Fell and 388m later, we made it up to the very top! Woohoo! The team then climbed down and set off on a boat, showing their powerful rowing skills. The day ended in high spirits with a cookout, singing and reflection.

Student: “I know I can do it (overcome challenges) now as long as I try my best. I have confidence in myself!”.

One last morning of activities before we make our way home!