And so we reached our final day at Hilltop. And the biggest challenge was most definitely getting all those clothes back into the cases! How did we get the clothes inside in the first place?
We’d all had a very calm night, with children far too tired to miss home. We ate our last delicious Hilltop breakfast with gusto, all agreeing that Hilltop sausages are ‘the best’.
Well, the sky was grey and there was definitely drizzle in the air. ‘Prepare for the worst’ they say, and ‘Hope for the best’. This we duly did, and kitted ourselves out head-to-toe in waterproofs.
There is a reason there are far fewer photos today – the activity was the high climbing course. This required 100% concentration by ourselves, as well as checking all the children were able to clip and unclip themselves. This activity required agility, technical skill, support from each other and a wee bit of fearlessness! We needed to learn a ‘clipping and unclipping’ technique, which ensured we were always 100% safe. Half way through, the rain stopped. But nobody noticed. Everyone was so focused on the job in hand. Everybody was definitely in their ‘stretch zone’ today, and a few deep breaths were also needed before tackling some of those more demanding bridges and tunnels. It was so lovely to hear the cheers and encouragement from children to each other. Everybody had done their very best – and then a little more.
Before we realised it, it was almost lunchtime! Another delicious meal awaited us.
We’ve all agreed – it was wonderful. Lots of us wanted to stay longer. But all of us thought the idea of our own beds tonight was maybe a little better.
Many thanks to everybody who has supported us with this, to make it so special and memorable for our children, especially parents and carers.
