French adventures for Years 7 and 8
On Friday, 4 July, 44 pupils from Years 7 and 8 plus 5 members of staff set off on a four-day trip to Northern France.
The journey to the Chateau went smoothly and when we arrived safely at the Chateau, children and staff were allocated their rooms in the Écurie (the former stable block/coach house) which also housed the Dining Room. The rooms were very spacious and everyone quickly made themselves at home.
After the compulsory fire practice and instructions from the Chateau Staff, we soon were called to a delicious dinner which was followed by volleyball and pétanque supervised by our two allocated Chateau staff. Everyone had a go at both and there was even an impromptu volleyball match of boys against the girls. The girls were adequately supported by Mr Mayne and Mr Westwood and ultimately won. Before bed, there was plenty of time to enjoy the outdoor space at the Chateau.
Saturday saw us walking into the town of Rue where we were able to enjoy the weekly Saturday market. The children roamed around the stalls and managed to find amongst other things a bakery where many bought a traditional baguette. We returned to the Chateau for lunch before setting off to The Lake – a nearby outdoor activity centre. Although it was not as warm as the day before and there was a strong breeze, everyone managed to paddle across the lake in two stages in their canoes. Once they arrived at the other side of the lake, they enjoyed a busy time on a water obstacle course. It was soon time to head back to the base, but this time with the assistance of a strong wind to push them across the lake.
Following dinner, we took part in a quiz. The groups were very competitive and it was great to see how much they knew and how well they coped with the questions in French. Once again, we enjoyed the Chateau grounds before bedtime.
On Sunday we woke up to rain in the morning, but it did not put a dampener on the mood as we headed to Dennlys Parc for a day of rollercoasters and other rides. As the theme park is not very large and probably also due to the slightly wet weather conditions, the park was not too full which allowed many of the children to stay on rides or to return to them on several occasions. Staff also joined in in the fun, according to their level of adventure and bravery! Thankfully the rain soon stopped and we were able to enjoy the many rides in the dry for the afternoon.
We headed home at 4pm and everyone agreed that we had a great time in the parc. Following another delicious dinner which included an offer of a snail and frogs’ legs - for those more culinary brave – the group took part in an organised Scavengers’ Hunt at the Chateau. It was then soon time to pack bags, clean/tidy the rooms and get ready for the last sleep in France.
Monday again greeted us with rain, but the two hour visit to a nearby snail farm was a success and a lot of fun. We learnt about the anatomy and life of snails – called gray and big snails, because they are grey and big! – and were able to taste delicious snails, home-made jam and biscuits before meeting the snails (grown up and baby-sized) in their natural habitat. Everyone who wanted to was able to hold a snail on their hand to inspect them more closely. After a quick visit to ‘the shop’ we were soon back on the road for our return journey.
We arrived safely in Lichfield before 7pm thanks to our amazing coach driver. A big thank you needs to go to the parents who allowed us to take their children to France for our little adventure.
Another big thank you to Mme Smith, Senora Marticorena, Mr Mayne and Mr Westwood for supporting me on the trip and for giving up their weekend to allow our children to have an amazing time and experience in France. Lastly, a big thank you to the children themselves for their enthusiasm and generally excellent behaviour throughout the trip – we received many compliments about them – which made the trip so enjoyable and successful for all.
Merci, Frau S Walker
