in Gavarnie was breathtaking. In the days after the hike we rock climbed, did a day of via ferrata (climbing while attached to a steel cable running along the rock-face) as well as a day of canyoning. Furthermore, despite not knowing the boys from different years, we all got on surprisingly well, even on the final day of hiking in which fatigue started to hit. The sheer magnitude of the Pyrenees cannot be captured on camera and therefore I thoroughly recommend that if you ever get the chance and you are feeling adventurous, you should definitely go to the Pyrenees. An unforgettable trip.
Vic-sur-Cère, Spring 2014 Ben Stevenson and Lorcan Tierney (Year 7) Aside from practising our French and skiing – we enjoyed typical spring skiing conditions with blue, sunny skies and soft snow – the trip included rafting on the River Lot and visiting a local cheese farm. We did a ten-kilometre descent from Entraygues to Vieillevie in four large inflatable rafts and despite the glacial waters most of us either jumped or were pushed into the river. The cheese farm was at Badailhac. During a tour where we learned about the cheese-making process and got up close to the cows. Most of us decided to buy some of the different types of delicious local cheeses (Cantal and Salers) to take home to our parents. We hoped they wouldn’t be too smelly by the time we reached England.
Valencia, Spring 2014 Rupert Shearer (Year 13)
During the Easter holidays 14 of us from the Sixth Form, accompanied by Ms Juyol and Miss Cutler, spent a week in Valencia. We stayed with host families and had 20 hours of lessons at the Taronja language school, which prepared us for the speaking exams and gave us a chance to learn about Spanish culture. In the mornings, we had various cultural and sporting activities around the town, such as a cookery lesson (yum) and a visit to the bullfighting museum. Particular highlights were the trip to the Science Park, Aquarium and IMAX cinema and the cycle ride to the beach. We also watched a footy match between Levante and Atlético Bilbao and we saw a Pilota Valenciana match (a traditional handball sport): it’s amazing how the human hand can be trained to hit balls as hard as these guys. It was an extremely successful and eventful trip, helped by the good weather and the chat flowing around the group. My Spanish has improved a lot and I entered my A-level speaking exam feeling much more confident.
99
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker