Normandy multi-activity
Day 5 – Thursday 4 July
Our final day of activities saw blazing sunshine and some very excited Latymerians! Following a breakfast of croissants, we set off to the market to test our French. After we had completed some challenges, we had some free time to purchase the ingredients for a picnic lunch and to practice our French – to varying degrees of success! After this, we went to the vélorail where we pedalled our way through the Normandy countryside before enjoying the fruits of our labours at lunchtime.
After some football in the park we got changed for the much-anticipated kayaking! We spent a couple of great hours splashing about in the cool river and soaking one another! Back to our accommodation to pack and enjoy our BBQ supper before our last activity of Latymer’s Got Talent!
Day 4 – Wednesday 3 July
High wires gave us the opportunity to make the most of the shade this morning. Everyone showed a good deal of courage in tackling the different courses on offer and all were quick to encourage anyone who had a momentary wobble, ensuring that we had 31 students all return safely to land!
Whilst we enjoyed a picnic lunch, we received the news that at the beach it was actually too windy to do either the land yachting or horse riding, however, we went to Falaise to visit a castle built by William the Conqueror. Here we were given iPads which showed what the different rooms would have looked like and there were projections which told the stories of different people at various points throughout the history of the castle. We clearly weren’t the first Latymerians to have made it there as we even spotted a carving in the wall of one of the rooms which looked very similar to the Latymer badge! After this, we went for ice cream in the park and played ultimate frisbee and did our bit for international relations when a French boy was adopted to make up the numbers for one team! Another great day and we’re looking forward to some time after supper to prepare our acts for tomorrow’s Latymer’s Got Talent!
Day 3 – Tuesday 2 July
It was an early start this morning for our drive to Genet. From here, we trekked across the bay to Mont Saint Michael which looked stunning in the sunshine. We learned all about the bay and wildlife that can be found there and our feet benefited from the mud which is used as a beauty treatment throughout France! After learning how to escape from quicksand and hearing about the history of the island, we arrived and had lunch sitting on the rocks, taking in how far we had walked. After this, it was up the windy streets to the top of the Mount and a visit to the Castle where we completed a quiz and heard how it had been constructed. Lots of very tired, but contented students are now heading back to our accommodation with rosy cheeks and tired legs!
Day 2 – Monday 1 July
It’s been a very busy day in sunny Normandy. After a delicious breakfast of pain au chocolat, baguette and jam, cereal and fruit, we set off for the day.
We split into two groups and the first group spent the morning doing archery or mountain biking whilst the other group went to visit a goats cheese farm and for a hike, with some time to complete a sketch of the beautiful Normandy countryside.
It was fantastic to see so many of the group encouraging each other to try new things and staying positive even when things seemed tough! Back to our accommodation for some football, volleyball or happy families before dinner and an early night!
Day 1 – Sunday 30 June
We have arrived at our accommodation in Normandy and are busy settling in. It has been a long journey, but we’ve passed the time reading, listening to music and chatting. We’re looking forward to some free time once we have unpacked where we can enjoy all the space at our accommodation and then it’s a BBQ for supper, making the most of the sunshine.
We’re really looking forward to getting started on all the activities tomorrow!