This is the blog from Hordle Walhampton School's Mull Expedition. As technology (i.e. electricity and phone signal) is limited up there, all the updates are done from my iPhone, so tend to be limited.
We got back in the kit van just as the last parents were heading out of the drive last night (about 11.25), so all the gear is unloaded and in the front hall. I'm sure all the children are desperate to do their own washing and sort out the muddy kit, so do come and collect it whenever convenient.
Phew, another expeditions week over, and what a great one it was too.
A beautiful day, shame to be leaving.
The weather forecast for today said 10 hours of sunshine, light shower at 4pm, so we planned to spend the day at the beach. The weather forecast lied.
A burst tyre and a lack of instructions on how to release the spare wheel in the hired van started e day well - fortunately I was able to get enough phone signal to use google very slowly to work out where the cunningly hidden bolts were. Then the heavens opened. For most of the morning. So we did team building activities at the school house, then went to the beach when the rain cleared, where we had a fantastic game of beach rounders, which resembles rounders in the same way Aussie rules resembles football...Packing time now. Boo.
Today our young trainee knights of Tavool underwent their initiation ceremony into the order of the round yet physically square table...
The day was a series of challenges: the crossing of the great gorge of Burg, the course of flow, the hunting of the tools of cook, the line of dark, and the grand cooking of the Scridion egg.Poor weather today shelved ideas of climbing any big mountains, so we headed round to the ferry for Ulva, a Mull expedition first, at least in the long memories of anyone here.
The ferry was vast, requiring 4 trips to get us all over... We headed off in wet and windy conditions, but all kept going and got to the top of Ulva - Beinn Creagach at 313m - a fairly modest height, but it was hard going, there being no path, just bracken and heather which is very hard work to climb through. We saw a few deer and some oddly coloured insects, but most animals were taking the sensible option and staying indoors by the fire...Fortunately there was a pleasant breeze for breakfast this morning (bacon and eggs, yum) so we could eat outside...
We then drove in two parties to opposite ends of a lovely coastal walk, telling tales along the way about the wonderful sights that we normally see on this walk - golden eagles, seals, basking sharks, mountain goats, deer, etc - as well as carrying on coming up with midge related song titles, e.g. Like a Midge over troubled water. Nice long walk, lovely weather, absolutely NO wildlife spotted, save for a few sheep (who entered into a great conversation with Mr T and Mrs W), and the great white whale that ventured into the water later in the day. We met in the middle for lunch and fortunately remembered to switch bus keys, then one group trekked down to finish up with a power shower in the waterfalls and we ended up the walk by going for a swim (see white whale comments earlier).Today we took the ferry over to Iona for the morning service which was led by Iona's version of Billy Connolly, though with slightly less (but only slightly - never heard a sermon use the word Viagra before) colourful language...
After the Service, it's traditional to share an oatcake with a stranger. Our children all joined in with this, and we received many compliments on how polite and interesting our our children were - a credit to school and parents. We had a picnic lunch and a tour of the abbey, then headed down to the beach where Mr Norris's probe told us the sea was a creditable 13 degrees. Most of the children swam, though the staff were slightly more sensible, with the exception of the foolhardy Mr Smith-Langridge, who elected to frighten the seals. All the excitement of the beach collage competition was too much for another member of staff, though... A great day's weather, hopefully we'll have another decent day tomorrow, then the rain looks set to descend and descend and descend...Southampton flight landed in glasgow at 1042
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You are invited to view ajt's photo album: Mull 2010
Message from ajt:
Here are some pictures from this year's expedition...
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A pleasant overnight at the stunning Loch Lomond youth hostel - look it up, it really is amazing - complete with such luxuries as hot and cold running water, showers, lights and sadly no midges.
Vans were all loaded up by 850, and now we've left the children, Mr. Norris, Mrs. Bower, Mrs. Williamson and Miss Sheppard to head off to the airport while we drive back. Time for a quick protein refuel just south of Glasgow - otherwise known as a full Scottish :-)
And looking forward to showers, beds and fish and chips. Staying at Loch Lomond tonight...
Bit of rain overnight and a good breeze means last night's dreadful
midges are in hiding, so we can eat outside, looking out over the
loch. It really is a stunning place to eat breakfast.
