June 2017

Newbarns Primary School
We are grateful to the Sir John Fisher Foundation for subsidising the Newbarns Primary School Year 5 residential. Read more...

Here are reports from three of the Newbarns pupils:

After a long journey to Keswick we clambered out of the bus to see an amazing hostel with a beautiful garden to look out on when we were in our bedrooms. We dragged our suitcases up to the rooms where we made our beds and made our rooms look tidy with all our suitcases in. Before we had free time, we took all our shoes down stairs and lined them up neatly in pairs. After everyone had finished their meals we all got ready for a walk around the hostel and up to Ashness Bridge. The river underneath the bridge was flowing extremely fast as it had been raining the night before.

I had never stayed in such an old as well as big place before. I was absolutely astonished seeing my room because I was in room one (the very grand old banqueting room) with seventeen other girls. The staff were really helpful. After making the beds and settling in, I went to explore the hostel. I found: the ping pong room, the pool room, the lounge and the very important girl’s toilets. On the first night we discovered that the hostel was close to Ashness Bridge but was quite a fun but tiring climb. When we got back to our temporary home, I was tired out and almost fell asleep instantly. I enjoyed my first day passionately. As well as free time at the hostel we: made shelters, made our own hot chocolate on stoves and enjoyed our meals, a lot. Thank you for letting us come.

Relieved, I got off the bus and grabbed a suitcase and rolled it into the hostel. We went into the lounge and got told where our rooms were. We rushed to them and made our beds. We had some free time and played hide and seek. We then had lunch. Very satisfied, we had more free time (hide and seek) then had tea. We went for a walk to Ashness Bridge and back. Sadly, we went to bed (don't worry teachers, most of us slept, including me).

The following day we caught the launch to Hawse End and walked back to the hostel by following the shore through Portinscale and Keswick. Later on we made fantastic dens with the fantastic trees the front garden had! Then, Mr Laird showed us how to use a stove. 

By Luke, Willow and Eden

Title
Our local primary school came to stay for a one night residential. It was a lot of fun! Read more...

Borrowdale CE Primary School is situated in Stonethwaite, at the southern end of the Borrowdale valley, and we were delighted to welcome all of the KS1 and 2 pupils for a one night residential in May, allowing them to explore 'the big white house' that most of them pass each day.

Our manager Tim, and his partner Aukje, have a child in Year 6, and our former manager Kathy has been a Borrowdale School governor for a long time. Aukje also runs an after school craft club, and I help with KS1 on Thursday afternoons, so it was lovely to welcome familiar faces and see the children playing and cooperating with each other. Here is a report of the residential:

On Thursday 25th May, in bright sunshine, 36 pupils from Years 1 to 6 of Borrowdale CE School came to stay, enhancing their term topic of ‘Borrowdale’, and developing important skills, from making beds to helping each other pack up in the morning.

They arrived after school on Thursday, in time for a simple meal, followed by a campfire and playtime in the grounds. The children also sang songs that they'd created in a music workshop earlier that day.

On Friday morning the pupils were very organised, packing up their bags and clearing their rooms before breakfast. In fact some of the younger ones were up at 5.45am, but they quietly coloured in pictures of the hostel!

After breakfast the teachers led room inspections, followed by playtime in the sunshine. At 10am Katy led all the pupils on a walk to Ashness Bridge, looking at the hydro-plant and wild flowers along the way. The pupils were interested in the local OS map, identifying Barrow Beck and other features. At Ashness Bridge the KS2 pupils demonstrated their knowledge of local geology and geography, discussing the geological history of Borrowdale, with a good view of Skiddaw and Falcon Crag. All of the pupils have been studying Borrowdale this term, and they were able to identify the difference in rock type between Skiddaw (sedimentary) and Falcon Crag (Borrowdale Volcanic Rock).

After some more discussion about the course of the River Derwent, and the meaning of Derwent (river of oaks), we walked down a little-used path through Strutta Wood SSSI, looking carefully at trees and flowers along the way. Back at the hostel the pupils collected their packed lunches and took them down to the lakeshore, with an hour of paddling and playtime and more discussion about the formation and features of the valley.

After lunch certificates were given out for tidiest room, best manners etc, then all the pupils went off for their usual Friday afternoon PE activity: KS1 to Keswick Leisure Pool for swimming lessons, and KS2 with Glaramara for their adventure activity (climb inside Honister Slate Mine on this occasion).
It was a wonderful end to the week, and we hope to have Borrowdale School to stay every year. 

Derwentwater Independent Hostel
Barrow House
Borrowdale
Keswick
Cumbria
CA12 5UR
Telephone: 017687 77246
Email: reception@derwentwater.org

Thank you to Geoff Williams, Rebecca Laff, Fiona McCarthy, John and Sam Snyder, and KTA for generously providing inspiring photographs.
Thank you to Lisa Bamford at Stoats and Weasels for designing our website, and to Sam Snyder for building it.
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