Their story, in their words….
For the Mark Evison challenge, our group travelled to the Isle of Arran and walked the Coastal Way a recognised route that includes Goat Fell, the tallest mountain on the island.
The first challenge was getting the five of us to the Isle of Arran from London. The easiest way would have been a flight from City Airport to Edinburgh, and then a train from there to the ferry port, however we were constricted by our finances and had to find the cheapest route. Leaving on Saturday night, we got a coach to Glasgow, and a bus from there to Ardrossan Harbour to catch our ferry. Upon arriving to the island, what struck those who had not been there before most was how green the island was, a surreal feeling considering we had been in lessons just three days prior. There were few houses outside of the major villages on the island, and a lack of streetlights, so nights were incredibly dark, however because the locals were so kind and used to campers, they were able to point out good camping spots for us, so we did not have to worry about finding a place to sleep.
Another surprisingly easy task was finding water, as there were many taps around the island and streams for water to be filtered were easy to find. There were a few challenges on the trip, the main one being Goat Fell. The mountain becomes incredibly steep and rocky nearer the top, so climbing it was difficult and more time consuming than we anticipated, and by the end of that day we were exhausted.
We learnt how to be versatile and resilient, as we had to adapt our plans due to a sprained ankle, meaning we had to adapt how far we would walk per day, taking the bus for a small portion of the route instead to make our timings more attainable. The hike also taught leadership skills, as we had to divide chores up between people, with some setting up tents and some heating water for dinner, alongside finding places to sleep and looking out for the wellbeing of the rest of the group.
Before the trip we all felt nervous, as we were travelling far away to do something none of us had tried before, however when we got there, we were a lot less anxious. Overall, we gained many skills, including organisation, leadership and cooperation. It has been an incredible opportunity we are all very thankful for.
