Prep Pupils Climb Ben Nevis

Mr Stickley, Head of Outdoor Pursuits at Millfield Prep School, lead a group of pupils on the exciting trip to Scotland during the summer holidays.

"As most children left Millfield Prep at the end of last term for a relaxing summer holiday, 21 children geared up to head to the highlands of Scotland for a few days of adventure!

We left school at 4am for an early flight to Inverness and, before the day was out, we had travelled to Loch Ness, learnt to canoe, set up tents, use a Trangia (spirit burner for cooking) and cooked supper! A busy first day!

To suit the weather conditions, we changed our itinerary slightly and the following day we set off from Grantown-on-Spey down rapids and over the odd rock! At Blacksboat Bridge, where we set up our wild camping spot, a couple of our party experienced the first full dunking of the day, when they ploughed straight into a rock and capsized it, pinning it to the rock with the flow! Luckily, our highly experienced instructors were able to get the boat off the rock before nightfall and everyone escaped unscathed! We set up camp, cooked supper in groups again and experienced the limitations of camping without toilets or running tap water.

By the third day, our paddlers were more experienced, but minor lapses in concentration on certain rapids meant that another boat capsized before we reached our exit point at Aberlour. The river was beautiful, with herons, kingfishers and many fish spotted along the way. Our campsite at the foot of Ben Nevis was well placed that evening for our ascent following day.

Our teams set off early to start the climb up Ben Nevis; which, despite the well-trodden ‘tourist track’, is not to be underestimated. It was a hard slog up the mountain, largely fuelled by jelly babies. Many of us made it to the top and enjoyed the odd glimpse of a view through the clouds! Those that did not make it were remarkably philosophical about it, understood the need to stay in a group, had a great walk with some beautiful views and were treated to ice creams at the bottom! There were more treats in store for the evening in dormitories with hot food that the children didn’t have to cook themselves. There was even a pool available for a quick splash and relax before bed and our departure the following day.

The morning of the last day was spent evaluating our trip and packing bags, before flying home to Bristol at the end of an epic trip."