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| Helping the group gear up |
Today was the day I was looking forward to the most. Once again we were to be joined by Russell Zenthon and other staff from Kushi Adventures. The plan was to spend the entire day climbing and abseiling on Raasay's sea cliffs. The weather was once again on our side: overcast and not too warm. A short drive north, followed by a short walk down to the shore at Brochel. While Russell got the kids sorted out and gave his intro to rock climbing, the other instructors set up a few top ropes and an abseil. Martin and took the opportunity to explore the cliffs a little and we were soon bouldering a short distance away from the rest of the group. After getting pumped we headed back to join the group, where a massive chalk fight had broken out! After blazing up the 4 roped routes, we had a spot of lunch. The kids all seemed to really enjoy the climbing, particularly the girls.
After lunch it was time to see who would cope with the abseil :) The whole group managed to 'step over the edge' without much fuss. Obviously there was the odd tentative step and the usual shrieking from some of the girls, but no-one hesitated very long or 'froze'. We were really impressed by the confidence and ability showed by every member of the group. Thanks to Russell et al for an excellent day on rock.
After dinner, the very nice lady came by the hostel and spent a good hour giving a Gaelic lesson to the kids. To be honest, I didn't think they'd be very interested but it turns out they loved it and didn't stop talking about it! I just shows you that there's a great deal to be said for the spirit of the local 'Islanders' in Scotland.
