The North Yorkshie Moors
The day began as usual with breakfast. Toasted teacakes made their first appearance of the week. As did two sixth form groups who are here completing course work for their A levels. After eating their own body weight in toast, the teenagers left to explore sand dunes while we got ready for the moors.
Oliver P has joined the exclusive “Purple Coat Club”. Tired of wearing his flash Notts County Cricket Club waterproof, he has seen the light and borrowed a Cranedale waterproof. Who looks like an old granny now?
A rumour has started that Lee is the only member of the group not to have experienced the shower facilities at the centre yet. He claims he had a shower yesterday but was informed by Sam that rain doesn’t count.
Nicole and Jordan, sporting the most stylish wellies seen in North Yorkshire for many a year, have somehow managed to stay clean and fashionably aware all week. Even the offer of the coveted purple waterproof couldn’t persuade them to change outfits.
Rebecca has left us for the day, so thirteen children , Mr Britten and Miss V set off for the moors. We were promised rain and got rain. We experienced all types -heavy, light, fine, horizontal and vertical. Remarkably, the river bed we were walking along was empty. The children were given the task of finding water! A rather simple task but unfortunately rain didn’t count. We continued along the valley until eventually finding a stream. Along the way, the children were shown how to eat nettles safely and were promised a night on the moors if they could find food, shelter, warmth and toilet roll. Bog moss is apparently as good as Andrex according to our leader, Mark, today. We’ll take his word for it.
Lunch was again eaten in the rain and consisted of a variety of cobs, French fries, fruit and shortbread. Miss V made an interesting discovery - Shortbread warms you up!
Some children have brought flasks with them this week. I saw them on the kit list but thought - “Why wouldn’t anyone want a hot drink in the middle of a walk in June?” All those with flask sat supremely smug with their delicious, warming mugs of tea while the rest of us enviously looked on. Miss V, who declared that she didn’t even drink tea, would have happily handed out 20 red squares for the child willing to give her a flask of the brown stuff.
After lunch, the children made a study of the stream. They measured speed, depth and width and recorded all the information on a worksheet. The sheet was attached to a clip board with was covered with a plastic bag. The bag was just big enough to get your hand under and still manage to write.
The children then carried out a kick sample. This involves using a net and kicking the bottom of the ground. All this kicking scares every living thing in the area and the conveniently hop into the net. The children take the contents of their net and use a tree diagram to decide what variety of creature they had kicked into the net. No creatures were killed during this experiment although something did lose a leg. I’m sure he’ll cope with just five L
The rain continued and the children still had a mountain to climb. Amy, a Cranedale member of staff, informed us that in three years of working at the centre, only two schools had made it to the top of the mountain without moaning or crying! This was a challenge we liked. Elise and Olivia basically ran to the top. Alex P led the troops with a variety of songs. Harry, Josh W and Josh A all fell over but bounced straight back up, grinning, and skipping merrily to the top. Miss V followed at the rear - for our safety apparently - and we duly became the third school in living memory to conquer the beast without moaning - result!
At the top, there was just enough time to play another classic Cranedale game - Fox and Grouse. This game involves two foxes chasing out the grouse from behind the heather. Tag by another name. The children learn an important lesson about eco-systems and food chains. I just hope they realise it.
Our last evening meal was vegetable soup, roast pork and chocolate cake and cream. We are now going out to set moth traps in a nearby wood.
