As we reach the halfway point of our Woodlands adventure, we thought we’d give you a little glimpse into what a “typical” day looks like here. (Spoiler alert: there’s no such thing.)

The day begins bright and early – sometimes very early – with the sounds of yawns and herds of elephants coming down the stairs (or at least that’s how it sounds from Mr Witcomb’s room!) By 7:15am, most rooms are stirring, teeth are allegedly being brushed, and showers are being enthusiastically avoided. By 7:40am, we’re all in the dining room, hungry and (mostly) dressed, ready for the most important meal of the day – today it was cereal followed by bacon sandwiches, which went down extremely well.

Each mealtime is supported by a rotating “duty group” – a crack team of volunteers (volunteered by the staff…) who set up, serve and clear up with admirable enthusiasm, occasionally even in the right order. Once breakfast is cleared away, children relax in the lounge while the adults have a quick meeting to review the previous day’s triumphs (and the whereabouts of that one missing welly) and go over plans for the day ahead.

Then it’s time for activity groups to meet up with their tutors, go over the day’s plan, and get kitted up. This is a well-oiled operation involving waterproofs from the cloakroom, caving suits from the basement gear store, water bottles from the bottoms of bags, and sometimes even the right shoes first time. Canoe groups collect kit from the trailers, caving groups pile into the minibus and the on-site climbers and zipliners do some safety briefings before heading up, up and away.

Today, the groups all rotated activities, so everyone got to try something new. Some were down at the Brecon Canal, paddling with purpose (and the occasional unplanned spin). Others ventured underground at Porth yr Ogof, where they scrambled through caves with heroic amounts of mud and not a single complaint (well… not many). Back on site, children zipped across the skyline, conquered the climbing wall and tested their balance and their nerve on the high ropes. The weather was surprisingly fine and bright – a rare treat – which made everything that little bit better and a lot less soggy.

Lunch is a picnic out in the field or on location: sandwiches, fruit, crisp and, if they’re really lucky, a homemade treat from the kind kitchen team – today it was cupcakes! After the afternoon’s adventures, everyone returns to site to drop off kit, attempt to find matching socks and begin negotiations around shower queues. Dinner was chicken or vegan curry with rice and poppadoms, followed by cake and custard. Judging by the clean plates, no one was holding back.

The evening activity was all about map skills and orienteering, because what could be more fun after a full day of physical activity than more walking and thinking? Spirits were high, even if legs were a bit wobbly. The final part of the day is a calm review session – a moment to reflect on the day, share highlights and fight to keep eyes open until the very last question. If the adults haven’t completely run out of steam, there’s sometimes a cup of hot chocolate to round things off.

All in all, a brilliant day. New skills learned, fears conquered, friendships growing stronger and – best of all – the sun made an appearance. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!