So a Woodlands Thursday is a little like a Woodlands Wednesday (and, interestingly, much like a Tuesday as well).

Friday will be a little different and there are some important details below – please read to the end of this if you can make it that far.

Actually let’s start with tomorrow.

We will be mountain walking all morning – mostly on the smaller hills close to the Centre.  The forecast is great!

When we get back a mass game of ‘match the kit with the child’ ensues.  The aforementioned multiple locations of everything, the fact that much of it looks the same, and that Woodlands are very precious about keeping hold of their own kit, makes this something of a challenge.  At the end of the process, there will be a couple of bin bags of unclaimed stuff for sure – apologies for that but it will get sorted by Monday afternoon.

The children will have a quick snack lunch on the lawn before we aim to get on the road by 3.00pm.  This is also the occasion for them to say goodbye to the people who have kept them safe all week.

No, not us!  We are definitely coming with them!

Rich, Rich, Chris, Brooke, Dylan and George are the people who have made the week possible.  They are a range of ages and have a range of specialisms, but they are all trained in the vital skills required to keep groups of 12 youngsters entertained on all the activities, to keep them safe in unfamiliar surroundings, and generally to develop in them a love for the outdoors, nature and the natural wonders of South Wales.  We have been coming to Woodlands for many years, and these guys really are second to none.  And they usually appreciate us being here.

Arrival

We hope to be rumbling up Grove Road at around 7.00pm.  We will notify you – probably via the parental grapevine – if there is going to be a significant difference from this time.  A lot depends on the driver, the M4 traffic, a pitstop at Membury and the IDR.

Important

We need to get everyone off the coach safely.  And they will need to be with their correct bags – which are likely to be right at the back of the bus.  To keep everyone safe and to get everyone off in a controlled way, it really helps if you can wait in the library car park and not on the pavement by the coach.  Your child will be as desperate to see you as you are to see them, so please – let’s make the reunion a successful one.  We will let the children off first, and then unload the bags from the back of the bus.

Pictures

You will appreciate that many parents understandably do not want pictures of their children on a public forum, which is why we do not post pictures here.  However, hundreds of pictures have been taken of the groups working each day, and you will be given access to these next week.  We will try to get that sorted for Monday or Tuesday.

Today there have again been groups out canoeing, caving and climbing.

The canoes headed for the canal and reports suggest that most pairs ended up going straight – eventually.  Well at least they managed their rendez-vous with the parallel group and the dangerous game of swap the key that has to occur in order for the correct team to end up with the correct minibus.  Interested in these details?  No, I guess not.  Anyway, there is usually a chance for the paddlers to get properly wet at the end by sliding down an upturned canoe into the decidedly murky depths of the Brecon and Monmouth.  The (professional) instructors tend to blame the (amateur) rental narrowboat captains for the state of the water.  Apparently a hot summer combined with a bunch of wannabe naval folk churns up the silt a treat.  It is brown, with hints of green.

Up in the trees, many of your ten-year-olds were assigned a station to manage.  This is a real job, and many adults shy away from it.  They have to keep themselves safe, and then encourage and manage sometimes reluctant colleagues along the course, making sure in particular that they stay clipped into the requisite safety features at their station.  To hear young children advising their friends and classmates on how to deal with such unfamiliar situations is absolutely inspiring.  You have to be there to witness it.  Wonderful.  The climbing groups then move on to the zip wire for an adrenalin buzz and onto the climbing wall for some proper instruction on technique.  A few have done it before.  It can get a little competitive at times, but most children made it to the top of the wall, and those that didn’t made progress each time they tried.  We have been properly impressed by the resilience and determination of this group.  They are a real credit to you.

And then down, deep down into the earth.  Think about it – millions of tonnes of Welsh rock above and below, and your children (and their teachers) sandwiched in between (OK, don’t think about it).  Some sandwiched more tightly than others.  ‘Dr Loader, perhaps you’d perhaps like to take that VIP route over there…?’  Although we are committed to leading our troops through every challenge and eventuality, the offer to avoid the notorious Cheese Press or Letterbox was, just occasionally, gratefully accepted.  Groups 1 and 4 were underground today at Porth yr Ogof.  It was damp and cold (it is always damp and cold) and there was a fair amount of fast flowing water, but everyone rose to the challenge of a couple of intense hours underground.  The darkness of a cave, lights off, is a darkness many of us will never have experienced.  Other senses take over – the dank smell of the mud, the breathing of a dozen nervous children, and the rushing of the water dominate.

This evening your children undertook an activity laughingly called ‘packing‘, ready for tomorrow.  Their cases are full.  Some clothing may be folded, but honestly more than that is unlikely.  You may have to wait until Monday for some final reunions with bits of wet clothing that were left around the site as we left.  They have also completed an evaluation of their time here – as you read yesterday their feedback for Woodlands, for us, and for you, has been overwhelmingly positive.  Thank you for giving your children these opportunities and for trusting us to support them.  We really do believe it will be a week they will remember – in many cases, forever.  This evening also saw them visit the Woodlands ’boutique’ to spend a little of (your) cash.

As we write the house is quiet as everyone settles.

Your children will be happy to see you around 7 tomorrow evening, as will we!

See you tomorrow.