After an even better night’s sleep, we once again enjoyed a tasty breakfast consisting of a choice of cereal followed by sausages, toast, fried egg and baked beans. It was delicious and ensured that we had lots of energy for our busy day.
We travelled on a bus to a disused copper mile on the border between England and Wales because we were going caving. Some of us felt a little unsure about going underground but we used the skills that we had been taught during the indoor caving at Red Ridge Centre to help us negotiate the tight turns and dark caves. We worked as a team and supported each other to make sure that we were safe and were going in the right direction. The spaces were many different sizes and shapes, the roof was uneven and the floor was slippy too which made it even more challenging.
After a lot of careful climbing and bottom shuffling we arrived in the central chamber. It was worth all the hard work and we saw traces of green copper embedded in the walls, stalactites and stalagmites and benefitted from natural light coming from the mine shaft opening located high above us. It was so calm underground.
Soon, it was time to leave the cave and we took an easier route on the way out, which we were thankful for.
When we reached the car park, we removed our caving equipment and prepared to walk to meet Mole Class for our lunch break. We walked beside the mine and climbed up some extremely steep footpaths. The rock faces that we walked past were amazing and we enjoyed walking together in the warm sunshine.
Soon, we reached the climbing site and we enjoyed munching on our picnic lunches (that we had made the previous evening) with our friends. We loved sharing our stories and listening to their adventures.
After lunch, we put on our protective equipment and started abseiling and climbing on real rock faces. They were extremely high and looked impossible to scale. After learning what to do and being reminded of what we had learnt on the High Ropes course the previous day, all of us safely negotiated at least one climb or descent. As we became more confident, we checked each other’s harnesses and advised on different climbing routes. It was brilliant to see everyone working together so well.
All too soon it was time to pack up and go back to meet the bus. We enjoyed a gentle stroll down the hill to the bus and even had the energy to carry some of the climbing equipment down too.
We enjoyed a sing song on the way home and even practised some Christmas Carols!
As soon as we returned to the centre, it was time for dinner which was brilliant as we were starving.
We enjoyed eating potato wedges and chicken followed by jam tart and custard. A perfect way to enjoy our final dinner at Red Ridge.
After dinner, we made our final sandwiches in record time and cleaned the dining room. We are so good at these skills now. Then it was time to start one of the most challenging tasks of the week…packing our bags!!
We worked in our rooms to help each other find their clothes and hard to work out how to fit all our clothes into such small spaces. It was difficult but we persevered and succeeded (we hope). Then it was time for a hot shower and we enjoyed watching Encanto and munching on our sweets. A perfect way to end a busy day.
