5B residential 2026 @ Gearstones Day 1
The terrible weather in Farsley didn’t bode well but the weather up in the Dales so far has been fine!
We had an uneventful journey up and arrived exactly on time. We familiarised ourselves with the lodge and had lunch. We made our beds and then got ready for the Waterfall Walk at Ingleton.
This year the waterfalls were spectacular after the recent rain. We recalled lots of features of rivers and the geology and then discussed the formation of waterfalls caused by differences in erosion rates of rocks. The first half of the walk was uphill and we were rewarded with an ice cream at the top. Near the end, we hoped to paddle but our usual paddling spot was too high and fast flowing so we didn’t – a useful lesson for the children after a water safety assembly last week. We checked a second possible spot but that was not suitable either. In the end, we found a little tributary that provided some fun for 20 minutes. The usual Farfield rule applied: if you choose to get wet, you can’t complain about being uncomfortable later. One boy did make us laugh when he went in with full waterproof trousers and waterproof coat and then complained that they didn’t work very well! 😂
We arrived with perfect timing at the Ingleton Chippy for tea and then returned to the lodge for 6.30. We have had a bit of pudding and leisure time before the evening activities.
After some recreation time at the lodge, we split into groups for evening activities: a visit to the local church and churchyard or a night walk from the lodge.
The night walk group did map work, focusing on orientating their maps with observable features and following the maps to the next meeting point. We found lots of interesting things on the walk including a sheep’s horn.
The night walk got back at 10.45 and had hot chocolate and a biscuit before bedtime. It will be bedtime soon and they should be exhausted!
Wow looks like you all had a brilliant first day and made lots of wonderful memories! Thank you for the update; we really appreciate it. Have fun for the rest of the residential, stay safe, and enjoy every minute. Thinking of you Ayla A x