The Courses at Camp Lagganlia

 

Gorge Walking

If you have ever wondered what a river looks like from the perspective of a fish, this activity will answer that question for you. Yes the water maybe a little chilly but you will be wearing a wetsuit, over jacket and trousers and safety helmet to keep the elements out as much as possible.

 

Gorge Walking is a fantastic, exciting and fun activity and often the favourite activity of all campers! Adrenaline flows as you plunge down slides and experience the thundering power of nature, as you stand under a waterfall. For those of you whom have no idea what we are talking about, gorge walking is essentially hiking up a river! Walking on paths can get so boring at times, its way more fun attempting to hike up a waterfall.

 

You won’t just be hiking up the gorge, you will be coming back down it again and this often takes way more skill than you might think. In places you will need to abseil down the waterfalls and when the need demands, jump off the top with points being awarded for style grace and duck impressions.

 

Everyone is cold and wet but that does not dampen team spirit! This activity raises the self esteem of participants through personal challenge (as you decide whether to 'take the plunge' or not) and achievement. It also facilitates team working, as individuals support and encourage each other to make it to the end of the gorge.

 

Field Studies

A stay at Camp Lagganlia provides a fantastic opportunity for campers appreciate the exquisite scenery, fauna and flora of the Cairngorms National Park. You are encouraged to be more aware of the fragile environment and how to preserve and look after it but that’s not all. During this course you will have the opportunity to help on conservation projects running in the national park. These could range from tree planting, re-building of dry stone walls, fixing hiking trails, helping record fish numbers in the rivers, monitoring of protected nesting sights on rare animals like the Osprey or Golden Eye duck.

 

This course is very hands on despite what you might assume; it is not a course for tree huggers. The national park is a phenomenally diverse environment and the knowledge and skills you will learn will assist you in subjects such as Geography and Biology. You will learn how to safely capture and identify different species of bird, mammals and even moths, under the tuition of the national park rangers and RSPB.

 

You will also learn how to identify suitable natural building materials to make a shelter in the wild, collect the various elements and be responsible for building your very own wild accommodation. (You won’t be made to sleep in there overnight if you don’t want to but these camp outs are often the most fun and rewarding as you prove to yourself you are cable of surviving in the wild.) You will also be taught how to collect the right kind of wood, build and start your own fire using techniques a little cooler than simply lighting a match.

 

This course is your chance to become a real life “Ray Mears” and don’t worry, we lock the wolves away for the summer.

 

Mountain Adventure

This activity provides an enormous sense of achievement and pride in each individual. You not only get to experience the wilderness and unique beauty the Cairngorms National Park is famous for, but gain firsthand knowledge in the importance of group safety, suitable clothing, sufficient food and water and the satisfaction of a task achieved even when it is tiring or difficult.

 

Mountain adventure combines a number of the other skill elements, such as climbing and bush craft, to help you learn how to plan, implement and return form an adventure high in the mountains. You will learn how to use a compass, read maps, decide on the most appropriate assent routes, what to do in case on an emergency, first aid. Although you will be under constant supervision, many of the elements of this course are passed onto you as soon as we feel you have a grasp on them.

 

This activity will re-enforce the importance of working as a team, in supporting each other and listening to not only those around you but the natural world. You will stay overnight on the moors in our remote keepers bothy and if the weather permits, additional skills in navigation by the stars may be offered.

 

Archery

What can we say about Archery? It’s actually more fun and technically challenging than you may think. This is certainly one of the easier going activities offered on camp but it is yet another opportunity to get a new skill under your belt. By the time you go home, you will not “have tried Archery”, you will have an intimate knowledge of the equipment and all going well, you will be able to put that arrow on the bull’s-eye just about every time.

 

Archery is a brilliant activity for achieving a high success rate if you normally find endurance activities a challenge. It is therefore a wonderful opportunity for boosting self esteem and is easily adapted to suit campers of all abilities.

 

It encourages students to be aware of their own and other peoples safety, to follow a strict regime and to practice precision. Doing Archery fills the participant with a sense of being a part of something from the past. For Robin Hood fans, it is a fantastic activity to live the dream. It is also worth pointing out that there will be an Archery tournament during the Clan Battles where you can compete against your bunkmates.

 

We also run a strict “No shooting the English” policy, so fear not if you hail from South of the border.