After a long coach journey, the children had just enough time to drop their luggage off in the Manor House, which was to be our accomodation for the next three nights, before heading straight out on a tour of the PGL Bawdsey site.

This was followed by some much needed down time on the meadow in the lovely afternoon sun. Dinner followed and then it was time for some PGL group games to bring Day 1 to an end.

Day 2 featured a range of activities for the children to enjoy and after an early start, it was all action from there on out...

The canoes are always great fun at PGL Bawdsey Manor and this year was no exception! There was plenty of fun as children tried their very hardest to navigate the different, and sometimes quite tight, areas of the lake. Plenty of canoes bumped into each other (some with a good amount of intention!), but all with smiles and laughter filling the air! Children in the morning seemed to particularly enjoy the moment when Mr Plunkett and Oleksii lost their balance and ended up capsizing their canoe, getting soaking wet in the process! It was even more amusing when the same thing happened again just minutes later!

Every group also took part in abseiling and so many were so brave in taking on the challenge of first climbing the long and winding staircase and then of actually leaning back into the unknown when at the top, with just the ropes to rely on...

Archery was more of a calm activity, along with orienteering, that was enjoyed today. A great opportunity for the children to connect together while taking it in turns to perfect their skills with a bow and arrow - with some bullseyes being scored today and good fun had by all!

After another good meal for dinner, Day 2 was brought to a close with a silent disco - which, for a silent disco, wasn't that silent! There was dancing and singing galore and for those who weren't in a disco mood, the quiet room next door proved a good hit with an opportunity to enjoy some calm at the end of a long, but very good, day here at PGL Bawdsey!

Day 3 started a little slower than day 2, with many tired faces staring back at us over breakfast... It was almost like some children had spent too much of the night talking and playing games instead of sleeping! But then that is, after all, part of what this experience is all about!

But there was no time to dwell on lack of sleep as we were straight into the day's activities, which included...

Climbing... How wonderful it was to see so many children taking a risk and trying to challenge themselves to either climb the wall, or to go that much further, or that much faster than they had gone before - with many fantastic achievements on display! Following their climb, one child asked me why their legs were shaking when they came down and I explained that it was perfectly normal and that adrenaline was currently flowing through their body because they had pushed themselves to their limit and maybe even a little beyond! (And there were many who experienced that today!)

Some downtime in the meadow... This is always a favourite, especially in the glorious sunshine that we had today! An opportunity to unwind, relax and burn off some energy with friends and classmates.

Coastal Walk... Some of us enjoyed a coastal walk today, which was a break from the adrenaline-filled activities and an opportunity to take a guided walk of the grounds. We learnt a lot more about the impressive history of Bawdsey Manor and its many uses over the years, including when it was used as an RAF base in WW2. The walk finished on the beach where we could listen to the waves crashing in, hunt for shells and shark's teeth (with one child actually finding one!), or simply sit and relax for a few minutes.

The views on the walk weren't too bad either!

Campfire... The day came to a close with a campfire which seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by all! The children seemed to thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to sing lots and lots of songs and to toast and enjoy some marshmallows - a fitting way to bring our final full day to a close!

There will of course be time for a full morning of activities tomorrow, before heading back on the coach, and more will follow on that one in due course...