Year 9 Bushcraft Trip - Report by Lucy Blatherwick Year 9

On the morning of 23 May, many Year 9's boarded a stuffy coach to Penhurst Place, where the Bushcraft Company lives in the woods...

 

On the first day the years 9s experienced fire-building, which was quite challenging to start with, but easy once you got the hang of it; shelter building, which consisted of tarpaulins, ropes, ferns, and lots of 'pegs' otherwise know as sticks. We had dinner and then ran about in the field playing either It, cricket, or frisbee. It was very fun! We then sat around the campfire to sing songs (accompanied by Mr Brady, Dave [Mr Rodgers], and Bella). We then all got into our [very hot] tents and talked for a long while...

 

On day two we climbed trees and got lots of blisters, learnt about trees and first aid, had lunch and then played predator in the forest, which is a good game [some people got very competitive and used mud, bluebells, or grass as camouflage, and didn't want to stop playing], but includes either hiding behind trees or throwing yourself into a lot of stinging nettles, brambles and bluebells. We had lunch, and then carried on with archery, blow-darts, catapults and javelin-like objects that are thrown with a thrower (or widdle), until it was time to go back to camp. That night a brave eleven people opted to sleep in the shelters they had built the day before, and as a result found out that it surpassed the bell-tents by far! They all then woke up at the crack of dawn, and ended up waiting for Mr Brady, Mr Pollard and Dave to wake up before they could get up...

 

On the third day all the tribes took part in a SOS situation where we 'happened to find' a man unconscious in a crashed aeroplane. It was somewhat challenging to complete, as said man was very heavy... When we got back to camp all that was left to do was cook burgers over a open fire, eat them and say goodbye and a massive thank you  to our newly made friends back at the Bushcraft Company, who kept us all in order, well fed and happy!

 

Lucy Blatherwick, Year 9

 

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