10th & 11th June 2013 - ICE Project with Stramash

Some arable farm land on Kerrera

Looking northwards towards Oban

Westwards looks rather flat!

From the summit of Carn Breugach (189 metres) - home of the Fuel Crystal!

On Monday and Tuesday I was working for Stramash on their ICE project, which is designed to get students outdoors, learning about the environment and instilling an appreciation for the great outdoors.

On Monday we were working with Primary 4 students on the Island of Kerrera. After getting the ferry over, we made our way through a few farms before heading off road towards the highest point on the Island. The kids were tying this trip in with a project of their own, and this mission to the top of the Misty Mountain was to try and discover the ancient 'Fuel Crystal' which so many had tried and failed to discover!

It was great working with such youngsters, to whom every rock and fence post is an adventure and has a deep hidden secret to tell. They discovered slate rocks with secret messages and morbid clues to the location of the crystal, as well as a few 'headstones' for pirates such as Billy Bones and Long John Silver who had evidently perished on their quest for the crystal! We learned how to make arrows from rushes, and how to move quietly through the heather.

Typically, I had to run on ahead sneakily to place the crystal at the summit cairn, and the skirt round to come up from behind the group without them noticing! We finally reached the summit, and the kids went fervently in search of the crystal, discovering it to their delight with a scrambled message which they finally deciphered as 'AMAZING' which all tied in to their school project and their achievement today.

They all had an absolute blast of a time and it was really refreshing working with such fertile minds again! In the evening I was out in Oban with my friend Chris who is working at Sea Kayak Oban so it was great to catch up on old times!

On Tuesday it was over to Kerrera again this time with some 4th Year students from Oban High School. This time I stood back and let Dougie, one of the Stramash Trainees, take control of the group and lead the day, just inputting some information now and again. We headed south from the ferry, making our way over track and moor to Gylen Castle, which was once a fine 15th century stronghold perched precariously on top of some fascinating rock formations. We explored the coastline, set a few challenges and had a look in a cave which may have been a store house for the castles inhabitants. On our way back to the ferry we had a stone skimming competition and had a look at tree identification. Well done to Dougie who did well steering the days session and kept the kids engaged throughout.