Share the Vision – Old Chapel Camp

DSC_0002On Friday 20th March a thin layer of cloud hovered over Worcester as I prepared for a weekend camp at the Old Chapel. I was meeting Caz from NCW at 10.30 so that we could visit Tesco together and buy all the necessary supplies for the weekend. At about 9.30 the light outside dimmed as though night were approaching. Looking up at the sky the sun was reduced to a perfect crescent as the moon passed in front of it. The thin layer of cloud enabled me to look directly at the eclipse and photograph it without fear of doing my eyes or the eye of the camera any harm. Part way through the phenomena the clouds cleared and it became impossible to see anything other than a brilliance in the sky. All definition was lost and gradually the light brightened as the moon moved away.

The shopping done and the car loaded up to its roof with tents, kit and food we headed off to the Old Chapel in the heart of the Black Mountains a few miles north of Crickhowell. The cloud that had been so helpful in allowing me to see the eclipse had now dispersed and the sky was beautifully clear and the thermometer in the car registered 14.5 degrees.

Camp all set

Camp all set

Preparing the chapel, establishing camp and sorting out all the food took most of the afternoon but we had time to relax by the river’s edge and enjoy the peace and quiet that is the Old Chapel (without any children, of course), watching a pair of grey wagtails hop from rock to rock in the river, deftly flicking their tails as they did so. Occasionally one would dart erratically in the air in pursuit of a passing insect before flopping back on to a stone.

During the evening the two sets of students arrived, firstly those from NCW, followed some time later by the King’s students. Having tucked into a hearty chilli and rice dinner the two groups paired off and sorted their camping arrangements out before spending the rest of the evening playing cards, socialising and getting used to each others’ company.

A guiding arm

A guiding arm

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and the prospects for a walk over the Brecon Beacons looked really good. After a cooked breakfast and picnic lunch making we drove round to the upper most car park in the Taf Fechan Forest below the Neuadd Reservoir. Here, we picked up the Taf Trail and returned to Blaen-y-glyn to pick up the Beacons Way path up a series of waterfalls, climbing steeply up to Craig y Fan Ddu, the route I had taken two weeks previously with the Crickhowell Walking Festival. While the path was not difficult the visually impaired students appreciated the reassurance of a guiding arm and a descriptive commentary whenever it was needed.

There's no fun like snow fun!

There’s no fun like snow fun!

There were still decent patches of snow on the higher sections of the route and, unlike my festival group, this group took full advantage of having some fun. As a group this was perfect; when playing in the snow all inhibitions disappear, disabilities don’t matter and everybody can enjoy themselves naturally and as equals. This did more for bonding than any other activity we had done so far. Whilst watching the fun I was not really paying a great deal of attention to any individual, and that led to my downfall. While happily minding my own business and enjoying the view a snowball fell from a great height on to the top of my head! A great shot from some distance and from a boy who had clearly benefitted from my cricket coaching when I taught him.

DSC_0029Having reached the ridge the path flattened out but we were now subject to a very keen breeze making it cold despite the glorious sunshine and clear skies. Cutting across the often tussocky and wet ground we reached the approach to Fan y Big at Craig Cwmoergwm where we sheltered from the wind and ate lunch. The pace had not been fast so we decided to miss out the summit of Fan y Big in favour of Cribyn and Pen y Fan. The climb up Cribyn got slower and slower and one or two of the visually impaired students became a little demoralised as they could not see clearly where they were aiming for but just a dark outline towering ominously above them. Boots were beginning to chafe and backs were becoming sore. Eventually we reached the top of Cribyn and when some realised that they were going to have to achieve an even bigger climb to get up Pen y Fan, their hearts dropped.

Choices and decision

Choices and decision

At the col between the two summits we discussed the issue. I was concerned that if we demoralised them further we might lose them. At the pace we were going we would not be finishing until about six and then not eating until about 8.30. Having decided it was not worth pushing them too hard, we gave the group the choice to descend or continue up Pen y Fan. Predictably, those who were suffering both physically and psychologically chose to retreat, ensuring that we had enough guides to look after them. While Jan and I took this group down the rest continued, and, watching them, their progress improved dramatically and they were on the summit of Pen y Fan in no time. Meanwhile, the rest of us trudged down the wide, easy track that ran along the lower slopes of Tor Glas, passing the now empty Upper Neuadd Reservoir to the minibus.

Back at the chapel we drank cups of hot tea and ate cake. The other half of the group joined us less than an hour later.

Evening entertainment

Evening entertainment

After a dinner of chicken casserole, jacket potatoes and vegetables, we relaxed with more chatter and card games sitting around the wood burner. However, everybody was ready for an early night and by 10.30 we were all settled in our tents.

Sunday started off a little cloudy but the clouds soon cleared and the day developed into one of blue skies and spring-like sunshine. the plan was for the students to walk unaccompanied, a situation where the onus of care fell upon the King’s students without any prompts from the staff. If heads dropped it was their responsibility to motivate and encourage. We were going to drop them off at Forest Coal Pit and they were going to walk over Sugarloaf to be picked up at Porth-y-parc, just outside Abergavenny. The walk was pretty straightforward but the group would have to be mindful of the final steep ascent and the initial steep descent from the summit. While they were doing that I would return to the Old Chapel to strike camp, clean up and head for home.

I heard that they all got on well and were back in Worcester by 2.30, much sooner than originally planned but they had had a good weekend and achieved a lot. With exams dominating next term there will be little opportunity to build on the achievements of the weekend, so they will have to try to hold on to gains of the weekend, so that when they gather for the Iceland trip in July, they pick up where they left off. That is the hope, at least.

 

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