Day 1
Nobody went to sleep until 2:30 a.m - at least that is what it seemed like. So everyone on the coach slept until Liverpool airport - apart from the time spent singing terribly to terrible songs.
Buying liquids 5 minutes before passing security - not a good idea. Peter B. tested customs with his first purchase of razor blades.
80 % of funds were spent on energy drinks before leaving UK airspace.
Balthazar kissed the hallowed ground of Gaul upon exiting the plane.
Tansy, at the motorway service station "How did we get here?"
Mr Ferrier half way to the camp, when asked "Where are we?", "I don't really know".
At this point a crocodile was spotted lurking in the shallows awaiting our arrival.
Once camp was set up we practised how not to drown - "Defensive swimming".
Anita drifted off towards the sea - taking Mr Magson with her.
The girls later suffered most at the hands of the French storm God as bucketfuls of water were hurled from above.
Day 2
The first group set off in the morning on the swollen river to tackle some rapids - Balthazar gave the French 1-0 lead by capsizing.
The bravest among us leapt from a hole in the rocky Pont d'Arc.
The second group made the same trip after lunch, Nick Fisher promptly equalizing for the Brits by taking a dip.
Petre B. thought he'd struck lucky on finding a swim shoe, only to be told it should be reunited with the very wet Nick.
Monsieur Geoffrey survived sharing a canoe with Anita despite her best efforts to kill both of them!
Pipa and Tansy joined in the testing the water fun while attempting to do the standing salute to Mr Ferrier.
The stay behind groups spent time at the swimming pool while the others were on the river.
The day ended with Mr Magson's chilli fajitas going down well with the children - too well - no meaty stuff left for the adults - Mr Ferrier's veggy version being shared between 5!
P.Magson, G.Bouret, Peter, Jonnie and Nick.
Day 3
After breakfast the whole group set off for Ruoms with extra hired boats for a day on the river.
Everyone wanted to ride the double canoes - a bit of a soft option methinks!
First to take a dip was Mr Magson, claiming to be a little hot and needing to cool off. 1-0 to England.
Mr Ferrier, wanting to be rid of a moth which had taken a fancy to his snazzy head gear, showed off by doing an eskimo roll. No eskimos witnessed it.
The roll of honour for testing the water temperature throughout the day was as follows : Eddie Wilson, Nick Fisher (numerous times), Feargus Pitcher, Archie Hinde, Sasha and Anita (off a two man /girl canoe after standing up, then got back on and promptly fell in again while allegedly spying a baby crocodile), Tom Kiernan, while experimenting with an alternative method of propulsion and Balthazar x2.
Monsieur Geoffrey was soon spouting river water, equalizing for France.1-1.
Mr Magson followed suit; 2-1. The lead lasted minutes, nay seconds. Same place; 2-2. Despite what sounds like a comedy duo act, the pair have been aquitting themselves admirably!
Archie - "Nick, (on the same canoe) if you keep splashing me, I'll be dryer if we capsized."
Mrs Cole was very impressive on a rapid which took an almost 90° turn. "Did I look ok?"
She did - grim determination etched on her face and no doubt a bitten bottom lip.
Mr Cole was as usual, calm and collected - well, he collected many a drifting Terrington pupil!
On our return the boys were getting a little tetchy on discovering their new German near neighbours. We were all slightly disconcerted to hear Slipknot coming from their speakers. Will there be fisticuffs at midnight?
Your reporters must now reluctantly leave the bar (where the computer lives) and return for Mr and Mrs Cole's delicious ratatouille.
More thrilling reportage tomorrow.
Comedy duo, with help from Feargus, Jack and Tom.
Jour quatre - that's day four to non Francais parleurs
So, it wasn't the Germans (who turned out to be Italian!) who kept the camp commandant awake last night, but the girls' tent. Tut, tut! An early night for some, tonight, then.
After breakfast (cereals, french bread, jam and choc spread) one group of 10 went climbing at Balazuc, further up the valley, while the others stayed at the camp, taking advantage of the sunshine and the swimming pool.
Balazuc is an unspoilt hillside village overlooking the Ardéche river, with cliffs rising up on the other side.
Three climbs were set up - Night and Fever were two of the named ascents, Saturday (I kid you not) being a tad too difficile. Our third one, and easiest, being ....Joyce!
Almost all of the children did all three. Your English and French reporters did two each. The view up there is magnificent. The descents, however, required a deep breath and a willingness to trust the pupils - yes, pupils! - below, holding the ropes that controlled one's descent. Leaning backwards from the cliff, a quick downwards glance and the recalling of any, shall we say, occasional troublesome moments at school, was a sobering experience for a teacher! Suffice to say, I am still here to tell the tale.
Stars on the rock in the first group were Sam Metcalfe, Max Wright, Eddie Wilson and Archie Hinde for speed and nerve, Tansy, Katherine, Emily and Sasha , for determination and teamwork. They were all brilliant. Thank you Cormac, Sam and Max for letting me get down at less than breakneck speed while 'bell ringing and belaying' (I think those were the terms Mr. F. used)
The second group were equally impressive, by all accounts, with a special mention of Edward Bower for his agility and skill.
"Sir, should I climb this?" Pippa W. , harnessed up at the foot of the climb.
"No, you should paint it!" Mr. 'funny man' Ferrier, standing alongside.
It was a tough afternoon for your correspondent at the pool - I guess someone has to do these hard jobs. The sun beat down, the water splashed, a bottle of beer was consumed (a v. small bouteille, I hasten to add!) and life was good.
It's M. Geoffrey's turn to be chef tonight so I'm on my own, getting to grips with an alien keyboard. I've had the usual conference with a group of children before writing this up and I don't think they're too bothered about not being allowed in the bar to do the typing!
"The sun is gorgeous and it's giving me a beautiful tan" Emily Easterby, in Hollywood star mode, beside the pool.
Time to eat now, so it's au revoir for today.
PM, Emily, Tansy, Sasha and Katherine.
Day 5
Today we start the two day descent of the river - 12km followed by 18km tomorrow. We'll be bivvying under the stars tonight so it'd better not chuck it down! So far, it's another gorgeous day in Vallon. The children are in the village doing some shopping, the staff, drinking coffee - we're going to need our caffeine!
There's no computer at the bivvy site so you'll not here from us again until Saturday night when we return to the campsite. We've ordered pizzas and frites for Saturday's evening meal to save time as there'll be lots of packing to do before our early start on Sunday.
A bientot!
PM
Day 5 contd.
OK, so it's actually the end of day 6 now but we only got back this evening.
After returning from Vallon, yesterday, the crew was fed and watered before setting off on the epic 2 day trip down the river.
Many a rapid was encountered en route - the infamous 'Dents Noir' being the dramatic highlight of the day. One of our casualties being Sam Metcalfe, who is claiming that he's owed a beer from Mr. F. after receiving a helping hand through the rapids that actually tipped him in! He got out relatively unscathed, apart from a bit of damage to his pride, unlike many of the others in a group who obviously attempted to go through without the type of thorough briefing that we get before every tricky bit. Result - carnage! Boats everywhere, people in the water - chaos.
Mr. F. actually went under the water too - admittedly it was when he slipped on a rock while climbing out after guiding us through - but it certainly amused all of us who saw it!
At another rapid, called Charlemagne, I think, we looked on, dismayed, as a crucial member of our party disappeared beneath the surging white water. So, who had tied the cooking pot on to the canoe, then? M.Geoffrey was quick to take responsibility for steering the boat but the shrewd money was on the Geography teacher for actually attaching the thing.
Step forward Mrs. Cole. Our heroine got her thumb out and cadged a lift back to town with some passing Brits in a Land Rover to purchase a new one, rejoining the group at the bivvy site later on.
On arrival at our destination, we hauled the plastic barrels containing our food and dry clothes up a hill to our site. It was Ferrier's turn to do the cooking and in typical fashion, he soon had everyone else doing the work, fetching and carrying, cutting and chopping etc., directing proceedings from the charcoal burning range, beer in hand, while, get this, keeping an eye on the water as it slowly came the boil! "Yes Chef", "No Chef", "Two minutes Chef". He obviously enjoyed comparisons with Ramsey - swear words absent, of course.
We all enjoyed our pasta and soon it was bedtime for the troops. Before they retired, though, we were treated to an impromptu performance of impersonations of teachers at Terrington Hall, principally by Kiernan and Metcalfe. Interesting how the children recognised certain traits and parodied us mercilessly while the audience lapped up the mickey taking enthusiastically. Disgraceful! But, ahem, v. funny.
Given the choice of sleeping beneath the stars or in a big tent with a wooden floor, the gang all chose the former, lining up their sleeping bags under some trees, while the staff settled down to the regular debriefing which requires a bottle or two of wine or beer, if done properly.
Day 6
We were up bright and early in the morning, well, early anyway, in order to make the most of the day. Incidentally, it must be pointed out that despite the limited space in our storage barrels, that neccesitated us taking only the bare essentials - toothbrush, dry top, sleeping bag (strictly nothing else) - our valiant leader blithely produced a towel, tent, sleeping bag AND mat in readiness for a reasonably comfortable night's sleep! Mutinous rumblings were detected.
Breakfast paraphenalia tidied away, and we were back on the river for our final and possibly most arduous leg of the journey.
The gorge is absolutely stunning, with various interesting rock formations along the way, huge, skyscraping cliffs with trees clinging to every possible foothold, birds of prey soaring above us in the strikingly blue sky and sandy, pebbly beaches hugged on all sides by greenery. The sun tormented us somewhat but relief was always easy to find in the cool flowing water. At one point, a rocky ledge, accessed by a swim across the river and a clamber and a climb, provided an excellent jumping off place which was greeted with eager participation by all, including Sara, who put herself through agonies before convincing herself to launch.
It was a full day of excitement, physical challenge and play. Anita claimed to have wrestled a crocodile (dubious, in my opinion), Sasha and Harry sang a repetitive song about bottles of beer (tedious after 20 minutes - but they enjoyed it), Archie and Peter had running battles, colliding and splashing, Max played the part of a gondolier at the end of a sit on canoe (apparently none the worse for landing, shall we say, awkwardly, for a male after leaping into the water from the Pont d'Arc), Tom got stranded, briefly, on the wrong side of the river after a capsize while Feargus, too, got a mouthful of the river as a result of smashing (his word) into another boat while looking at the scenery. Katherine and Jonnie rightfully boasted of not having capsized once throughout our stay, Balthazar gleefully attempted to duck me during a snack stop, Tansy and Pippa giggled a lot, groaned a lot and shrieked a lot when faced with bathers in various states of undress at a certain beach and Sara put together a collection of stones and rocks bearing remarkable resemblances (NOT) to animals. Eddie Wilson and Cormac proudly proclaimed that they had not fallen in all day... and promptly fell in, while Harry, Jack and Nick laughed and sang and talked nonsense for long periods until at last the finishing point came into view. We finished our last day with a bit of a race to the beaching location, won easily by Emily Easterby and myself (such modesty) on a sit on canoe, with Edward Bower and Max Wright in kayaks putting in late (futile) thrusts to claim 2nd and 3rd.
The day ended after gobbling up our pre-ordered pizzas and chips. Then to bed for some well earned sleep.
Coming home
Another early start was needed in order to have some breakfast and get to the airport in time for our flight back.
It had been an exhilarating trip to the south of France consisting of adventure, fun and achievement. Everyone got a great deal out of it, taking part in things not experienced by most people. There were occasional moans about the lack of modern luxuries (yes, girls, that'll be you) but on the whole, everyone got on well, nobody disgraced themselves and we all came back safe and sound.
There has been a certain amount of making jokes about the organiser of the expedition (I am guilty, as charged) but as everyone knows, the boy does a magnificent job. The preparation and professional execution of all aspects of our trip ensured thrills and spills all the way, with minimum risk. I can confidently speak on behalf of the staff team when I say that we had great fun this week, along with the children, and are grateful for all of Simon's efforts.
Thanks too to Mr Cole, who played such a vital role in ensuring our safety on the river, with his good humoured calmness and efficiency; to Mrs Cole - not only a most able kayaker, but also prepared to do anything for everybody in order to keep things running smoothly while always smiling and to M. Geoffrey who also never stopped busying himself with tasks around the camp and helping out in all the activities.
The Year 7's are in for a real treat in the coming week.
PM
Main School 
