At the beginning of the summer holidays, 42 boys from Y5 and Y6, along with Mrs Stratton, Mr Egan, Mrs Osborne, Mr Guest and Mr Roberts, enjoyed an epic week of adventure in the beautiful alpine resort of Morzine, France. Little did they know that were to be joined in Morzine by 3,000 Harley Davidson bikes and their riders for the biennial Harley Days Festival – which only added to the excitement!
The boys’ adventure began right from the get-go, as they went straight from the airport to The Dranse river for whitewater rafting. The boys loved hurtling down the rapids, losing one or two team-mates over the side of the rafts* as they crashed over and into rocks on their way down the exhilarating ride! Other activities on the first afternoon included Zorb football, volleyball and getting-to-know-you games.
The days that followed were full of activities including rock climbing, kayaking, swimming (both in the lake and in the local pool), exploring the local area and town, mountain-biking, football, ultimate frisbee, hiking and high-ropes – it really was an action-packed, fun-filled week!
The boys were so wonderfully encouraging of each other throughout the week – whether it was helping one another to climb a little higher on the rock face; assisting with the technical details of the high-ropes course; offering advice on how to tackle the mountain bike trail or encouraging others to keep going in order to reach the summit of the hike, words of kindness and support were heard ringing out during each activity.
The hike from France into Switzerland in the middle of the week really was a highlight of the trip. The scenery was breathtaking, and crossing over into Switzerland to eat lunch (without the need for a passport) was a special moment for many.
A huge thank-you to all the parents, boys, staff and instructors who supported this trip – it would not have been such a success without you all on board.
Mrs Stratton
*All boys were safely recovered and returned home!
