KILVROUGH BLOG - DAY 3 "Crustaceans, Climbing and Coastal Shenanigans"

Dear Reader, 

Well here we are at the end of Day 3 of our Kilvrough experience and I have some fun tales to recount - so sit back and enjoy! Yesterday, you will remember that I told you that my group and Mrs Roberts' group were off on a coastal expedition - the story I am about to tell you is probably one of my favourite Dr Radcliffe's anecdotes in nearly 20 years of taking children on residential visits...

Picture the scene - Worms Head - the most westerly outcrop of the Gower Peninsula, accessible only at low tide via a causeway, which incidentally has been featured on a number of nature and wildlife documentaries because of its stunning wildlife and biodiversity. Lots of rock pools, crabs, muscles - you get the picture. The journey time (factoring in stop offs to look at crabs, rocks and other natural features) - about 20-30 minutes on foot. The local coast guard post times when it is safe to cross and as long you are within that time banding - you are perfectly safe. Anything after that and you take the risk of the tide coming in and cutting you off for another 6 hours. 

We had had had a lovely morning and early afternoon over at the rock and even seen a small seal colony, complete with babies. Kilvrough instructors being the highly trained experts that they are, made sure that we had made it back to the mainland well within the safe limits. So we took the opportunity to have a sit own on a grassy slope, eat a flapjack and watch the tide gradually come in and cut off the causeway.

That's when the children and adults noticed a group of adult hikers only just starting to make their way back onto the causeway. What ensued was 22 very excited children watching in something similar to the atmosphere of the spectators in a gladiator arena, as the group in question made their way across the causeway and back to the mainland - would they make it or would the tide beat them?! As they got nearer to land the excitement to reached fever pitch. Amongst the many cries of encouragement from  the children, one of my favourites was 'GO ON LAD - YOU CAN DO IT!' & another who turned and remarked, 'It's a bit like a real-life Hunger games!'

Safe to say when they finally did arrive back on the mainland (and they all did with time to spare) - four slightly surprised hikers were greeted with spontaneous cheers and a round of applause from the children and looking around them with the dawning realisation that it was them that were being cheered...all raised their arms in a victory salute! So all's well that ends well and you know what they say - you can't beat a good old-fashioned Dr Radcliffe's welcome. 

Other stories of note today were Mr Fane's (in his own words) 'heroic leap' across the water to rescue that most prized of possessions that had been left and was rapidly getting cut off by the tide - a Dr Radcliffe's Leavers' Hoodie!! Thankfully, his efforts were rewarded and the precious item was saved and restored to its rightful owner. Mrs Sellers and Mrs Stansfeld, spent the day on the water and were rewarded with a nice cold dip right at the end (see slide show for evidence). 

Supper tonight was a roast chicken dinner followed by chocolate mousse and squirty cream (yum!) - you know the sort that you sneak out of the fridge and squirt straight into your mouth when you think no one is looking - or is that just me?! The evening activity is a scavenger hunt which involves a LOT of screaming and running around with feathers, twigs and different shaped leaves - so I'd better go and find out what that's all about. Fingers crossed for another relatively peaceful night. 

Two more sleeps...

GUY BRIGG