Year 8 Outdoor Challenge

Here are the forms:

Outdoor Challenge 2012 Information

Outdoor Challenge Consent Form 2012

Below is a typical programme and kitlist. It varies somewhat from year to year but this gives you a flavour.

More information will appear on this page nearer the trip.

Programme for Year 8 Outdoor Challenge

This is the general programme for the week, which is much the same as last year’s very successful trip.

Day 1

Leave school at 9.30 am by minibuses (or coach from Banstead coaches for trip 2). Anything you want with you on the journey such as WATER and your PACKED LUNCH should be stowed in a SMALL RUCKSACK that can go under your seat. The rest of your kit needs to be in a holdall or rucksack and you won’t be able to get at it until we arrive.

It’s a long journey (about 4 hours) and we will stop once or twice on the way depending
on traffic, so you may want some money for bits at the services. You are not likely to see civilisation again until the way back, except perhaps an ice cream van, so do not brings lots of cash. £10 will be adequate. Anything more than £20 is excessive.

On arrival, each team will put up their tent. We’ll decide on teams at a meeting early next term. These will be the groups you sleep in, but you may mix around for the activities.

Then some team-building challenges and some time to get to know your way around the 22-acre site.

From now on, all meals are provided. The teams will take it in turns to help out with setting up, clearing away and washing up.

After dinner, there will be a widegame, which involves smuggling people and objects around in the dark over a wide area without getting caught. TORCH essential, CAMOUFLAGE and FACEPAINT optional but a competitive advantage.

Day 2

A mixture of caving and climbing all day over at Symonds Yat. Picnic lunch in a cave and a stroll to the top of this famous spot if we have time.

Evening: masterchef competition. Bring your RECIPE IDEAS for a main course and dessert you can rustle up on a budget of up to £20 for four people. (You can also bring spices and sauces from home so long as they will keep – hand them in before we go). You’ll finalise your cooking groups and menus in the minibus on the way down, and we’ll stop off at a supermarket on the way back so you can be issued with your money and make your purchases. If you need oven or grill space, you’ll have to book it in advance, as everyone will be cooking at the same time, but there will be plenty of burners. Prizes for the winning team.

As we will all be gorged with the delicacies you have prepared, a relaxing evening follows, perhaps round the campfire or a card tournament, or stargazing if it’s a clear night.

Day 3

Hillwalking – all day event, lunch en route, to top of Sugarloaf (height 598m). You’ll need AT LEAST 1.5 LITRES OF WATER so bring some refillable bottles. WATERPROOFS and WELLINGTON BOOTS or walking boots/robust walking shoes with good grips are essential. We have some waterproofs and wellies that can be borrowed, but matching people to sizes can be a problem.

If it’s hot rather than wet, SUNCREAM and a SUNHAT are particularly important.

Evening: Widegame or sitting round the campfire toasting marshmallows

Day 4

Mountain biking – all day activity, lunch en route

Evening: bushcraft and cooking on open fires. A bit of Ray Mears stuff. As well as having chocolate stuffed bananas and potatoes baked in the fire, I intend to buy some rabbits to stew, which will already have been eviscerated by the butcher, leaving the tasks of extracting their delicious offal, denuding them of their furry wrappers and dismembering them for the pot. Some people will not want to do this, for religious or dietary reasons, or because they prefer feeding rabbits to eating them. Let me know at some point if you are a Yes/No/Maybe for rabbit skinning, so I know how many bunnies to buy.

Widegame and/or campfire, possibly including “Sutton’s Got Talent”. If you play the GUITAR (optional), or some other portable instrument suitable for mellowing out around the campfire, you’re very welcome to bring it with you.

Day 5

Morning – team decathlon with various challenges
Afternoon – packing for canoeing, taking down tents
Late afternoon onwards – canoeing (using two-three man open Canadian canoes) along the Wye, mooring up to enjoy a midnight feast and bivouacking overnight using the boats and tarpaulins. SPARE TRAINERS, OR CROCKS/BOAT SHOES needed. As we will be by a river, INSECT REPELLENT is advisable as well, and you might wnat to include some antihistamine cream in your personal first aid kit in case there are midges.

Day 6

Canoeing until mid-morning, then a final walk along the Wye and up Symonds Yat before heading for home.

Returning to school about 6.00 depending on traffic. We will send a text message to all mobile numbers given on consent forms if we expect to be more than 30 minutes either side of that time.

A word on the weather

If it pours for days, the whole programme changes, and we may need to keep ourselves entertained while being cooped up, so please pack:

A pack of cards.
Several good jokes (not placist ones, please) and several bad ones.

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Year 8 Outdoor Challenge – Student Kit List

You will be taking part in a number of activities that will require comfortable outdoor clothes. There is the risk that in some activities you may get wet, therefore it is wise to have at least 3 complete changes of clothes. I would suggest that these include the following, as the weather may be variable.

Items marked * can be borrowed by emailing jb@outspark.org.uk Tents are provided as well.

• A holdall or rucksack* to put everything in and store for the week.
• Roll mat*
• Sleeping bag*
• Waterproof Jacket and Trousers
• Unbreakable plate, bowl and mug and cutlery
• Warm Jumper / fleece X 2
• Warm trousers X 2 / not jeans
• T shirts x 3
• Shorts
• Swimming trunks
• Trainers x 2 (one old pair for canoeing)
• Sturdier footwear, such as wellingtons or walking boots (these need to be worn in and comfortable).
• 3 pairs of thick socks
• 2 pairs of sports socks
• Night wear
• Torch (plus spare batteries) – LED head torches are especially handy and quite cheap now
• Notebook and pen
• Spare plastic bags
• Wash kit and small towel
• Woollen hat, gloves
• Suntan lotion – IMPORTANT
• Sunhat
• Any regularly taken medicines

Optional items
• Plasters for cuts/blisters or a small First Aid kit
• Pack of cards
• Camera
• String
• Insect repellent
• Guitar, harmonica, zither, hurdy-gurdy or other musical instrument

Don’t bring

• Penknife – I will bring some good quality, sharp bushcraft knives and we’ll have some sessions on using them safely. Absolutely no penknives to be brought, please, as I don’t want any of the staff to have to waste a day in casualty while you get your finger stitched together.
• Ipod or mp3 player
• Gameboy etc.
• Cherished mobile phone
• More than £20 spending money

If you bring valuables that get lost, soaked, broken or spoilt, hard cheese, tough luck and don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Finally

If you have sustained any injuries or developed any allergies or medical complaints or been hospitalized since you filled in the medical form, let me know before the trip.