Upper Fifth trip to Alton Towers
Early on Monday morning while everyone else was still asleep the Upper Fifth group of staff and pupils packed their belongings onto the coach ready for the adventure of their short lives.
The long journey south to Alton Towers was spent with cheerful chatter about what was going to happen, some dozing, singing and lots of snacks to keep our energy levels up. As well as an energetic rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to Daisy.
Once we arrived at the Alton Towers Splash Landing resort it was time for a rapid change into our swim wear to experience the delights of the hotel’s own waterpark. As we passed through the swing doors the heat hit us like a tsunami instantly transporting us to a tropical oasis. The waterpark consisted of three flumes, a lazy river, pirate themed play area and lots of inflatable beach balls. Time was spent racing each other down the flume that snaked around the restaurant or bobbing about on rings in the lazy river – watching out for Ms Dutch trying to steal your rubber ring. This was a refreshing way to end the day especially after the long five-hour bus journey. Everybody had a total splash!
Day two dawned bright and early and after a full breakfast we made our way via monorail to the theme park in glorious sunshine with Mrs O’Hear constantly reminding us to make sure we had sunscreen on. At the park gates we checked in then we were off to sample the adrenaline ride.
The first ride most of us did on the first day was the Wicker Man. It is one of the newest rides at Alton Towers however has been cleverly engineered to seem extremely ancient. Some of us were even brave enough to have another go on this ride the next day. All the rides at Alton towers were thrilling and so exciting however Galactica was most certainly the favourite of Upper Fifth’s Ambika.
Next, we were onto Nemesis was Mrs O’Hear’s favourite up until this trip. This held you from the top and took you into the pits of your wildest nightmare towards an alien’s den. The thundering roar and screams could be heard across the park – some donuts provided a much needed energy boost as we disembarked.
Next in line was ‘Rita Queen of Speed’. After a swift queue through the gloomy forest, we were seated in drag race style cars excitedly awaiting the Rita experience. Suddenly without notice we were catapulted forward from 0 to 65 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds! The fastest acceleration on any roller coaster with your body being put through a G-force of 4.7.
The initial shock from the hydraulic launch system quickly turned into such a thrill as we raced around high-speed corners at rapid acceleration. The unstoppable momentum of the rollercoaster made us instantly race back to re-join the queue for another go.
We left Alton Towers on the third day heading north towards Scotland full of laughter, memories and merriment. Friendships were strengthened and some new ones were formed, all in all a lovely successful time.
Thank you to Upper Fifth pupils who contributed to this article:
Jessica, Ambika, Sarah, Rebecca, Laura, Charlotte and Erin.
Kilgraston Activity Days 2022
Kilgraston Activity Days have become an essential part of the calendar year where we celebrate and spend some much-needed social time together. The days, free from academic work, have helped developed a wide range of inter-personal and team work skills along with building resilience.
The days have provided a wide range of activities, ranging from the creative with ‘Crafternoon’, the calming games on the lawn, the thrilling Laser Tag and the adventurous water sports at Blown Away at St Andrews. These were but a few. There was also bowling, Woodland Combat and the Aloft Tree Top Challenge at Crieff Hydro, climbing at the University of the Highlands and Islands, tennis, swimming, football, cricket, stone art, Air Thrill, quizzes, golf, baking, scavenger hunts, camping along with the obligatory s’mores. Then there were the residential trips to York for the Lower Four, Alton Towers for Upper Fifth and Paris for Sixth Form. A formidably packed few days for pupils and staff alike.
As with all events and adventures that bring us together through laughter and shared experiences, it cements our common bond. Cor Unum.
Ms Hall