Thanks for all your hard work!

Hi, Lucy here again. I've just said goodbye to our second residential team after a morning on the beach.  The team were set the challenge of creating a sand sculpture based on something that they had done during the week.  Behold, the creation of Goat Shell!

Thats it from us for 2015, its been a great couple of weeks and we have hugely appreciated the effort put in by the teams of young folk that have joined us. I'm already looking forward to next year.... Thanks all!

We saw a Porpoise!

Twas a wee early morning to be had by us all. And all through the lodge folks were stumbling like drunks. We set out very early (seriously very early) at 8am after a hectic breakfast. After rioting on the local school bus, we went down a dirt track (for like, 2k might I add) the beach was reached! We met Andy, the lovely fellow, who kitted us up with litter-pickers, bags and clipboards!!

We scoured the lands for life threatening litter, but much to our relief, not much was found. This is due to the good work of COAST in Spring 2015, who cleared tons of waste off of Arran's beaches, and the considerate walkers and coastiers who pick up litter as they go. Interestingly, we found an 18kg gas canister, a football, a coconut shell and a tap-dancing shoe (we think). Whilst cleaning, a group of us stopped to watch a pod of porpoises playing in the Clyde! IT WAS AMAAAAZING!!!!!!

 We soon set off back to Brodick. Wilf and Alex had a 'Hat Off', which inspired the following Haiku;

Wilf and Alex fight

The deadly hat off goes on

The winner takes all 

#alexisthewinner

After visiting Brodick, we watched Lucy's mum, Sue, on her Exxpedition across the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canaries to the Carribean. The expedition consisted of 14 women with the aim of raising awareness of the plastic problem to marine wildlife and humans. This was both interesting and inspiring to us all to protect our planet. 

Finally we ate a well deserved (and well cooked) Roast dinner which was enjoyed by all and was a very yummy meal to end this exciting week on. Despite our sadness on the conclusion of this fun-filled week, this Haiku emphasises our happy times here;

 We've had some good times,

Are we all ready to leave?

Not presently, no.

 #muchbanterwashad

#bensoneliners

 

Suns out, guns out!

After breakfast and a quick meeting in the lodge, we were all ready for our next adventure in Arran. We walked for about 20 minutes through the beautiful castle grounds and on the way we spotted some tracks in the ground, which were most likely to be from a red squirrel. We then arrived at the area of forest where we were going to clear the Rhododendrons. We met with our guide Katie from National Trust of Scotland, who explained to us about the Rheodedodrum Poticus and how it has had  a negative effect on the forests ecosystem. She showed us how to safely handle the equipment we would be using and how to dispose of the plant after it had been cut ( in the fire!) We were so excited to get our hands messy and begin our hard work.

As soon as we had the equipment in hand, we arranged ourselves into teams and moved to different areas of the forest. We used a saw for the thicker branches and used clippers for the smaller, thinner branches.  As a team, we transported the Rhododendron cuttings into our huge fire to prevent it from resprouting from the fallen branches.

After hours of hard work, we were so excited to dig in to our sandwhiches for lunch and some chill time. We then continued with our work for another two hours and after making huge progress, we stopped working and tucked into  roasted marsh mallows around the fire with our group.

We thanked Katie for the awesome experience and headed back towards the castle. To our surprise, instead of heading straight back to Shore Lodge we got the chance to be small kids again and went to the Adventure playground. After 20 minutes we were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to visit and enter the Bronze Age Roundhouse which is situated on the Castle Grounds.

A Golden Ticket

 How do you like your eggs in the morning? In a butty? After breakfast we started the morning walking towards Brodick Castle, with a slight detour to a pine cabin which amazed us all.

We then proceeded to the castle, but our attention was soon diverted by buzzards calling and a wide variety of plants from the foxglove to the Rhodedendron....both poisonous.

Just before reaching Glen Rosa much banter was had, as we stumbled upon a squirrels dining table,   a caterpillar and House Martins. As our luck looked as if it was beginning to run out in our search for Golden Eagles, we stopped by a flowing river for our lunch. This turned out to be a fantastic choice, as some of the lads decided to go for a paddle in the freezing cold water!

 

Suddenly our eyes were drawn to a pair of Golden Eagles flying over the valley! Success! We watched in awe as they provided a superb display. This brought our list of bird finds to 18 in just two days- Bill Oddie watch out!.

This rejuvenated the group dynamics, as shown by the smiling faces below. Here we reached a spectacular waterfall before turning back for home.

 On our way back to the lodge, we stopped for some delicious Ice Cream and cheese before adding even more birds to our tally bringing it to 21.

We settled into the lodge whilst being told of our evening activities. Educating others in a fun and innovative way. This broke any boundaries as we all got stuck in, some more enthusiastic than others!

An unsuccesful attempt at childhood games, we stopped and now await our delightful dinner- tuna pasta bake!

Great Goat Fell Fun

Today we met for breakfast between 8 and 9 this morning. We experimented with different sandwich fillers in preparation for our packed lunch on the mountain and stuffed ourselves with breakfast. We headed to the beach for 10:00 and appreciated the local wildlife- from Herring Gulls, Oyster Catchers and Red Throated Divers we made a note of the numbers of different species and their locations.
Once we had seen most of the wildlife on the beach, we played a game called Owls and Voles; we were told statements about Arran and if true the Owls chased the voles, if false, the voles chased the owls! This prepared us physically for our 6 hour hike up Goat Fell.

We took the 11:00 bus to High Corrie where we began our hike- acknowledging a (dead) slow worm at the beginning. We took a steep track through a lush green forest until we met the path that took us up the mountain. We were shown variations of plants, trees and flowers and the history of trees such as the Rowan Tree; growing bright red berries once used to make jelly and full of fibre. We climbed the rocky terrain up to a large stream where we had lunch and took some awesome photos of the view!

We continued our ascent to Goat Fell; the climb was steep to begin with but levelled out before we reached the summit- this was very deceiving. Ash claimed he saw red deer at the base of a hill but we couldn't distinguish them until we used binoculars on our descent. We finally reached the summit of Goat Fell where we took more awe inspiring photos of the fabulous view; trying to ignore the harsh, freezing winds. The descent was more pleasant and as a group we led the way, all involved in deep conversations about future plans such as university.

Finally, we made it back to Shore Lodge where we played The Logo Game and The Best of TV and Movies Game, rapidly demolishing the copious amounts of biscuits to re-gain our energy. Dinner was cooked by Meg, Ash and Oliver which was a delicious chilli and nachos- this went down very well. After a long day including 6 hours of hardcore walking, we were happy to crash on the sofa/ in bed, looking forward to tomorrow's installment.

The Adventure Begins

We met at Central Station and took the train to Ardrossan where we boarded the ferry. After spending time wandering about on deck we were greeted by the wonderful views of Arran and a porpoise (we think).

 

The Ferry Haiku

We took the ferry

'Twas a very good ferry

We saw a porpoise

We weren't abandoned by the bus driver, and after a short drive we arrived at Shore Lodge. At first we were surprised because we saw a small shed and thought that was where we were staying. As it turns out, the lodge was actually rather impressive and very nice, we found our rooms and settled in quickly.

The Lodge Haiku

Such a welcome sight

We're really glad that we're here

It's not just a shed

After chatting in the lounge, we brought out the cards while our enthusiastic chefs prepared dinner and had a riveting game of cheat, followed by some excellent charades.

The Cheat Haiku

 The tense game commenced

Alex picked up all the cards

Much banter was had

After much hard work, the dinner was prepared and we all sat down to eat a delicious meal of spaghetti bolognese followed by apple strudel. It's been a great day and we can't wait for tomorrow's activities.

Fin

(for today...)


 Anon

Exploring Brodick Country Park.

Hi- Lucy (Adventure Expeditions instructor)  here.  Yesterday the first 2015 Adventure Expeds Arran team enjoyed their final day of the residential.  They have worked incredibly hard during the week, so we eased off the pace, took a stroll around Brodick Castle country park, indulged in some tree hugging, explored the nature centre, squirrel cam, and of course the adventure playground (some big kids in the team!).

In the afternoon, it was time to say farewell. Sad times, but it has been a brilliant week, shared with motivated and friendly young people, who have all achieved their John Muir Discovery Award.  Thanks for all your hard work and of course #banter!

Banter on the Beach

Hi everyone,

Last night we enjoyed a delicious Thai chicken curry cooked by Pippa, Lazza and Hannah. It was so good that one member of the team felt the need to drink a cup full of the sauce to the amazement of some and the disgust of others! Later in the evening we enjoyed a quiz written by Rahul with intellectual questions followed by dancing and singing competitions. It certainly brought out the competitiveness of the group and the #banter was in full flow.

The morning started like every other, preparing our lunches and belongings for the day. Before we set off to Kildonan for the beach clean, we had a briefing with Lucy and Rick about dangers we could encounter, such as sharp objects, flares and needles. Fully prepared we then caught a bus to Kildonan. During the journey there was a fierce debate about the existence of ligers in the wild. The debate was coincidentally resolved a short while later, by a fact written on the front of someone's cereal bar!

At the beach we met Andy from the organisation COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust) and he explained to us the potential dangers to wildlife from rubbish on the beach. Armed with litter-pickers and gloves we set off along the beach. As well as the usual items such as bottles, rope and shards of glass, stranger items were also found such as a foam finger, vodka bottles and a playmobile figure. One group also came across a dead seal, whilst another picked up over 100 cotton buds. Cotton buds are a particular problem as many people flush them down the toilet, not realising that the plastic part can cause serious harm to sealife.

During the clean we also had a chance to see seals and otters up close. The team did a great job collecting 5 full bags of rubbish, as well as larger items such as a tyre, an oil container and a fish basket.

We walked to Kildonan hotel where some of the group enjoyed an ice-cream whilst we waited for the bus. James was delighted by the fact that on the route we passed some swings (see picture below). We got a bus back to Brodick, but unfortunately watched our connecting bus drive off without us, meaning we had to walk back to the lodge. However it did allow for a quick stop at the Co-Op to stock up on essential snack items.

A little later on tonight we'll be watching a film about the dangers of rubbish to sealife, as well as discussing plastic pollution to put our beach clean into context.

It's our last night on Arran tonight and it's safe to say the whole group has had a really great time. We'd like to thank Lucy and Rick for an amazing week - we've all learnt lots about conservation and wildlife, contributed back to the island itself, and of course the #banter has been legendary.

Your bloggers today have been Corinne (@corinnespiller), Sarah and Maddie xoxox

Rhodie Bashing Banter

Hey Guys,

Last night Evan, Lewis and Will treated us with a delicious chilli, enjoyed by all except for Lewis. Some minor tampering with chilli powder ended in excessive sweating, tears and for the first time our resident hoover was defeated. After dinner we tuned in for our regular 9 o'clock film with #banter spilled galore.

 

Todays task involved the clearance of the dreaded Rhododenron Ponticum. On our way to the clearance site we walked through the grounds of Brodick Castle, where we had chance to add to our bird record that has been accumalating throughout the residential. We spotted Ravens, Kestrels, Goldfinches and Swallows just to name a few. Alonside bird spotting we debated the moral intent of William Wallace, the origin of the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) and quadbikes vs. mules. 

 

On arrival at the clearance site we met up with Jenny, a Ranger working for National Trust For Scotland. She explained the problem of the invasive Rhododendron Ponticum is that it's high density foliage blocks sunlight from reaching the forest floor, thus inhibiting other plants or shrubs from developing. Armed with bow saws and loppers we set out to reclaim the land. With each branch fall came a hey-hey, much to the leaders delight. However it was not all plain sailing today, monsoon-like weather drenched us through morning and afternoon but the sun came out in time to enjoy some marshmellows over the fire.

All in all we had great day, good upper body work out alongside some important local conservation work with a splash of #banter. Your bloggers today have been Simon and James.

Misty Mountains Cold

Hi everybody
In the dead of night, as Lazza surfed the internet, a bat swooped through the open window. Despite reeling from Spurs' defeat to Man Utd, he corralled the poor creature through the fire exit with the aid of a few members of the group. Thus began the morning of the third day on Arran.

Following breakfast, we had a few short presentations on aspects of our John Muir Award and stay on the island. Highlights of these events include Rowan's Storytime (Patent Pending) and a National Parks Quiz led by Simon and James. The day began in earnest with the bus to Corrie, the starting point for our day trip up Goatfell, Arran's highest summit at 874 metres above sea level.

The hike began on a narrow, twisting trail through dense forest and undergrowth, surrounded by the commercial logging industry and deer fencing. A few souvenirs were picked up along this first leg, mostly by Lewis' adornment of midge-repelling foliage upon his newly constructed hair bobble. Moving upwards, we passed the tree line and ascended into the mist along a stream, albeit the summit ridge still masked by cloud. Breaking for lunch at a ford, we consumed sandwiches and cereal bars while deftly avoiding a swarm of midges forming in proximity to the water body. Sighting a raven, we revelled in its display of inverted flight before descending to scavenge the crumbs we had left behind.

Moving onwards, the climb became increasingly steep as we prudently stuck to the path (some of us) in order to avoid contributing to erosion scars. Meandering onto the ridge, we reached a crossroads with the path from Brodick prior to embarking upon our final ascent of the Fell. By this point, the fog had enveloped us, soaking our clothes but not our spirits as we marched ever upward to the cloaked peak.

 

Reaching the summit, we partook in a photography session amidst "spectacular scenery" of mist, mist and yet more mist. The wind was strong and unfortunately dismantled Lewis' hair paraphernalia at some instance along the ridge. After a short break, we began our descent, a relatively uneventful procedure apart from a minor injury on the part of one of the mountaineers. Close to our home for the week, we witnessed tomorrows' enemy: Rhododenron Ponticum, an invasive and toxic plant species threatening the integrity of the endemic ecological environment. 

  

The curtain closed on our mountain day with an evening of TV and #banter. 

Tonight's Blogging Buddies: Annabel (@annie0398), Rahul and Rowan (@RowanVita).

xoxoxo

A day in Brodick

The second day began here on Arran at 10:00 with our visit to the beach across the road. We looked at differentiating between a Common Gull and Herring Gull, searching for other wildlife on the beach, stone skimming, playing a beach version of tag while learning about Arran and other interesting things, and finally putting our imaginations to use when sand-scaping! We decided on creating a mermaid, using a member of our team as a body to sculpt around. This ended in a sea-soaked mess!

We then returned to the lodge to have some lunch before embarking on a walking trip to the Brodick Highland Games. We saw caber-tossing, hammer-throwing, Highland dancing, pipe bands, traditional and non-traditional stores such as whiskey & cheese tasting stores, burger & chips stores and many other interesting events. We split into groups to look around and discover this event and eventually met back together to see the large pipe band march around the running track. Needless to say, it was "rad"!

As the day drew to a close, it began to drizzle. On the way back, we played with our winnings (bears and fluffy tigers and such) and continued to have some fun!

Let the epic John Muir journey continue again tomorrow... #banter

Your bloggers for this evening Pippa, Lazza et Hannah xoxo

Our First Encounter

After meeting in Glasgow Central, 14 of us embarked on our Arran adventure. A wonderful ferry ride later across the calm Firth of Clyde we all arrived into a bustling Brodick and headed along the beautiful coastline to our accommodation at Shore Lodge. After a tour of our accommodation we settled down to some icebreakers and team building activities. They worked- #banter is already flowing!

The purpose of our stay on Arran is to complete the John Muir award. This is an award based upon environmental conservation, set around four key strands- Explore, Discover, Conserve and Sharing. We also learnt about Muir's life and his actions relating to the world of conservation. Throughout the week, several skills have been allocated amongst the group. Plaudits must go to the kitchen team of James and Simon who cooked a wonderful dinner which was readily consumed, as you can see below! 

Tomorrow we start the award, exploring the diverse landscape found here on Arran looking for rare Whitebeam Trees only found on Arran. We also plan to visit the Brodick Highland Games in the afternoon and hope to see some fine caber tossing.

We are all settled down for the evening now, watching a film under our duvets! We all look forward to the next week on Arran and hope for some good weather.
-Your blogging team for tonight- Lewis, @willwhitehowe and @evaneurovision.