'Jog and Dip' - an Outward Bound tradition

We can see Loch Eil from the grounds of our accommodation. I decide to 'fire off' a few frames before the light fades. Ben Nevis can be seen looking back towards Fort William.

Later that afternoon, the Gordon Clan change into their swimming gear and jog gently down towards Loch Eil. After donning their life-jackets, it's time for a swim. This is an OB favourite. The water can only be described as cold and salty, but is a superb antidote to sitting on a coach. After the short swim back to shore, or climbing up the ladder back onto the jetty, it's time for a nice warm bath or shower...

Welcome to 'The Clan'

As we pass through Glen Coe, cloud replaces snow on the higher slopes. The rain, as they say, 'is horizontal'. The coach begins its descent to Fort William. As we get closer, I put in a call to Outward Bound Scotland to let them know that we are 'on schedule' and expect to arrive within the next fifteen to twenty minutes.

We are met at the front entrance to our accommodation by our Course Director, Richard Hill and our OB Instructors for the week, Ken, Dave, Caroline, Chris and John. They are eager to meet their students and within minutes have taken them (and their baggage) to The Barn. We check the upper deck of the coach. A pile of pages from a newspaper mark the spot in the aisle where a student has parted with the contents of his stomach - mainly fizzy pop, sweets, crisps and other wholesome, nourishing foodstuffs.

Later, we assemble in the Scott Room. The fifty-two (plus five members of EC staff) are divided into five 'Clans' (Bruce, Forbes, Morrison, Mcgreagor and Gordon) and accompany their OB Instructor on a tour of the site. Clan members are shown to their dorms. I am in Gordon Clan with Michael C, Cole M, Lucie C, Mitchell O, Christian G, Tomas A, Kelly McF, Thomas A, Jade K and Joe A.

I see from the timetable that Morrison, Mcgreagor and Gordon Clans start their expedition on Wednesday and will return to centre on Thursday afternoon.

The Journey...

Monday, 3 December 2007 - I arrive at the meeting point at 4.15 a.m. A queue has already formed. About twenty students, armed with suitcases and a variety of colourful bags of every size and description, await the arrival of Wrigley's 71 seater, keen to grab the best seats for the journey north to Loch Eil.

The coach arrives on time. Students rush forwards, abandoning their luggage close to the storage area before climbing aboard. So much for teamwork! The driver climbs into the storage area. A small number of conscientious, female students help to transfer 'baggage mountain' from pavement and road to the bowels of the coach, lifting and handing each piece to the driver who must be wondering whether the rear axle will support the combined weight of whatever has been packed inside the bags. Several hernia inducing bags later, the driver emerges to fill his lungs with the fresh morning air, rejoicing that the last bag has been stowed. But no; a late arrival with a large case provides a last-minute challenge to the TARDIS-like interior of the luggage store.

Meanwhile, a head-count takes place. Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one. There should be fifty-two. We must have missed one. A recount is demanded. Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one. Someone hasn't made it. Out with the registers - a roll-call reveals the identity of the missing student. A telephone call to the mobile number provided on the OB 'Enrolment Form' and EC 'Consent Form' doesn't help - the mobile is switched off. A second call - to the emergency contact number this time - proves fruitless. A home visit is required. I drive to the address. A press on the doorbell and a rattling of the letterbox provokes a response from inside. A curtain twitches on the first floor. Just when he thought it was safe to snuggle beneath the duvet, his worst nightmare is stood outside on the driveway, waving in his direction. Minutes later, after a short conversation, a packed bag is loaded into the boot of the car and we set off to meet up with the coach and fifty-one.

The coach makes two stops on the way to Loch Eil - at Gretna and Stirling Services. Students take on supplies - chocolate, sweets, fizzy-pop and anything else they consider edible. Although we will only be staying at OB for the week, after the Stirling stop, we have sufficient food and drink on board to last two months - possibly three, if we ration it out and eat sensibly!

Our driver, a veteran of the long haul, advises anyone that may experience travel sickness to sit downstairs. One we're off the motorway the coach tends to sway a little on the bends as we head towards Callander on the A84.

As our journey continues, we join the A82. This provides a photo-opportunity. The weather is fine, but clouds to the north threaten rain as we get closer to Glen Coe. By the time we pass the road to the Glencoe Ski Centre, it is raining heavily. This is not the last time that we will see our good friend the rain this week...

Mo Time!!!

Well, I have spent the last week as part of Clan Forbes: Tom P, Tom W, Sasha, Katie, Aaron, Sean, Mo, Jess, Abbie, Jake and Zubair - and can say I have truly had a great experience!!!

We have just recovered from an exhausting, 5 hour trek up the mountains and had the luxury of camping in gale force winds and torrential rain. Food was served a la ration supplies of rice & beans and dessert was apple pie and custard in a bag!! Evening entertainment consisted of Zubair's jokes and more of Zubair's jokes!! The rest of the entertainment shall remain on the mountain.

The morning hike back to base was one of good spirits and the team worked well. I think we really bonded as a group and although the expedition almost broke us, it set us in good stead for the rest of the week.

All I can say, is that it is has been an experience that was packed full of tantrums, traumas and most of all laughs! The team was fantastic and I have enjoyed being a member of the mighty Forbes!

Clare.

Clan Mcgreagor

Clan Mcgreagor had a very successful expedition. We stayed in a bothy - an 'abandoned' house in the middle of nowhere - for the night. Luckily no tents!

Everyone had a good time and most said they would do it again despite the wet feet and occasional foray into 'swamps'.

Everyone is very tired and looking forward to curry and comfy beds. Good experience all round, looking forward to the zip wire tomorrow!

Natasha

Hello from Outward Bound Scotland

My apologies...we have been a little lax keeping the blog updated...mainly technical difficulties. We have hundrends of images that we have gathered during the week and will probably make them available from our Flickr account in the next few days. We will also make the album available through this blog.

If you have tried to contact someone on their mobile, you will probably be aware by now that reception is not too good in this part of the world...although one or two students have managed to make and receive calls, many have not - although there are also two pay 'phones on centre here at Loch Eil.

Even if you have not been able to make contact, I can assure you that everyone is safe and well. Two 'clans' went out on expedition on Tuesday afternoon. They both returned on Wednesday afternoon. The remaining three 'clans' went out yesterday and returned this afternoon. All five clans got wet. Some managed to pitch their tents, others slept in mountain bothies.

On Monday, some clans participated in the traditional Outward Bound 'jog and dip' - a short swim in Loch Eil. I will post photographs as soon as I can.

To A Louse

To A Louse
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

Ha! whaur ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly;
I canna say but ye strunt rarely,
Owre gauze and lace;
Tho', faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,
Detested, shunn'd by saunt an' sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her-
Sae fine a lady?
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body.

Swith! in some beggar's haffet squattle;
There ye may creep, and sprawl, and sprattle,
Wi' ither kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Whaur horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle
Your thick plantations.

Now haud you there, ye're out o' sight,
Below the fatt'rels, snug and tight;
Na, faith ye yet! ye'll no be right,
Till ye've got on it-
The verra tapmost, tow'rin height
O' Miss' bonnet.

My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose out,
As plump an' grey as ony groset:
O for some rank, mercurial rozet,
Or fell, red smeddum,
I'd gie you sic a hearty dose o't,
Wad dress your droddum.

I wad na been surpris'd to spy
You on an auld wife's flainen toy;
Or aiblins some bit dubbie boy,
On's wyliecoat;
But Miss' fine Lunardi! fye!
How daur ye do't?

O Jeany, dinna toss your head,
An' set your beauties a' abread!
Ye little ken what cursed speed
The blastie's makin:
Thae winks an' finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takin.

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion:
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
An' ev'n devotion!

This poem is a psychological vignette. A pretty young girl stands in church enjoying the admiration of one or more young men whose attention she attracts. In fact at least one of the men has noticed a louse crawling upon her, and so the point of observation is one of disgust rather than admiration. There is broad comedy in all this misapprehension (or people looking the wrong way), as no-one is, as he or she should be, paying attention to God at the Sunday service. The mock-anger of the narrator, however, is underpinned by the realisation for the careful reader that humanity and ‘nature’ (represented by the louse) are not opposites, but part of the one phenomenon of life (or even God’s creation). Humans in their fancy Sunday-best clothes and in their notions of hierarchy and status are being pretentious. The narrator, ironically, accuses the insect of being presumptuous in setting foot on the pretty girl, Jenny, but of course it is merely part of brute nature. It is pointless to berate the louse or nature for being what it is; it is the human race that pretends to be what it is not (altogether separate from nature).

Alongside the didacticism of the poem, we should be aware also of a tender humour or sympathy towards Jenny and humanity generally. Humanity is physical, natural and fragile, and Jenny is a lovely creature even with a louse crawling upon her. Burns’s famous lines in this poem (on how we see ourselves, and how we think other people see us):

O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us

To see oursels as ithers see us!

All ‘Teams and Leaders’ courses involve physical journeys, but are also journeys of development and discovery for the individual and the team. I hope that the journey started with Outward Bound® continues long after the course.

These boots are made for walking...

Only 6 days and 4 hours to go at the time of writing. For an accurate update check out the countdown timer by clicking here.

T minus 14...

Not long now. Just over 14 days and 8 hours at the time of writing. The office is awash with ideas. Suggestions for our next adventure: Everest Base Camp - Nepal (Distance: 74 miles); Inca Trail - Peru (Distance: 55 miles); Great Divide Trail - Canada (Distance: 745 miles); The Trafford Centre (Distance: 2.6 miles); The Eccles College Café (Distance: 60 yards if we go the long way round). We take a shortcut. "Steady on!", I exclaim. "Let's see how the Outward Bound® thing goes first." We 'did' Beijing in February this year and saw 'The Great Wall'. In February 2006, we hopped across to New York. Central Park covered in snow...lots and lots and lots of the white stuff. Magnificent. We plan to return in February 2008. Who says Business at Eccles is boring? I couldn't help noticing that one of the other departments had arranged a trip to Southport. No, not the one in Indiana, the one on the Irish Sea coast about 16 miles north of Liverpool in the UK. Southport. I ask you! I couldn't possibly name the department.

The picture was taken during the half-term visit to Outward Bound® Scotland (25 October). Our accommodation for the 'Teams and Leaders' course, a former shooting lodge set in its own extensive grounds on the foreshore of Loch Eil, was owned by the Chief of the Clan Cameron. We are lucky to be based in the Outdoor Capital of the UK.

Keep a weather eye on the horizon...

There's a saying in the west of Scotland: 'If you can't see the hills, it's raining. If you can see the hills, it's going to rain.' In Manchester we don't need to worry about the weather - we never leave home without a wetsuit, an umbrella and a substantial pair of wellingtons.

I couldn't help taking a peek at the Ben Nevis webcam earlier today. Guess what - low cloud.

You can view the 'cloudcam' at:

http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/webcam/

The Met Office forecast for Fort William on Thursday, 15 November is...low cloud. No surprises there then!

The area around Fort William is a blend of rugged mountain terrain and tranquil sea loch. To the north, gentle rounded hills give way to altogether more dramatic scenes, while to the south Ben Nevis - at 4406ft Britain's highest peak - looms over Loch Linnhe, a long sea loch at the southern end of the Great Glen from whose western shore rise the peaks of Ardgour.

A ten-minute drive out of town, Glen Nevis is indisputably among the Highland's most impressive glens: a classic U-shaped valley hemmed in by steep bracken-covered slopes and swaths of blue-grey scree. Herds of shaggy Highland cattle graze the valley floor, where a sparkling river gushes through glades of green. With the forbidding mass of Ben Nevis rising steeply to the north, it's not surprising this valley has been chosen as the location for scenes in several movies, such as Rob Roy and Braveheart.

Up and running...

It's been a long, but rewarding day. I set off for work at 6.15 a.m., and have just arrived home and settled down to do a couple of hours in front of the computer. The parent / guardian briefing for 'the Outward Bound® thing' took place tonight - 6.00 p.m. in the LRC at Eccles College (aka The Library).

Ian Tetler (Outward Bound®) offered to speak at the meeting and arrived early to check out the venue and equipment (the data-projector and speakers that I booked had not arrived). Ian is good at what he does...he is extremely tolerant and understanding and is my main contact at OB. In the past few weeks, Ian has answered every question that I have asked (there have been many), and has put in place everything that I have asked for (a fairly substantial list). This includes a 'video diary' room at Loch Eil - a place where Eccles students (and staff) can sit in front of a camera (in a Big Brother sort of way) and talk about the 'Teams and Leaders' experience - I'm...tired / wet / missing home / cold / missing McDonald's...and that's only the Business Studies staff...

After anouncing the launch of the 'Blogger thing' at the meeting tonight, the first comment arrived at 8.15 p.m. - thanks littlemissquiet...

The blog will be running until we get back from Scotland, and I'm hoping to be able to upload images, and perhaps the occasional MP3 audio file, during our week at Loch Eil...probably from McDonald's in Fort William - I think (hope!) they have free wireless Internet connection.

We expect to leave Eccles College at 5.00 a.m. on Monday, 3 December so that we can arrive at Loch Eil by 1.00 p.m. The one-and-a-half hour (on a good day) drive to work will mean another early start for me that morning. At least the M62 should be quiet at 3.00 a.m.!

"It's only me..."

During the October half-term break, I decided to spend a couple of days in Fort William - an ideal opportunity to visit Outward Bound® Scotland. Two days of wild emptiness. Fantastic walking. Sweet air. Delicious scenery. Soul-healing peace.

It had been a busy few weeks at Eccles College. Enrolment in August, new students, new staff, new timetables, new courses. Some old friends moving from AS to A2 Business Studies, and some new faces to fill the gaps left by second year students who have moved on to other places of learning. I'll miss 'em all.

This year, I'm helping to deliver our BTEC National Diploma in Business. This is the real reason for my visit to Loch Eil. In December, I'll be back; only this time, I'll have travelled from Eccles to Fort William via Glasgow and Glen Coe with more than fifty Business students and four favourite staff. We're doing the Outward Bound® thing. I can't wait. We've opted for the five-day 'Teams and Leaders' programme and will be based at Outward Bound® Scotland, a former shooting lodge on the edge of Loch Eil close to Fort William and the country's highest mountain, Ben Nevis.

The Fort William and Lochaber area is known as the outdoor capital of the UK. I examine the map. The swirling contours define one mountain range after another, punctuated only by blue lochs, pine forests and dramatic glens. I drive through Fort William and turn left onto Mallaig Road (A830), passing through the village of Corpach. About three miles later, I arrive at Outward Bound® Scotland. I spend four hours touring the centre and speaking with staff about the programme. This includes an expedition. The enthusiasm of OB staff is palpable (note to self: check out vacancies at OB when you get back to the office).

I leave the centre feeling extremely positive about what we are about to do - a superb choice. Theory into practice - Belbin, Tuckman... Unit 19 - Exploring Team Development, Unit 22 - Managing Teams. Outward Bound® Scotland - experiential learning at its best.