Last week, as part of what is quickly becoming Taylors’ tradition, our new Third Form cohort enjoyed a three-day adventure in the Lake District.
The trip is designed to take the new students outside of their comfort zone, encouraging new friendships to form in different contexts to the classroom. This year, the year group was split into two halves: Andrewes, Manor of the Rose, Spenser, and Walter completed the first leg Monday – Wednesday, before a changing of the guard saw Hilles, Mulcaster, Raphael, and White complete the second trip Wednesday – Friday.
The itinerary included a hike up Latrigg, abseiling, SUP on the lake and gorge scrambling, which was probably the most popular activity amongst the intrepid students! This adrenaline fuelled activity culminated in students descending head-first and backwards down a free-falling drop. It is fair to say that the students outperformed the teachers in this venture!
In their down time, the Third Formers played board games, quizzed, completed night walks and practiced football and cricket in the facilities across the river.
The Cumbrian setting was perhaps the most impressive thing of all. As the boys reached the peak of Latrigg, there was silence as everyone gazed upon the mirror of Derwent Water below. It was a moment of shared accomplishment and companionable reflection, which will doubtless stay with the boys for a long time to come.
Four Third Form students shared their experiences below.
Writes Nyle P. (3rds)
My trip to the Lake District this week was remarkable. The breathtaking views, the activities and the experience was incredible! It was a perfect mix of securing new friendships, pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and most importantly, having fun! The activities were phenomenal: stand-up paddle boarding, gorge scrambling, hiking and abseiling. The water was absolutely freezing, but it was all worth it because of the amount of fun the instructors and teachers enabled us to have.
We stayed in a hostel located across a narrow river from a park which gave us a great spot to play in. Each night we played games before we went to bed. One night, we even had a quiz where our competitive spirits came out! We all enjoyed participating in it.
Sleeping in bunk beds with peers from our houses and classes made it even more exciting. Living and taking on challenges together for a few days brought us closer and by the end of the trip, I believe that we all have built new friendships and secured old ones. This trip was exhilarating from start to finish, and I would highly recommend it to next year’s Third Form.
Thank you to all the teachers for such an amazing trip and I cannot wait for our next adventure.
Writes Aaran G. (3rds)
This year’s trip was one of the best in my life. As we drove through the mountains, the air was electric. We all pressed our faces against the windows to marvel at the stunning mountains and rivers around us. It was so beautiful!
The fun started as soon as we got there! We started with a hike to the top of the hill of Latrigg, a huge hill in the area, standing at 369 meters high. The walk was long and tiring, but still fun as we all chatted as we rose higher and higher. We then returned to the hostel and had a hot dinner. Before going to bed, we did a game night, where everyone played all sorts of different board games, such as chess, The Mind and even 1,000-piece puzzles! That night, I went to bed knowing the fun had just begun.
The next morning, my group started with the best activity and my highlight of the whole trip: gorge scrambling. We waded through the cold water, went down slides and went through the gorge. It was so fun. Next, we went to Derwent Water for paddle boarding. I was thrown into the water so many times. This was mostly because my friend kept on shaking the board! That evening was very fun, as we did a massive quiz, where my team came third. The next day, we spent the morning abseiling, and then, it was time to go home.
Overall, the Lake District was such a fun trip. I believe it is only the tip of the iceberg of all the fun to be had at Merchant Taylors’!
Writes Hargun B. (3rds)
When we arrived in the Lake District, we got to walk up a beautiful mountain overlooking the stunning lake straight away. Some people found it harder, so we had to persevere in order to help our peers up the cliff. After the walk we arrived at the youth hostel for a good rest.
Then it was up again for an early morning and our only dry activity, abseiling, which is where you go down a cliff jumping down rocks. Then after that we spent the afternoon on a mega-SUP on Derwent Water. This was a massive paddleboard, where we had to work on teamwork to try not to get thrown into the cold water.
In the evening, we went on an exciting night walk along a disused railway line to a very long tunnel through the hillside, where we made as much noise as we could. It echoed very satisfyingly!
On our final day we went gorge scrambling, which was like a long waterslide, with some deep (and quite cold) pools along the way. This was my highlight of the Lake District trip, because doing it meant we got to travel around a natural rainforest. After all the fun we had a long journey home on the coach, but by then I felt I knew everyone much better.
Writes Arlo M. (3rds)
The highlight of the Lake District trip for me was the gorge scrambling as I got to slide down what felt like a natural waterpark. Also, we got a fry-up every morning, and that was an excellent way to start a busy day!
The youth hostel we stayed in was situated on the side of a small river. It was beautiful, especially as I had a view from the top floor. The weather was surprisingly clear, despite the mountainous environment. At night, in two big groups in an alternating schedule, we went for a night walk or played board games.
The activities were very much enjoyable; these included standup paddleboarding, hiking, abseiling, and my personal favourite, gorge scrambling! I have a particular connection with standup paddleboarding as my Dad has being doing it with me since I was three. This is something I still do with him to this day.
