Moonlit Walk 16th April 2022
The bus ride escape into the wild!
At 6:15pm, a group of students who signed up for the Moonlit walk previously, gathered with Mr Brown at Main Hall with excitement before boarding the minibus towards our hiking trail up the Hope Bowdler hills near Church Stretton. Our teacher ensured that we were each fully equipped with warm clothing and appropriate shoes, so we could stay warm in the strong wind. Despite the perfect weather on the day for us to hike, we would still not want to risk any chances of falling sick or getting injured.
Overjoyed with the perfect sunny weather provided, we boarded the bus and departed. When we arrived at the bottom of the hill, Mr Brown told us about what we should be cautious of when hiking up the steep mountain and tips that can help us to hike easily. Along the way up the steep mountain, we came across a sheep farm, where the sheep gathered and ran around freely across the inclined field. It was easy to spot them as they had large markings on their wool to indicate that they belong to the same family. We were warned by Mr Brown to not approach any of the young sheep to avoid distressing the mother, so we made sure we stayed a certain distance away from them. Many of us were amazed as we were witnessing these amazing creatures for the first time.
After roughly 20 minutes of hiking up the inclined hill, we arrived at our deserted destination, which was up a sharp pointing rock that we saw later when we descended to the bus. At the top, there were two families sitting there and enjoying the view, with their family dog running around on the grass. With enthusiasm, he ran towards us and allowed us to pet him. Mr Brown then allowed us to sit on the sharp rock, where we could enjoy a better view of Church Stretton from 426m above.
The Walk
Along the way, our whole group slowly separated into two, as some fast walkers lead the way, while the slow walkers followed behind chitchatting and taking photos of the magnificent view below. Along the way, we saw tiny rabbit holes and wondered where these holes would lead to, associating them with Peter Rabbit. We stopped at another huge stone for a break with Mr Brown’s offer of hot Ribena and doughnuts filled with different flavors. From there, Mr Brown pointed in various directions to give us an estimate of where Concord, Shrewsbury and the Wrekin were. As that day was near to one of the student’s birthdays, he pulled out a birthday present that was specially selected and told her to open it. It was a bubble blower that we use to play with when we were a child. The student was overjoyed and blew bubbles down the hills, which made the scenery more beautiful and calming.
As the sky was darker, we decided to head back to the bus, along the way, the moon had risen on our left, allowing us to see both the sunset and the moon rise at the same time. Students took panorama pictures to capture both sceneries all at once. As the teachers guided us downslope, they made sure that we had headtorches and flashlights to see where we were heading as the sky got darker, while providing us tips to go down without slipping or falling.
As we boarded the minibus back to campus, we were all shocked by Mr Brown’s Spotify playlist as he blasted it throughout our bus ride, playing famous and top hit songs that we would never think he would listen to! When we arrived at school, we offloaded our gear and equipment that Mr Brown lent to us and thanked him as we got off the bus. We then all headed back to our boarding residence with new memories and sceneries embraided in our hearts.
Audrey – 6.2
Moonlit Walk 16th February 2022
Bus ride away from prep
At 6.15 pm, the Biology students led by Mr Brown gathered at Main Hall in excitement before boarding the minibus for our moonlit hike up the Long Mynd. Our caring teachers ensured that each of us were equipped with a beanie and a pair of gloves to ensure that we were armed to brave the strong wind. The weather hadn’t been nice recently, so we didn’t want to take any chances.
Overjoyed to flee the tedium of prep time, we boarded the bus and departed. On our way up the steep mountain, we saw wild sheep and horses grazing the grass. It was easy to spot them as they were HUGE! (Even bigger than the ones at Pigott). Many of us were witnessing this for the first time so we were amazed. Even though we were so close to them, we unfortunately couldn’t interact with them as they were wild creatures, so we had to leave them alone.
After roughly 25 minutes, we arrived at our deserted destination, which was pitch black, with our only light source being our torchlights and a full moon. The moment we alighted the bus, strong winds and cold air bombarded us. Mustering our courage and motivation, our group began this arduous trek, hand in hand.
The walk
Along the way, whiny complaints about the mud and cold blended with the whooshing sounds of winds. Some of us started to incessantly question our decision to participate in the trek, hoping to return to the warmth of the bus soon. Nevertheless, we encouraged each other and played songs by various artists including Taylor Swift and BTS to motivate ourselves.
After what seemed like forever, we stopped under a tree for a break with Mr Brown’s generous offer of hot Ribena and vanilla custard-filled doughnuts. If that wasn’t enough reason to give Mr Brown the ‘Best Teacher Award’, he gave each and every one of us a lighted balloon. This obviously called for us to take pictures for our social media pages and brag to our friends back home. Some of us were celebrating birthdays as well, so it was very thoughtful of Mr Brown to hand out balloons with the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” to the birthday teens.
As we walked to higher altitudes, the wind blew fiercer and stronger. Most of the balloons escaped our numb hands and flew away into the unknown. Trudging through sticky mud and frigid puddles, we reached the peak of the mountain where we were mesmerised by sights of Wales which was flooded with lights from various settlements. From the mountain peak, Mr Brown pointed in various directions to give us an estimate of where Concord, Shrewsbury and Telford were.
As we boarded the minibus back to campus, we blasted music and recounted the happy memories we have made these past 2 months as new January students. Over these past two months we have been through both happy and sad times that have made us more bonded as a group. This Moonlit walk will definitely go down as one of those happy memories that we will never forget!
Irisa & Beatrice – 6.1
Moonlit Walk 2020
On Friday 30th October, Mr Brown and Dr Hayden brought a group of 10 students on an evening hike along Long Mynd. On the way to the peak of the Long Mynd, we took a break and had some snacks while we engaged in academic and social discussion. When we reached the peak, Mr Brown made a great imitation of a lighthouse (which was very entertaining), and we were very intrigued by the sheep and wild ponies we saw throughout the hike. The Halloween Moonlit Walk was fun overall, and although the moon only intermittently peaked through the clouds, Mr Brown gave us beautiful coloured balloons which glowed brighter than the moon appeared and helped us to light our path.
Tiana – 6.1
Concord’s Moonlit Walk 2019
On 19th February 2019, a group of 11 students accompanied by Mr Brown, Mrs Darrall and Mrs Carter departed for an evening walk to the summits of the Long Mynd (we ascended approximately 516m), under the light of the full moon. We had the opportunity to witness the most spectacular and breath-taking views of the Shropshire hills. Although it was a very chilly night, being able to immerse ourselves in the Shropshire countryside was undoubtedly a wonderful experience for many of us.
“Although the moon wasn’t bright as it wasn’t a particularly clear evening, the company and experience was more than worth it and it was an unforgettable night” – Emily 6.1
“I enjoyed the hike as it was interesting to see what my eyes could ‘pick out’ in darkness. We also got to play with LED balloons, designed to glow in the dark and they looked really pretty under the night sky.” – Rachael 6.1
Laura – 6.1