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Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award - Isle of Arran Expedition August 2007 Following our extravagant Sainsbury’s shop, 10 keen and able sixth form students clambered into the spacious deluxe HCS minibus for an 8-hour journey to the outer-reaches of Scotland. We drove up a picturesque cobbled entrance and found our enchanted, Woodside cottage; complete with enough DVDs to sink a ship and a beautiful private beach! After the wonderful homemade – a la Madame Batchelor – food, we settled down to watch Breakfast at Tiffanies – which was surprisingly enjoyed by boys and girls alike.
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The first day got off to a slow start as everyone had to re-pack their bags (although they were still so heavy)! We made progress along the coastline for 19km with no ‘major’ problems. Minor problems included Ginny’s first fall, Sarah’s near loss of her phone down a cliff, and the frustration of not being able to identify the ‘Cock of Arran’ landmark on the map. Towards the end of the day, morale was high with the success in climbing over a challenging boulder field around the coast. The campsite that night was plagued by midges. In order to escape from these relentless creatures we struck upon the idea of dinner on the beach – sand and all. Spirits were high in the morning of Day 2, until we looked up and saw the top of ‘Goat Fell’ – the highest mountain peak on Arran. We took our time crawling up the lower part of the mountain and had lunch half way up. This indeed turned into a relaxing (yet cold) siesta for half of the group. Charlie even unzipped out her sleeping bag! The other four ‘musketeers’ – Ginny, Sarah, Miranda Harris and Becca braved the climb of Goat Fell’s peak. At 2800 feet, the view was indescribable.
Night 2 was possible the worst night the group ever faced in their entire lives; there were no showers, no toilet roll, no light in the toilet, no hot water and flooded floors. This hardship was somewhat improved by entertaining ‘fire wafting’ techniques from James Wall, the one and only fully fledged scout in the group. The third day everyone was quiet and tired and moral was low. The general atmosphere was rather tense due to the long and winding, gradually sloping-up path through the woods. Miranda H-J used the word ‘monotonous’ every five minutes of the walk, which seemed to perfectly describe the groups’ mood. However, this dull, somber mood was soon to be lifted. Somehow we managed to trudge past and ignore a sign saying ‘no unauthorized persons allowed beyond this point’. Three km later, on terrain that seemed a little ‘un-path-like’, we came across two Scotsmen, who were ‘working’ on a tree project clearing areas of forest. Despite not being able to understand the men, through their strong accents, we managed to get the impression that they were not pleased with our presence in this area. We decided to scarper back upon ourselves, back down the monotonous path. As a result of this drama, spirits were lifted and we carried on feeling more energetic.
The third night saw a much better campsite but, however, appalling weather. Cooking was almost impossible and pasta was almost covering the floor by the end. We were all cold, soaked and in pain and so retired to bed at a meek 8.00. During the night, Sarah’s ‘platypus’ exploded and drenched her bag, so morale was slightly lowered before the 4th days’ walking had even began. The atmosphere, however, was one of relief - a few of us knew then that we would certainly never have to camp again… ever! Day 4’s route turned out to be another wood walk, which was thankfully very easy on the feet. Finally, the girl’s group saw the boy’s group (who were slightly ahead) and so decided to run the last mile (ahem)… okay, the last 100 metres! The night prior to returning to Herefordshire was a wonderful experience. At long last we had a warm, clean shower and some food that wasn't’t pasta. Mr Batchelor cooked us a lovely hearty meal and we retired to watch more DVDs. The journey back was early and gray and very lengthy. Needless to say, everyone was silent; exhausted by the exertions of the trip. In completing the 80km walk around the entire island of Arran, we are all tremendously proud and a bit shocked that there were no blisters or tears! We take away many different experiences, lessons and memories: hilarious, dreadful at times, and valuable for life! Many thanks must go to Mr and Mrs Batchelor for organising and overseeing such a successful and enjoyable trip. |
