Senior School
PGL Adventure Holiday 2010
French Adventure Holiday
The location on the website looked too good to be true, the accommodation was right next to the Lac, the Atlantic and the pretty town of Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains, so sailing, surfing and ice creams were right on our doorstep.
Activity Holiday to France July 2010
After getting settled into our chalet accommodation we were straight onto the Lac for sailing and windsurfing and were very pleased to find out that the Lac and location was as stunning as the pictures. It had wonderful sandy beaches and the warm Lac water made the inevitable falling in, a pleasant experience.
On Monday afternoon we had our first experience of surfing the big Atlantic waves. They were very big, very powerful and lots of fun. I must admit I have not mastered the art of standing on top of the waves and that is likely something to do with age, as it was great to see many of the students riding the waves, even if it was only for a short time.
Other activities in the week included Pico, Funboat and Catamaran sailing, kayaking, white water rafting and mountain biking. I thought we were going to have an easy time mountain biking as there were definitely no mountains in the vicinity but I hadn't realised that we were not going to escape the sand that got everywhere. Cycling through deep sand was about as challenging as standing on top of the waves!
The students were busy right up to bed time with an evening entertainment programme that included Beach Olympics, Great Egg Race, Robot Wars and Have a Go Show. PGL old timers Max and Rory showed they have definitely mastered Fluffy Bunnies and Sammy demonstrated his skill at creating a fruit salad with one nod of his head.
The girls did more giggling than gargling and it was up to Will to show them how to make a tune. I have videos to prove their skills that I will share with the pupils, when we restart in September.
On Wednesday we had the excitement of watching Bastille Day fireworks on the beach beside our chalets. After our own party of pizza, cheese and drinks we joined the masses to watch an amazing firework display.
For our excursion day we chose to keep to water activities as the high temperatures meant it was very pleasant to be immersed in water. We visited a large water park which had a wide selection of rides from the scary Black Hole to the more sedate Indiana Falls. I must admit I found the wave pool very tame after experiencing the real thing, the Atlantic.
Travelling long distances in a bus is never a great experience but we were exceptionally fortunate to have Kevin and Mervin as our bus drivers. As Mrs Howarth stated, “the best drivers we have ever had”, their skilful driving and cheerful nature made the long journeys seem effortless. We had the new experience of being stopped by the French Police for a random safety check but Kevin and Mervin had everything in hand and we passed with flying colours.
The PGL staff were also excellent and made sure our week was full of fun and challenges. We did not just simply sail the boats but we had to capture the site manager, race each other and learn new songs and dances. I would like to give a big thank you to our marvellous ‘groupies’ Susie and Emma who made sure our week was packed with fun and ran smoothly.
I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures beneath this article and also in our picture gallery. I am looking forward to sharing more of my pictures and memories when the girls and boys start in September .
The last thing I would like to say is a HUGE thank you to Mrs Howarth for organising the trip and to Mr Still for accompanying us and wish them good luck in their future challenges.
Activity Holiday to France July 2010
Italy Summer 2009
