On the week of the 30th of September to the 3rd of October, the two transition year classes Brid and Deirdre participated in a week long action packed trip at the Kilfinane Outdoor Education Center. We left the school at 8.30 am in the morning and had an hour trip to Kilfinane. When we arrived, the workers were very helpful in getting us to our dorms which was split to girls and boys. After we were settled in to our dorms, the leaders proceeded to split us into four groups. Each group carried out a different activity each day.
There were various activities that took place throughout our time there. There was kayaking which involved going out on kayaks in Lough Gur where we learned the various skills and played many different games such as races and bing and bong. Mountain biking was another activity that we participated in. We travelled through thick forests and thin misty rain on our bikes. It was an overall great experience where we learned to ride these mountain bikes. We travelled to the middle of the woods to do bushcraft. This involved building shelters with basic natural materials. It taught us life survival skills we will never forget. We waded through rivers as another activity. Jumping off mini waterfalls were involved which was thoroughly enjoyable. Archery and rock climbing were two other tasks that were very fun. These took place in the actual KIlfinane centre and were well set up and great activities. For one whole day, we went on a 16 kilometre hill walk through various hills including little Karen and big Karen. It was an enjoyable day where great exercise was received.
It wasn’t just during the day we experienced many fun activities at night until nine o'clock we were also investing in games such as dodge ball, manhunt, orienteering and more. These games helped us bond as a new class and gave us a more competitive aspect.
Overall, the week was an amazing experience which allowed our two classes to bond in ways we hadn’t got the chance to do before.
A great thank you to the amazing teachers from Castletroy College that came with us and helped us to fit in comfortably. Also thank you to the fantastic instructors team who made the four days very enjoyable for everyone.