S1 Residential in Comrie

Yet again, the weather was very kind to us for our trip to Comrie. On arrival mid-morning our group split into two for the day’s activities; bushcraft in the hills behind the Croft and a fabulous walk around the Diel’s Cauldron Circuit above Comrie.

In our post trip survey, I’m delighted to report that one pupil said they had ‘learned to stay alive and make shelter in the wild’! More worryingly, one response said they’d learned ‘how to use a sickle properly and how to start a fire’. Day one was rounded off with Lomond’s answer to the Great British Bake Off; Mrs Urquhart’s Rock Bun Challenge. The teams had to compete for the opportunity to choose their secret ingredient to add to their buns which were then carefully judged by the staff.

Day 2 involved two activities; a visit to Cultybraggan Camp and white-water rafting. We had a very interesting tour of the camp which housed several thousand German prisoners of War during World War II however, this was eclipsed by the adventure that was white water rafting. Most managed to stay in their raft except Mrs Guy and a few others who had the misfortune of being next to her when she fell out. By the end of this session all were tired, cold and very hungry but all kept their sense of humour. Mr Minnis then challenged any preconceptions S1 may have had of him and organised a campfire and marshmallow toast in the evening!

We had a leisurely breakfast on the final day and, having double checked bunk rooms for abandoned socks, we drove to Aberfoyle to complete the orienteering course. It was another beautiful day which allowed us all to have lunch outside and to appreciate the spectacular views from the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre.

The group were a pleasure to take away and we received several compliments about their behaviour from the Comrie Croft staff.