Ouch! My arms….
Been a while since we last posted, partly down to laziness but also to only now recovering from canoeing 15 miles, well more like 25 miles once we had zigzagged the whole way down the river.
On the 30th August we took a group of 10 people camping to the Forest of Dean for open air fun and games, a days canoeing on the Ross-on-Wye and finally a high wire adventure Going Ape.
After a picturesque 3 hour country drive we all arrived safely at our campsite of choice with plenty of time to pitch tents and gather fire wood. After familiarising ourselves with the amenities (3 porter cabin toilets on the opposite side of the field) we set out to quench Paul’s need for sport by all joining in a couple of rounds of quick cricket. The early evening activities were of course washed down with a few tinnys before Giles served up his famous sausage pasta. As darkness set in and we could no longer draw warmth from the dying embers of our fire we all set down for a freezing nights sleep.
Awaking stiff, cold, aching and surprisingly high spirited we set off for the Ross-on-Wye river to begin our 15 mile canoe trip to Symonds Yat. Upon arrival we received the obligatory safety chat, our ever stylish life vests and our trusty paddles before climbing aboard our two men canoes and launching off in to waters unknown. After managing to avoid the evil swans, smelly ducks, and grazing cattle, whilst only being fuelled by a buffet of scotch eggs and other picnic snacks we eventually found the docking platform we had set out for. This took us some 9 hours in total, and although we were all shattered with wet feet and tired arms I’m proud to say it was only our clothes that were dampened and not our spirits. This could’ve been the booze, the amazing scenery or even the sight of Gary stripping off and jumping in to the freezing murky abyss! But the point is good times wee had by all and i think everyone of us would recommend the trip to friends.
Once we returned our canoes we headed back to base camp to freshen up for a well deserved pub dinner. After devouring fine ales and much deserved tasty grub we all crashed out early in preparation for a morning of high wire chaos.
We awoke at 7am in order to pack up camp and cook some bacon and egg sarnies before heading off to GoApe for a tree top adventure. Upon arrival to GoApe we were given a quick safety lesson before signing our life’s away so we could be let loose on the 5 stage course. Once the first stage was over (training platforms 3 feet off the ground) we all (some more sheepish than others) climbed the rope ladders up to the platforms built in and around the tree canopies of the forest. After making our ascent and plucking up the courage to actually opening our eyes we sore the task that stood before us. An adrenalin stirring assault course of zip lines, high wires, balancing poles, suspended tunnels and slippery cables guaranteed to test the nerves of most if not all who partook.
This was our last event before our final run and we hope those who have not sponsored us finally make 10 minutes to visit our Just Giving page (www.justgiving.com/dftba/) to donate money to UNICEF. We appreciate all donations so far and it would awesome if we could reach our target in time for the Royal Parks Half.
Thanks
Stu & Giles
