From Sheffield to Sutherland

Westbourne team arrive in the far northwest

It has been a wild and squally day at Ardmore. That said it has mostly been dry, with the exception of the twenty or so minutes when the Westbourne team were getting off the coach late this afternoon and walking along the shore to the Adventure School. Certainly an exciting introduction to the far northwest and a good way to demonstrate the capabilities of the drying room!

Before dinner, we had a chance to unpack, have a quick tour of the school and prepare our kit for the days to come. The pupils are working in little teams this week, two blue teams and two red teams.

After macaroni cheese, salads and a chocolate brownie, we set off in teams to climb to a high point above the Adventure School. Still windy and wild but dry! It is only when you get to the top that you are able to see out to the west, across the Ardmore peninsula where we live, to the Atlantic beyond. The sky was amazing with shafts of light breaking through the dark and imposing clouds, a silver shimmer over the stormy Atlantic. The mountains were shrouded in low cloud but there was a good view across to survival island, sitting in the mouth of Loch A Chadh-Fi.

The plan tomorrow is for a swim before breakfast, and then a day of rock climbing and abseiling, accompanied by the fire and food elements of the survival skills that the pupils will need prior to their night on the island on Wednesday.

After dinner tomorrow we will leave for our wild camp at the foot of Arkle, the mountain that we will tackle together on Monday. More news updates when we return on Monday evening!