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A few years ago when I was a much younger chap it was my privilege (!) to plan an outward bound type adventure for a few of kids aged between about 10 and 15. The concept was relatively simple, I was to drive one bus load of them with my then girlfriend (now Mrs Blackstone) following with another. Our destination was the Welsh seaside where we were to reside at a activity centre for one night, the subsequent day journey into the terrain and hike up into the mountains, sleep for the night in a abandoned mine, trek back down the subsequent day and pass one more night at the centre before our return home. The plan went extremely well, the drive to the coast was less than two hours and was easy enough with only a couple of complaints of hunger and car-sickness – no more than you could anticipate from a load of lads away from their mothers and fathers. Immediately after a tasty meal we went to bed because we had an bright and early start and a busy agenda the next day. Because we were to stay in a cave (in reality a disused slate mine) there was no requirement to take tents but we did have all our warm gear, food and sleeping bags to carry. An interesting but hot and sweaty time was spent hiking into the peaks and experiencing mountain-type activities such as abseiling. The plan was to tire them all out because the evening was bound to be not easy sleeping on the cave floor. After our meal we settled down and Zoe read aloud the part from The Hobbit about Gollum in the cave. Notwithstanding this we all slept relatively well but were up bright and early the next morning to exit into the daylight. Some of the younger boys were beginning to show the strain and were slowing down somewhat. Zoe, showing her cruel streak, stayed back setting 2 candles on the ground and lighting them. After catching up with us again she out of the blue let go a shout saying “Quick, Gollum’s behind us you can see his eyes glowing”. You have rarely observed so many little lads’ bodies run so very fast or witnessed a more humorous sight. Returning back to the bunk house Zoe retells the scene of the lead minibus all of a sudden screeching to a halt, the rear doors being swung open and the youngest boy being thrown out to be promptly sick all over himself. On getting back to the bunk house there was a great dinner ready but once we sat down I noticed the exact same boy was thoroughly filthy, although I need to state none of us were very clean after our experience, I despatched him off to wash his hands. Twenty seconds later he was back saying “I don’t know where the bathroom is”, heaven only knows what he must have done on our initial evening there. Going to bed resulted in the typical high spirits as a result of which one of the older boys stumbled over some furniture and snapped his arm. After all that outdoor activity who would have believed it? We in the end were able to deliver 20 exhausted, grubby but content boys back to their mothers and fathers. This event happened over thirty years ago and has certainly not been repeated, it probably would not even get off the ground in modern times being a health and safety and risk assessment nightmare, nonetheless totally unforgettable. For lots of ideas for your unique outdoor activities head over to My Outdoor Store, the premier walking and hiking outdoor gear store.
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