26 Second Form students enjoyed a brilliant trip to the French Alps this July, taking part in a number of activities and enjoying the magnificent setting
Many thanks to Georg Stindt for the detailed report below, describing the fantastic time that was had by all the students who were lucky enough to take part in such a brilliant trip:
This year, 26 Second Form left Park Close at 2.45am to start their journey to Vallouise via Stanstead Airport, Turin Airport and the amazing mountains of the Italian and French Alps; three countries in a morning. The school minibuses containing all the kit had set off earlier and collected the students from Turin. The campsite in Les Vignuese was home for the week and the tents were pitched. After a brief stop for lunch it was straight onto the Via Ferrata in Pelvoux ‘ everyone enjoyed the stunning sights as we moved on the vertical cliffs above the raging river. The girls were particulalry impressed by it, but we all came away wanting more! The following morning was market day in Vallouise, where we were divided into three groups to purchase the evening meal for that day ‘ starter, main and dessert. After some thought, haggling and plenty of broken French we had food for the evening; and some souvenirs! We enjoyed a picnic along the river before we set off up the mountain to our cooking spot. Whilst it was not always obvious what was in the meal, our evening meal did not disappoint (especially the fruit kebabs drizzled with melted chocolate in the mountains!).
The next two days saw us split into two groups to do white water canoeing (airboats),’rafting and mountain biking. Next, we began our two-day walk, starting at the top of the Nevache Valley. The start of the trek was tough, but respite in front of a stunning green lake surrounded by white borders gave use some time to recover – with some of us even choosing to slide down the ice into the freezing lake below! From this point, our path was largely under snow but, on reaching the ridge at the summit, the breath-taking views made all that hard work worthwhile. On arrival at Refuge de Chardonnay we enjoyed a magnificent meal and a chance to rest. The weather on the following day was very changeable but did not stop the hardy from exploring the delights of yet another lake. Unfortunately, we were unable to go canyoning due to the dangerous water levels in the canyon, but we enjoyed an afternoon of climbing and abseiling instead. Our final evening saw us all crowding round a lovely campfire, toasting all sorts of treats. The next morning, our early start to Turin Airport was followed by glorious sunshine as we arrived. The trip home was easier for some than for others as we managed to pick up a ‘gastro bug’ en route ‘ nasty, but it did not detract from what had been a magnificent week of camaraderie and some high adrenalin moments. The photos taken will help keep the memories fresh for a long time.’
Thanks go again to Giles and Anne in France for all of their help throughout our week away.