Conquering Kilve!

W6 class have just returned from a triumphant and glorious stay in the Quantocks at Kilve Court. Both year 12 and 13 pupils have braved the weather to complete a two night residential in the beautiful 18th century building complete with our own private drawing room and dedicated East wing.

Our group of 14 set off Wednesday morning equipped with sleeping bags, waterproofs, thermals and plenty of snacks! We arrived to start our favourite activity of the stay…. lunch! A relaxing start, was followed by archery, where the battle commenced, the target was set, the bows were loaded and the staff were… hiding! Some of the group were on target, some were shooting for the stars and some were simply blazing a trail of victory (to nowhere!). 

 A more relaxing session of environmental art followed where W6 were tasked with scavenging natural objects from the fields and creating a masterpiece on the front lawn. They opted for a butterfly, it was both beautiful and massive!

Then, predictably, Mr Freeman’s favourite activity occurred again- mealtimes! We had a mountain of spaghetti to contend with and a salad bar you could only dream of. This followed by circus skills, where we spun plates, mastered the diablo and attempted to juggle on very full stomachs. Needless to say, not a single person finished their midnight snacks the first evening, in fact, most were snoring by 11pm!

Thursday morning arrived and the regiment awoke, battle ready and excited for a morning of team building. They crossed a crocodile infested imaginary river, walked the plank, balanced the seesaw and glided through the treacherous spider web of doom. Communication was key and they had bundles of it- maybe a little too much! It was brilliant to see them working together. 

Later the inevitable happened again, that’s right you guessed it, lunch. We were still full from breakfast, but just about managed to squeeze in another tasty, hot meal. Then it was time to get layered up, re-fill our canteen and set off on a hike into the wilderness to build a shelter fit for a king. The troops gathered and we were marched to the top of the hill and settled in the perfect look out location where another scavenger hunt led to the construction of a mansion. 

The final evening was disco and ad hoc karaoke, where the battle cries began and classics like ‘ Giants in the sky’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’  reverberated around the hills. 

The final morning broke to the sound of rooks cawing in the trees, sending a message of warning to the group. Inevitably Mr Freeman’s stomach needed replenishing, so he led the troops to the dining hall where they met another banquet of croissants, toast, cereal and more tea than imaginable. Refuelled, the regiment went on their final march to the perilous low ropes, where they donned their helmets and side stepped along the low ropes ensuring that they didn’t fall into the canyon of lava below. Tears of laughter and jubilation were heard when we eventually unhooked a student from the tree. 

The troops then rejoined for the final feast of chicken nuggets and chips (a classic SAS survival meal. ) A final check and a massive thank you followed before venturing back to school.