KILLOWEN ADVENTURE CENTRE
CHARLOTTE MATHEWS
On the 3rd of September 2008 the 4M and 4T classes headed off to the Killowen
Adventure Centre in county Down. Though tired from an early start, everyone
was looking forward to our trip and the atmosphere was one of excitement and
anticipation. As soon as we arrived in the centre we were warmly greeted by the
manager, who, through thick northern accent, told us his name was “Will-ay”. We
were assigned our rooms, most of us sharing with three other people, and given
a tour of the centre. It (thankfully) wasn’t long before we were called to lunch, and
the food, then and throughout the trip, was excellent. After lunch, we were called
for a meeting and split into two groups for our first activities. My group was sent
to a river bank for rope-sliding, which apart from two teachers getting splashed
(my apologies), was great fun and a good start to the trip. Afterward, we were
served dinner and then sent out again for a hill-walk, which proved there’s
nothing like picturesque views, fresh air, and chasing sheep to lighten our
moods. On our way back to the centre we stopped in a local shop where
everyone was eager to spend their money on cheap sweets to keep us going
until breakfast next morning. After relaxing in the TV room or in our own rooms,
we all hit the hay and slept like little logs.
Over the next two days, we tried a range of water and land based activities,
canoeing, orienteering, abseiling… nothing we couldn’t handle. A sure favourite
among most of the girls was bouldering, which entails climbing upstream a river.
The water, though cold, was clean enough to drink, and we managed to see past
slippy rocks and runny noses to the beautiful scenery, even a few of the sheep
were back again! When we got near the end of our climb, we played on the
boulders, sliding down them into pools of water or jumping off peaks about 10ft
tall. The biggest jump was done in pairs, holding hands, and though a scary
prospect for most of us at first it was an invigorating experience with most pairs
going for second or even third goes!
The rain on our last day matched our moods, all were sorry to be going home
and returning to normal school classrooms. This trip was one of the highlights of
the year so far. The memories of this trip will last for years, I think all the girls will
agree a smile comes across their face when they think of Willay and our beautiful
waterproof outfits with matching helmets and hiking boots… Of course a big
thanks to Ms. Whitaker, Ms. Purcell and Ms. Crinion for giving up their time and
accompanying us on the trip.