Hollowford 2019

Hollowford is the place where we (Form 4 students) all recently stayed for 3 days, located in the Peak District – a national park.

As for the activities, I liked rafting because it was very good for team building and getting to know others. At first, I didn’t know some of the students very well, but through building our own raft and racing with the other teams, I got to know them more. Caving, weaseling and rock climbing were all very challenging and exhilarating experiences too. I got to overcome my fear of darkness and claustrophobia! For example, during our caving session, we got to experience pure darkness. We turned off our lights and opened our eyes and there wasn’t even a difference with our eyes open or closed! It was really cool.

I enjoyed several other new experiences too. Abseiling was fun and allowed me to encourage my peers and help other people. It was a challenge that also helped students deal with the fear of heights, and it was beautiful going down the bridge. Hiking made me realise that I am actually stronger and fitter than I thought. At first, I didn’t think that I would be able to walk up the mountain for very long… But, I can do it – and did, and surprisingly, I enjoyed it very much. The scenery up there was just stunning!

Throughout the trip, we got to hang out with our friends and make new friends whist trying new activities. We had lots of fun together. After our activities, we always had time to relax and spend time talking and laughing too. The overall experience was thrilling, amazing and certainly memorable. We learnt new skills that I don’t think we would have had a chance to do so without Hollowford.

Praew – F4

Hollowford has been one of the most captivating and challenging weekends I’ve experienced in my life. From weaseling between rocks to creating your own raft with your team, the campsite allowed me to experience the largest range of outdoor activities that I could imagine.

The instructors were all extremely welcoming at our arrival on the campsite and made settling in incredibly easy, with thorough explanations of where to go at all times and where things were. The rooms were also incredibly clean making a comfortable experiencing of living there. To make things even easier for us, equipment could be lent from the outdoor centre so we did not potentially ruin our own clothes.

Personally, one of my favourite activities was rock climbing. Although it was quite painful and rough on my fingers, I enjoyed it the vast majority of the time – particularly as I experienced something that a normal climbing centre did not have… We were given the opportunity to climb on natural rock formations instead of man-made ones. This gave me a sense of achievement and admiration on the power of mother nature.

Overall, the trip was a blast, and if I had the choice I would definitely go again.

Chester – F4

 

Form 4 Trip to Hollowford

F4s who were at Concord in F3 will have remembered the trip to Bala, but the new F4s might have been nervous of what was in store for this outdoor education trip. Like the Bala trip, it was more of the same; the activities, the laughs, the smiles….

On Friday 27th April, around 90 students and staff set off to Hollowford Centre for a fun-filled weekend. Once we arrived we were thrown into the deep end straightaway, with different groups doing different activities, meaning everyone was busy from the off. My group did abseiling first and although it looked quite daunting, we soon realised that the worst part of it wasn’t actually climbing down, but thinking about climbing down!

We arrived back already slightly tired from our first challenge, but we were treated well with a tasty warm meal which filled us up. The groups finished off with one last activity for the day (for my group it was rowing) and then arrived back with some free time to spare. On the first night many students were really tired and slept right after the 10:30pm room check, but it was just the start of a very eventful weekend.

On Saturday, again, the groups participated in different activities – 3 to be precise. At the start, the thought of all these challenging activities dawned, but once we got into the activities they went by quickly and it was all much enjoyed. Even hill walking was quite fun and the scenery caught the eye. With more free time on our hands, quite competitive games of ping-pong took place during the lunch and supper breaks. On Saturday evening, students were told to prepare their luggage and tidy their rooms as tomorrow would be their last day; however we still had two more activities to go.

On Sunday, students were taken out by their instructors for their last activities, with my group taking part in caving and raft building (with the added bonus of zip lining). These activities were probably the most fun activities we took part in, and it’s fair to say that the Hollowford trip finished on a high.

Finally, students packed and cleared out their rooms, tidied their beds and changed into dry clothes before setting off back to Concord. Thanks were said to our teachers, and goodbyes to the amazing and welcoming staff and instructors at Hollowford, who treated us as family.

The trip was a chance for some to overcome many of their fears and for others to try things they hadn’t done before… I think I speak for most when I say that this trip was thoroughly enjoyed.

Toluwafe Eyifewa (tf) – F4