Sea fishing, raft racing, orienteering and survival island

Wednesday

Most days at the Adventure School start with a run or a swim before breakfast, and Wednesday was no exception. We had a strong team, nearly half of the summer camp, taking the bolder option and going for a swim! The Reds and Blues spent the day looking at the survival skills that they would need that evening on survival island. Foraging for materials to light a fire, getting it going with a striking flint, cooking winkles and limpets from the seashore and some of the mackerel from Tuesday evenings fishing trip. They also looked at constructing shelters from old yacht sails and small military bivvy tarps and undertook a radio communications exercise at the Adventure School.

Shortly after four o’clock the Reds and Blues boarded the boats again and headed off for survival island. A chance to work together as a team, making their own decisions and judgements without the input and guidance of an instructor.

The Yellows and Greens spent the morning sea fishing from the boats, Argo and Victoria, out in Loch Laxford and beneath the line of cliffs that form the western edge of survival island. In the afternoon and evening, they too looked at the survival skills, fire, food and shelter and will go to the island on Thursday evening.

Thursday

The Reds and Blues returned from survival island in time for showers before breakfast. A couple of sharp rain showers in the early hours had tested the shelters but the team were on good form, if a little tired.

We had a day of raft building and orienteering today. The young people, in different teams this morning, built rafts from wooden spars, old mussel farm barrels and ropes and raced each other out on the sea loch, and then back in their Reds, Blues, Greens and Yellows took on ‘search to survive’, a wilderness orienteering course, operating in pairs or squads of three with detailed maps of the remote Ardbeg peninsula.

This evening the Yellows and Greens are on survival island. The weather has been kind so far with sunshine and a good strong breeze.

Tomorrow, Friday, is the Durness Highland Games. A fun day where the young people can compete with and against locals in all sorts of events, traditional and modern and see the bagpipe band.

Sea kayaking expeditions are due to start at the weekend.

Everyone is on good form and the tired legs from our mountain expeditions have eased.