Benmore Blog, day two (Berry)

Today we were on the ropes course. I got right to the top. It was scary. Then we went on the forest trail walk but it was really long. Tomorrow we are doing caving and in the afternoon canoeing. Today I saw a grass snake, it is really small.

Benmore Blog, day two (Highlander)

We had an ok sleep last night……..it was fun! This morning we did the gorge walk. I got so soaked, but then we weren’t allowed a shower because we had to rush of to caving. Caving was dark. We went into a tunnel called St Thomas’s. It was tiny but I managed. The food is very nice and I just remembered – we went swimming in a loch (cold!).

Benmore Blog, day two (Tinkerbell)

Today we went gorge walking. We got really wet and were sliding around everywhere! Then we went caving! It was GREAT! We had to do a lot of climbing. After tea we went swimming. It was freezing!!!!

Benmore Blog, day two (Braken)

I am having a good time and we got up really early and I was quite tired but it was fun. We drank water out of a burn. It was nice. See you soon.

Benmore Blog, day two (Loch ness)

Today we had breakfast. It was rice krispies, bacon, scrambled egg, toast and juice. It was yum. Then we got a harness and helmet on and went round to the backyard and did a little abseiling and climbing. Then we went up to a huge place with 50ft cliffs. We climbed up it then abseiled down. Then we went on a forest walk it was fun too. I love it here!!!

Benmore Blog, day two (Ally McCoist)

Today it was very funny because everyone went swimming but I never because I never had a change of trainers. It was Kris Boyd did 12 belly flops and everyone was freezing.

Benmore Blog, day two (Nettle)

We got up at 8am this morning so it was not that bad. I got to write a postcard to my family. We get tuckshop tonight so that is great. We did the gorge walk today and that was great. I swam under a huge rock shaped as Africa and climbed loads of rocks and trees in the river. We then went caving. I went through a narrow bit called St Thomas’s path. It was so scary. When we first went in the cave we got lowered down 10m. It was scary. I woke up this morning by bumping my head on the wooden bar on my bed because I’m not used to the top bunk bed.

Benmore Blog, day two (Saltire)

It was really cool. We did the ropes course! The trapeze was the best. You had to climb up a pole and then jump to a trapeze. Then we went for a forest walk and drank out a mountain spring. Caving and canoeing the morn!

Benmore Blog, day two (Turnip)

This morning we went rock climbing and abseiling. It was amazing. We first had a few practices and then abseiled down a 50 foot cliff. It was really scary. After lunch we went on a forest walk. It was really fun and we got to stand under a waterfall. We walked through lots of burns and camouflaged ourselves in mud. After tea we got on the mini bus and headed for the loch. It was really hard to get in because it was really freezing. Everyone started to swim and it was really exciting. Once we got home everyone had a very hot shower.

Benmore Blog, day two (Neap)

Today we started with climbing and abseiling. It was great. We went up and down 50ft! After lunch we went for a walk in Puck’s Glen and stood under a waterfall. We ate wood sorrel. We had a swim in an outside pool (river!). It was freezing and I mean freezing!

Benmore Blog, day two (Rob Roy MacGregor)

In the morning we did the gorge walk. It was brilliant because we walked up the gorge and slid back down. At lunch we had soup. I did not like it. After lunch we went caving. We climbed through small holes and crawled through a tunnel. It was excellent. For dinner we had curry. Each day the tuck shop is opened. It looks nice.

Benmore Blog, day two (Chris Boyd)

Today we went climbing and abseiling, I abseiled 50 feet down. In the afternoon we went on a 5 mile walk. Tonight we went swimming. It was a bit cold.

Message to parents from Mr Devereux

Hello out there in Parentland. Thanks for the comments you’ve posted – keep them coming! I notice some of you don’t know what your child’s nickname (handle? moniker? pseudonym?) is. It’s very easy to find out: just look back to the early pages of the blog and you’ll see your child’s photo along with their nickname and an introduction to themselves. Then you can reply to your own child’s post.
As you will see we are all having a whale of a time. Everyone’s getting very wet and muddy. And loving it! And so am I. Today the class invited me to play tig with them in free time and be ‘it’. Some of these children can run very fast and Neap ran into the woods and escaped me! Grr… Tinkerbell tricked me into thinking I was about to stand on a hedgehog on a forest walk (“Watch out Mr Devereux! Watch you don’t stand on that hedgehog!”) and The Human Nessie spun me round so fast when I was dangling on a rope that I fell over as soon as I reached the ground. I reckon there might some candidates for getting wet again before the end of camp, don’t you?
Mr Devereux

Benmore Blog, day one (Loch Ness)

Today we had great fun. First we got a tour of the place. It was cool! It’s really big and I love my dorm. It’s really nice, bright and airy. I share a dorm with: Turnip, Highland Cow, Haggis, Tartan Terror, Neap and Me!! Then we went on a walk through the garden. It was lovely. Then we went on a mini gorge walk through a little burn. It was really cool! Then we had afternoon tea. It was cake, juice and I had coffee. Afterwards we watched a PowerPoint about Benmore and then we had free time. At 6:15 we had tea. I had fish, chips, tomato sauce and salad for tea. It was yum! Bedtime is 10.00 pm!!!!
From Loch Ness

Benmore Blog, day one (The Human Nessie)

Today was really fun. Although the bus journey was THREE hours long. We did get to stop in Luss for a picnic on the beach of Loch Lomond. When we FINALLY arrived at Benmore we were all literally jumping for joy. Once we had found our dorms, we got unpacked, then we went to get waterproof clothing and boots. Once we were all ready we went for a walk in the gardens. They were so pretty. We found our way to a stream with a tiny tunnel going through it. We all took turns in army crawling through it. It was FREEZING!! (and we got soaked!) It was really fun. After that we did a mini gorge walk. It was all uphill and rocky (in case you didn’t know, a gorge walk is like walking up a river or stream). We all had to clamber up a muddy bank to get back to the path. We all ran down the path back to the house, taking turns in leading the way. We had snack, then we went to the common room to be told about Benmore and the rules. Then we had free time. We played ping-pong, climbed trees and took photos. Then we had dinner. Fish and chips! Yum! Then we came in to the research room and wrote this! After this we are going for a night walk, then it’s time for bed. See you soon,The Human Nessie x x x

Benmore Blog, day one (Chris Boyd)

We arrived slowly at Benmore. We had high tea, tea and cake. We had fish and chips for our tea. Then we just played ping-pong. I injured someone but I’m not telling who.
We stopped at Luss for our lunch. It was fun. Me and Ally McCoist played football. It was great!
I’ve made new friends at Benmore. Missing you in Haddington and you, granny, and PSP and TV. Loads of Love,
Chris Boyd

Benmore Blog, day one (Rob Roy MacGregor)

Day 1: The bus was a wee bit boring. For our lunch we stopped at Luss. It was good. After an hour or so we got to Benmore. First we made our beds then we brought our luggage up. My bag was really heavy. Our dormitory was called Tiree. We went for a forest walk. It was cool because we had to crawl under the bridge. We had fish and chips for our dinner. It was excellent. The people in my group are Adder, William Wallace, Tinkerbell, Thistle, Highlander, Robin Red Breast and me, Rob Roy MacGregor.

Benmore Blog, day one (Paul Burn)

We arrived: before we actually got there we had our lunch at Luss. It was fun at the lake.

Benmore Blog, day one (Bracken)

When we got to Benmore it was sunny and we got shown around the building. It is quite big. We have got our dorm and we are in Muck. I am really enjoying myself and we went for a walk when we got here. I miss Monty and you but it is really fun!

Benmore Blog, day one (Robin Red Breast)

Today we arrived at Benmore! It looks like Hogwarts and there’s a HUGE tower! My group leader, Debbie, told us what to do. Our first job was to make our beds… which was HARD! We brought up our suitcases and we got shown around Benmore. It’s really big but it’s beautiful. My group went on a walk around the grounds and we raced, splashed and jumped in puddles and got SOAKED! We got mud and put army stripes on our faces!!! We had to crawl through these tunnels and it was sooooo fun! I was VERY dirty and the end! We had snacks then had free time. I looked at the avenue of trees which was AMAZING. I climbed a really weird (but cool) tree. We had fish and chips for dinner which was yummy! We haven’t done the night walk yet, but it’s soon! I do miss my family, but I’m having loads of fun.

Benmore Blog, day one (Bramble)

Today we got on the bus. It was quite annoying though because it was really sunny and we all got very hot. Halfway through we stopped at Luss. We went onto the loch side and ate our lunch We fed the ducks. I threw a bit of a cucumber and it landed on the duck’s back. A seagull attacked it and ate the bit of cucumber. We got back on the bus. It was really hot. Everyone threw my cuddly toy duck around. We arrived and got into our groups. Our leader is Pete. We got a tour around the house, unpacked and made our beds. We got on our waterproofs and went for a walk. We crawled through a tiny tunnel filled with water then up a stream. We got soaked. We are going on a night walk after this.

Benmore Blog, day one (Stardust)

We got on the bus and dove to Luss to have lunch. We sat on a jetty thingy and had lunch. Some people fed ducks with their lunch. We arrived at Benmore and got shown around and then went on a one hour walk. We had high tea and then had free time. The food didn’t live up to its reputation at tea and we’re going on a night walk tonight.

Benmore Blog, day one (Thistle)

We went on a walk this afternoon. It was amazing. The first bit was kind of crazy though. We went through this teeny tunnel that was mucky and wet. We were just like: “Eww!” I went through and then Adder threw mud at me! L Terrible! But it was kind of funny. The people in our activity group are: Tinkerbell, Rob Roy MacGregor, Nettle, Adder, Me (Thistle), Highlander and Robin Red Breast.
There were loads of puddles and we just walked through them casually until Adder (who had been here before) rolled in one! We were all like, “Okay…come on, let’s go.” We were completely soaked at the end of it. Highlander’s shoes were like a swimming pool! It felt like we were walking on jelly! It was sooo fun though! We were like, “Yay, we got a bit wet.” The food’s good too!

Benmore Blog, day one (Turnip)

The bus ride today was quite tiring so I think everyone was quite pleased when we got to Luss. It was beautiful weather and we sat on the beach eating our lunch. We then got back on the bus and had another hour drive until we got to Benmore. I was amazed at the size of the building when we arrived. First of all we had some juice and then got split into our groups to have a tour of the building. It is amazing inside and has so many different rooms. We then got fitted with boots and waterproofs so we could have a look around the grounds. We did a mini gorge walk up the burn and it was great fun! For tea we had fish and chips, for pudding we had yoghurts. It was delicious.

Benmore Blog, day one (Highlander)

We’ve arrived! We have had a tour of Benmore House which is very big. After that we got our equipment and we did our first activity: a long walk. The trail had tons of puddles along it and I got SOAKED! I don’t think my joggers will ever be the same again… It was really fun! For tea we had fish and chips. It was yummy! After this we are going on the night walk and we MIGHT get blindfolded.

Benmore Blog, day one (Haggis)

The bus trip here was very long and boring. When we got here we got split into our activity groups and went to make our beds. After that we brought up our suitcases, we started to unpack. We were given waterproofs in a rucksack and boots. We put on our boots and rucksack then went for a walk. We came to a little burn. We walked beside it. It was fun. We went back and had afternoon tea. We finished unpacking, then had some free time. After that, we had fish and chips for tea. The fish was nice, and the chips were ok. The weather was excellent!!

Benmore Blog, day one (Berry)

Today when we got to Benmore we had a run around the building. We all unpacked our clothes and put them underneath our beds in a basket. Before we got to Benmore we went to Luss and had a picnic on the Loch Lomond beach. We all have chores and it’s to clean the floors and stuff. I am in a bedroom with lots of my friends. We went through a tunnel and the group got wet. We are doing lots of fun activities. You have to get up at 8am and have lights out by 10.00. Bye, love Berry

Benmore Blog, day one (Neap)

The bus ride was an excitement. Everyone was wound up to 90 degrees. I sat next to Tartan Terror. We tried the ipod but it failed because it was so loud. We stopped at Luss and fed the ducks. When we arrived it was fun. We got showed out dorm, made our bed and unpacked. Then we got our boots rucksacks and waterproofs and did a test gorge walk. We were all glad when tea came. The food was good.

Benmore Blog, day one (Tartan Terror)

Hi! Even though it’s only been the first day it’s been really good. On the bus especially. I was sitting next to Neap and when she fell asleep I took a photo of her. The she woke up and looked a bit drunk so I took a picture of that as well. When we stopped at Luss it was lovely. We sat on the beach and there were lots of ducks. We gave them some bread but seagulls kept stealing it. I took some nice pictures of the ducks.
When we got to the centre we were all REALLY excited. We got into our dorms. They’re cool! We had to make our beds though. I’m with Neap, Loch Ness, Haggis, Turnip and Highland Cow. We went outside for a bit and did a mini gorge walk up a brook. There was a scary where it got really dark, muddy and small. Tea was great. We had fish and chips with fruit and yoghurt for afters.
Later we’re doing a night walk and tomorrow my team and I are going rock climbing, abseiling and a nature walk.
Bye, Tartan Terror

Benmore Blog, day one (Highland Cow)

We have arrived safely! My dorm is called Coll and we have already had a tour of the building. We all have our own boots, jacket, trousers and rucksacks. It is soooo fun! We explored the grounds and went on a mini gorge walk. The bus journey was very long and hot. We stopped of at Loch Lomond to have lunch.
Love Highland Cow!!

Benmore Blog, day one (Nettle)

As soon as I got off the bus I saw the whole place form where I was standing. It was huge! I helped unload the bus and take all the suitcases into a room and then we went to make our beds (we only had seven minutes to do that). And then we went back down the stairs to get our suitcases in our dormitory. My group is Adder, William Wallace, Tinkerbell, Thistle, Rob Roy McGregor, Highlander and Robin Red Breast. We got lots of kits and went out for a walk. We got dirty by crawling through long tunnels filled with water and mud. My mum won’t be happy because I got my new Canterbury trackies ruined. I kept on getting lost and still can’t get used to Benmore because it’s huge. I better go because I am running out of time and I still have to decorate the front cover.

Benmore Blog, day one (Adder)

Today we spent most of our time on the bus. It was fun sitting with William Wallace, Thistle and Nettle. When we arrived we unpacked. My group (group 6) went on a journey down puddle lane. It was great! I got soaked. When we came back we had afternoon tea. Yum! We had fish for dinner. We are about to go out on the night walk.

Benmore Blog, day one (Tinkerbell)

The journey was weird! We saw all kinds of crazy stuff! We stopped at a place called Luss. We had a picnic on the beach. This afternoon we went on a walk through the botanical gardens. There were huge puddles! We all dived in to them! We were in our activity groups. Adder, Thistle, Nettle, Robin Red Breast, Highlander, William Wallace, Rob Roy MacGregor and Me! Adder was rolling around in the muddy puddles and he was so WET! He was so wet he sparkled because it was strange kind of water. We’ve been climbing trees in our spare time. Luckily no one has been injured. We’re all looking forward to the night walk tonight but we’ll be a bit tired because we’re getting back at ten o’clock! The food is great we had fish and chips!

Benmore Blog, day one (Fudge)

Today we got on the bus and made our way down to Benmore. We stopped off at Luss to have our lunch. We had our lunch on the beach. It was really sunny. It was a long journey, but in the end we got there. It was exciting.

Benmore Blog, day one (Ally McCoist)

Today we went on the bus and it was quite annoying because we went on the bus for 3 hours when we arrived at Benmore. Some of the girls and some of the boys played ping-pong and went walking including me.

Benmore Blog, day one (Whisky)

Today we got on the bus and travelled to Benmore. It was a long journey, but in the end we got there. We stopped for lunch and we fed the ducks on the beach. Then we went into the bus and I threw Bramble’s duck about. Eventually we got to Benmore and we got shown around. A man called Pete took us for a walk and we got all our walking boots and waterproofs on. We climbed and walked until we got to a narrow tunnel with water in. Me and Bramble army crawled in through. We were soaked! After everyone went through a stream which was freezing but it was great fun!

Benmore Blog, day one (William Wallace)

Today we went on a walk and got soaked and muddy. We went army crawling through these pipes and one was wet and the other was muddy. Then we walked up a road with lots of deep puddles and I started jumping into them and then Adder started rolling through them. The food is good and the bunks are comfy. The food is good because the chips are nice and the fish is ok. The dorms have comfy beds but there is a lot of graffiti on the wood. Tonight we are going on a night walk.

Benmore Blog, day one (Saltire)

Saltire
The bus ride was long and uncomfortable but really nice scenery! The stop at Luss was lovely too. We had our lunch there. The mountains were amazing! When we arrived we got into our groups. We also got a leader. Ours is Pete. In our group are me (Saltire), Bracken, Bramble, Berry, Human Nessie, Whisky, Fudge, Paul Burn and Stardust. We unpacked and did our chores. Then we went for a walk. It was really fun. The plants were nice. We all went through a water tunnel army crawling. Tonight we are doing the night walk in the dark. It is going to be ace!

Hello from Mr Devereux

We've only been back at school for two weeks and already we have achieved so many exiting things: performing an opera, directing animated films, football training with the Scottish Football Association...the list goes on.

With so much happening it has been hard to keep up to date with our blog. The class worked hard last week to bring everyone up to speed on what we've been doing and there are lots of new posts to read. If you've looked at them already, it would now be worth checking them out again as I've added lots of lovely photos to give you a clearer 'picture' (what a bad pun) of what we've been up to.

Mr Devereux

Knox

After the summer holidays we are going to Knox Academy. Stardust, Rob Roy McGregor and Chris Boyd have visited Knox already. Everyone is looking forward to Knox and we have had events to get to know our new classmates at Knox.

By Stardust and Rob Roy McGregor.