Year 7 Skern Trip

Martha V

Skern, what do I say? Collapsing into ice cold water, climbing on soaking cliffs, or gripping with only my fingertips on a climbing wall. Thursday night was the most memorable of all because there were teachers dressed up as inflatable dinosaurs, amazing dance parties and fabulous food! But two fire alarms!! One at 10:30pm and one at 2:30am! No shoes, thunder, battering rain and drenched bodies all around. But it made it memorable.

Skern was the best week of my life. Waking up with Mrs Webb’s extremely loud music was only slightly better than the rain itself! I am overjoyed by my Year 7 experience this academic year. It would not have been the same without this superb experience.

Chloe H

Skern was packed full of wonderful activities that left us no time to sit around. We were always up, doing something fun. Many of us conquered our fears while we were there and found lots of new things that we didn’t previously know we enjoyed. I particularly loved rafting which I think was also most of my group’s favourite. At first we were all quite nervous about going in and getting wet but after the first few people on our raft fell in (including me) everyone started jumping in. We found out that the water near another boat was quite shallow and we decided to wade over to it. Once we were there we “encouraged” the others from that boat into the water, creating a lot of splashes in the process. On the whole, the entire trip was really amazing!

Issy P

Having not been on a holiday for over a year, I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out the Skern trip was going ahead. During the week, I made even more new friends, and enjoyed some unforgettable activities. Apart from the delicious peri-peri chicken and pulled pork sandwiches for our packed lunches, my highlight was definitely body-boarding! I loved riding the rough, white horses and splashing in the surf with my friends. I also loved our day at Hartland Quay; the rockpooling, our picnic and the amazing views. It was a week of memory-making I will never forget. Thank you teachers!

Fitnet Q

On the 17th of May, Year 7 visited Skern Lodge in Appledore. It was a week of teamwork, stepping outside of our comfort zones and doing things we never thought we could do before.  I loved all the activities, my favourites included rafting, bodyboarding and climbing, but by far the highlight of the trip for me was visiting Hartland. Hartland Quay is a place surrounded by spectacular scenery and imposing cliffs that tower over the beach; the rocks that form the cliffs consist of jagged and layered forms creating extraordinary shapes. The beach offers some spectacular views. It was quite windy when we attended, so the sea was untamed and rough. It made an impressive sight watching the waves bash against the cliffs like charging horses. All in all, Skern was an incredible trip where we used a combination of brain power and physical ability in order to complete tasks and overcome challenges which will aid us in real life situations.

Poppy S

Year 7 had a wonderful time at Skern Lodge, where we learned lots of new skills and interacted with so many people we wouldn’t have ordinarily spoken to. There were some tremendous activities involving teamwork and determination, such as rafting, climbing and an assault course where thinking outside of the box was critical in order to overcome challenges. I particularly enjoyed bodyboarding, despite the windy weather, as it was so much fun. Overall, Year 7 thoroughly enjoyed our time at Skern, and made so many great memories with each other.

Sophie C

On the 17th of May this year, Croydon High’s Year 7 were lucky enough to pack their suitcases, hop on a coach early in the morning and wave goodbye to their parents on the first day school trips were allowed to happen again. To our great pleasure, we were away for a whole week at Skern Lodge, in Devon, where we took part in many different activities ranging from archery, orienteering and roasting marshmallows on our self-built campfires to rafting, ziplining, abseiling and even body-boarding out in the chilly Atlantic Ocean, with the harsh winds of a storm whipping our faces whilst doing so! And I can assure you, after spending the last 15 months stuck at home with barely anything to do, the whole year group enjoyed a thrilling week away, hiking up the hills of Devon and enjoying some spectacular views, clambering about on huge rocks by the ocean, exploring caves and areas seriously affected by erosion and challenging ourselves by trying things we’d absolutely never done before. After hugely eventful days out, we were grateful to come back to delicious food and steaming puddings, comfortable beds and (mostly!) hot showers. The instructors we spent the week with were entertaining, supportive and, most importantly, we had heaps of fun with them! Arriving back from Skern was a shame as the whole year group had had a real blast there, but we looked forward to seeing our families again (and, for some of us, showers that were hot, not cold!) To put it into one sentence, Skern was a fantastic adventure like no other, and I certainly recommend anyone who ever visits there to try everything out, as the memories you create from that are truly spectacular.