After a full-on day of in-school activities on Sunday 1 September, Block 3 (and the select band of both teachers and 6.2 Badley Mentors accompanying them this year) set off for the Lake District early Monday morning for the annual Block 3 induction trip.

Below are summaries from tutors about their exciting endeavours throughout the week.

Allen’s tutor group:

Our intrepid journey began with a row across the lake from the Outward Bound Centre to Sandwick. Despite a slow start, my previous-me rowing coach was pretty impressed. After a brief delay we set off up the mountain towards High Dodd. With a sigh of relief, we left our rucksacks behind after setting up tents at the campsite and progressed, with head torches prepared, to the top of Place Fell and our highest peak of 657 metres. Descending once more, we returned to our campsite and sleeping bags by 10pm.

Thursday morning dawned with the air full of mist and a moderately strong wind which grew as we descended once more on our return to the lake and Howtown. Our expedition ended with a power boat ride across the lake where a lunch was waiting for us at the centre.  

Ally’s tutor group:

The tutor group began Ullswater with a swim in the Ullswater lake, throwing themselves in (literally) to the first activity with no hesitation. It wasn’t long before our first walk up a Lake District hill started as our instructor sized us up for how capable we were. The group passed the test and gave the instructor an idea of how challenging the week should be.

The next day we prepped for our expedition and set off late morning with our heavy backpacks and food for the night. Our camping for the night was far in the distance at the top of the famous Helvellyn, by the glacial lake of Red Tarn. Despite calls of “there’s no way I’m getting up there”, the group chipped away little by little, reaching the top before the rain came in. Difficult conditions followed, with driving rain and wind testing the structures of the tents and tarpaulins that were set up.

It was hard to know how much sleep we got, but we were greeted in the morning to an incredible sunrise. Getting back to the lake was no mean feat, as the group canoed two thirds of the lake back to the Outward Bound base. Some wall climbing in the evening prepared us for the rigours of the next day’s challenge of climbing Angle Tarn gorge, where we climbed near vertical waterfalls.

The group were amazing all week and really pushed their boundaries, working far out of their comfort zone. It was an experience they will never forget.

Chloe’s tutor group:

We began our expedition with canoeing across the lake, stopping to enjoy our lunch in the sunshine. Then we began our ascent up the mountain towards High Dodd, pitching our tents and enjoying our mac and cheese to warm us up before a (mostly) dry sleep.

We woke up to low clouds which we followed down the mountain, stopping to feed some ducklings before jumping on the power boat to return to the centre. 

Greg’s tutor group:

We packed our kit and headed off to row across Ullswater to Howtown. There, we set down our rucksacks and followed an orienteering course around Hallin Fell, The Coombs and the pretty little church of St Peter’s, Martindale, ending up at the pier ready to catch the last ferry to Pooley Bridge. After a quick ice cream, we hiked up to Heughscar Hill, passing the re-built Pooley Bridge itself that was damaged in the 2015 storms. After a couple of hours’ ascent we arrived as the light was fading to pitch our tents and tarps by a dry stone wall next to a pine plantation. We enjoyed peri peri chicken over our camping stoves followed by piping-hot chocolate drinks. This fortified us for a squally night beneath the stars under an ominous obsidian sky with the yellow lights of Penrith sparkling over to the northwest.

At 7am sharp we were up bright and surprisingly refreshed to sip tea and devour a full English breakfast, plus the salted caramel brownies we forgot to eat the previous night, before we began our six-kilometre descent back to Howtown and the waiting power boat that shuttled us over to the jetty, to which a path leads down from the Outward Bound Centre.

Harry’s tutor group:

After a brisk morning of cliff jumping into the fresh Ullswater depths, Team Outen set out on a five-kilometre canoe journey back towards the foot of Hallin Fell. With some questionable steering, yet some crafty teamwork, we endured the ripples from the steamer boats and made it to shore as a (mostly!) dry and strengthened unit. We set up camp in an intimate woodland patch watching over the lake, where plenty of stones were skimmed and lots of stories were shared. The well-earned ration packs felt like a gourmet feast after a long day, and the hot chocolates were the perfect nightcap for a restful night in the tents.

After a few more kilometres of canoeing on day two, Team Outen was gliding across Ullswater like seasoned pros. I’m sure the extra all day breakfast ration packs had something to do with it. The expedition culminated with a gorge scramble towards the top of Place Fell, where we all negotiated some tricky footing and some slippery pockets against the stream. A combined team effort of good communication, positive encouragement, and lots of committed spotting led to a huge sense of individual achievement for each of us.

Hayley and Liz’s group:

Our team took a minibus to the start of our expedition, loaded up with 12 willing explorers (including Claire) heavily laden with fully-packed rucksacks! The walk meandered up a woodland track at first, followed by a steep climb up to our campsite at Glenridding Dodd. Our team handled the climb with ease, surprising ourselves with our resilience and camaraderie! We set up camp with minimal fuss and cooked our supper in the wild before an evening climb up to Sheffield Pike.

The sun rose the following morning in a spectacular fashion across the lake, and we packed up camp to head down the mountain to Glenridding, with a pitstop for a warm cup of tea before we set sail in our rowing boat. After a slow start where we headed round in circles, we discovered our rowing skills and the team left the canoeists in our wake as we navigated along the lake back to the Outward Bound Centre. We returned weary but triumphant. We were so proud of ourselves as we really put ourselves outside our comfort zone, working together as a team to provide support for each other.

Lauren’s tutor group:

We rowed across the lake with Chris, followed by a long getting-to-know-everyone ascent. Then we pitched camp next to a freshly-harvested pine wood on the top of Heughscar Hill, sampled our tasty rations and slept under canvas.

Breakfast was followed by a gentle descent to Pooley Bridge, some ice creams and biscuits, and a cancelled steamer due to high winds turning into a minibus ride home.

Matt’s tutor group:

Team Findlay (aka Matt’s tutor group) headed out from our base at the Outward Bound Centre on Tuesday morning in canoes across Ullswater heading four kilometres northeast towards Pooley Bridge. Teamwork was essential as we learnt to control our canoes in groups of four in two canoes lashed together and then in pairs in solo canoes. Thankfully everyone remained dry as we prepared for our six-kilometre hike into the hills for our expedition overnight stop on Heughscar Hill. After appreciating the views of the Lake District to the West and the North Pennines to the East, the students pitched their bivvy shelters for their night under the cloud-obscured stars and then prepared their evening meal of warm in-the-bag rations. The appreciation of the food was mixed, especially the chocolate fudge brownie, but everyone went to bed in high spirits after a warming mug of hot chocolate, a camp fire game and stories of using the wilderness facilities – what you bring in, comes out with you!

The night was wet, but with well-pitched bivvies Team Findlay made it through to morning well rested and mostly dry, ready for the return journey. Some of us even made an early start to enjoy the sunrise, but we all set off early to get a few kilometres in before breakfast and the final push to Howtown for the last leg of our journey. As a group of twelve, Team Findlay had to row across Ullswater, learning how to do so in time to keep our movement forward and keep from going around in circles, but with the promise of ‘real’ food and a well-deserved shower we rose to the challenge!

As a group, Team Findlay displayed real heart, being compassionate and supportive, and they dug in deep, showing resilience and drive to work as a team to achieve their goals with a smile, even in the face of challenges, and every one of them shone brightly as individuals to create a fantastic team dynamic.

Vikki’s tutor group:

Our expedition started with a canoe trip from the Outward Bound Centre to Silver Bay. Ullswater was beautifully calm and we all thoroughly enjoyed being on the water. From Silver Bay we hiked up to Silver Point to find our camping spot in the forest overlooking the lake. We built our shelters and cooked supper before heading out on an evening walk, minus our heavy packs. The weather overnight was kind to us with only a little rain.

In the morning we walked from our campsite to Glenridding and caught a steamer to Howtown. We were meant to row from Howtown back to Outward Bound but the wind was too strong, so a powerboat came to pick us up.