Rock climbing, abseiling and expedition prep

All go for the expedition team

With a late afternoon arrival yesterday the St John’s team had just enough time before supper to go for a swim in the sea loch. A good introduction to the week, before sitting down for supper of macaroni cheese, salads and a chocolate brownie.

We woke at seven o’clock this morning and back into the water for the traditional pre-breakfast swim, this time going beyond the wooden raft which is the usual swimming destination, all the way out to Fionn’s rock which sits some 150m beyond.

Rock climbing and abseiling filled the morning, with the enthusiastic team making ascents of four different climbs and whizzing down the abseil a couple of times. This afternoon is a mix of survival skills and expedition preparation. The survival skills are vital training for the island later in the week, teaching the boys to light fires with striking flints and how to forage for wild foods from around the seashore, as well as building shelters from old yacht sails and military bivvy tarps. 

The expedition prep will get the team ready for our walking expedition which, with a wild forecast overnight tonight, will start early tomorrow morning. It is not wet, just very windy, and as such we won’t safely get into the higher mountains this week. Instead we will head tomorrow into the wild country between the Cape and Sandwood Bay, with expedition packs and rations and wild camp near the bay itself, walking out along the cliffs and back to the Adventure School on Tuesday.

More news when we return.