We made it to Bryntysilio just before 1pm and headed into the centre for our lunch. We enjoyed chatting with our friends and starting to get to know the leaders. After lunch, we explored the grounds with our group and were given our kit and equipment. We enjoyed sliding on the grass and getting to know the area. Next, we were shown where are rooms were and had the task of making our own beds up! After some free time, we had dinner which was a jacket potato with a variety of toppings and a strawberry mousse for dessert. Finally, we headed out in the dark with our torches and went on a night walk around Horseshoe Falls: a man made waterfall (weir). The children have been very excited to be here and are already demonstrating a great, positive attitude. 

We have had a very busy day 2 here in Wales. Everyone has had the opportunity to do canoeing today, an activity which everyone got really stuck into. Some groups even had the chance to slide down an upside down canoe into the canal, whilst another group waded in the water at the end of their canoeing adventure. One group enjoyed pond dipping and archery this morning - testing their skill, accuracy and resilience. The pond produced all sorts of creatures, including a newt! The other two groups have gone gorge walking in “Mario” suits. This activity involved wading through the water, sliding down rocks and waterfalls and falling backwards into water. The children really impressed us with their willingness to get stuck in despite the water being chilly. Finally, this evening, the children were split into two groups. One group completed a low ropes course whilst the other completed a night line course with blindfolds. The children had to work in small groups to support and guide each other around both courses and again, did this brilliantly. A fun, busy day!

Well we are now over halfway through the week and the children are doing brilliantly! One group went on their walking day today, visiting a variety of places including a castle! They demonstrated great resilience to keep going throughout the day despite dips in the weather. The other two groups went scrambling and had the opportunity to do archery, pond dipping and fire lighting. Scrambling was a fun, challenging activity that saw the children climbing up various rock paths with different levels of challenge. They enjoyed jumping in the heather too, as well as hiding in trees. Archery tested skill and accuracy and the children really persevered with the fire lighting. The evening brought a swap of the low ropes course and night line course. Both groups demonstrated superb teamwork and determination. Another wonderful day here at Brynty and we look forward to a good night’s sleep before another full day tomorrow.
 

We have had a fabulous last full day! The sunshine came out which was ideal for the activities we were involved in today. One group completed their rock activity - scrambling and doing some rock climbing with ropes. The children impressed their leader with their resilience and willingness to get stuck in. This group then headed to the gorge to slide down waterfalls and wade through the water. Again, they had a wonderful time and were so up for trying something new. The other two groups went on separate walks in the beautiful Welsh countryside. One group headed to Snowdonia and climbed/scrambled up a mountain, whilst the other group headed to castle ruins on the top of a hill. They had a glorious time playing and running around in the ruins and creating imaginative games. This evening, we celebrated a Y6’s birthday with cake and candles before heading to the campfire to toast marshmallows and reflect on our week. There will be a final update at lunchtime tomorrow before we head home.

The rain came to greet us for our final morning activities, but that did not stop the children having a good time and working well together. After packing and tidying their rooms, the children got into smaller groups to complete a series of tasks around the site of Bryntysilio. They completed tasks such as bug hunts, a bouldering wall, sketching, dancing, riddle solving and river crossing. Again, we have been impressed with their teamwork and determination. 
We have had an awesome week with the children and as staff, we have thoroughly enjoyed watching them push themselves out of their comfort zones and try new things. Well done all children here at Brynty! ☺️