Diary of a Classic Adventure

Diary of a Classic Adventure By the Cameron Clan

outwardbound.org.uk/individuals

This is the story of the Cameron Clan’s Classic Adventure in the Highlands, as told by Megan .

Read on to find out what a Classic Adventure is all about, and how you could take part in your very own Outward Bound® experience.

And so we begin ...

What do you get when you mix four Scotsmen, a Spaniard, an Englishwoman, two Dutchmen, two Scotswomen, a Belgian and a German?

Well, this is a question that I got to answer this summer during my three week Classic Adventure.

At the start of the course I felt surrounded by strangers, yet by the end these people had become my substitute family, and I’d faced some of the most difficult challenges of my life thus far with them cheering me on.

Standing outside waiting for the Outward Bound instructor to pick us all up and having to make awkward small talk was nerve-wracking to say the least.

Yet, as I sat on the bus for the two hour long ride to the centre, I gradually began to relax. Better yet, I found myself laughing and joking with these strangers, and we were actually becoming friends - much to my surprise!

I guess one of the best parts about Outward Bound is that most people are in the same boat; they don’t know anyone else, they’re far from home, and yes, they too are nervous about meeting new people.

Getting to know each other...

The first few days progressed in a haze of physical activity and friend-making. As our team sat in the sun (yes, believe it or not, the weather in Scotland during those three weeks was actually sunnier than the south of France!) by a tiny stream in the Scottish hills, it was hard to believe I’d only known these ‘strangers’ a few days.

Our first challenge - Ben Nevis: aaaah!

“It’ll all be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end”.

Cameron Clan Motto

As the end of week one grew nearer it soon became time for our first (of three) expeditions. As our group was evidently not one to shy away from a challenge (however daunting) we decided to ‘think big’.

And what is bigger in Scotland than Ben Nevis?

Now, not wanting to take the “easy tourist trail” we ended up scrambling the north face. I can honestly say that it was the most physically demanding three days of my life.

That’s us at the summit!

The feeling we got from standing at the highest point in the UK was phenomenal; utterly inexplicable. I have never felt prouder of myself, or of my friends for completing such a feat; I was only a few days into the adventure but I had blown the lid off everything I thought I could possibly achieve.

We began to feel at home...

As week two began the friendship in our clan had been cemented. I spent 18 hours a day with the same people, but this only seemed to bring us all closer. Loch Eil began to feel more like home.

What a way to soak up the sun ...

It was time for our second expedition, but this had a twist; we had to complete it on water. Luckily for us the sun was blisteringly beautiful as we spent two days canoeing down a thirty kilometre long loch. We camped on the shore and built a massive campfire for the evening.

Flying solo...

I still had two challenges left to face; the solo and the final expedition.

The aim of it is to spend 24 hours entirely on your own without phones, books, iPods or even people.

You are supposed to spend those 24 hours in solitude thinking and writing about your future and what you have learned from Outward Bound. It is something I don’t think I will ever experience again; it was such a rare opportunity to spend so long on my own, in such a beautiful place with nothing to do but think. The weather was, again, gorgeous, so I spent my time sat on a rock facing out to sea watching the sun set and then rise.

Here’s me on my solo!

The solo was an experience entirely unlike anything I have ever undertaken . The setting was idyllic and it gave me so much time to think about what I had learned and what lay ahead.

Our final expedition had its fair share of ups and downs. We spent our days walking through blissful sunshine and although it seemed at some points that we were never going to make is, we did, and it’s an achievement that I am still proud of.

Here we are on our final expedition

Our final day...

The final day at the centre was one of hilarity, although tinged with sadness.

We all had to dress up to participate in the Highland Games in which each clan competed to be the best. Although I cannot recall who won, my highlight was most definitely jumping into the loch at the end of it.

What happened next...

The friendships made during those three weeks are ones that are going to last me for a long time.

Outward Bound taught me more about who I am that I could have dreamed of; it pushed me beyond the edge of my personal boundaries, evident in one of the last days when I faced my fear of heights and jumped off a bridge into Scimitar Gorge.

My advice for anyone even thinking about going on an Outward Bound course is to just do it; don’t even think about it, just sign up.

My experience, and the friendships made, will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I am incredibly proud of everything I achieved on it. I found a new side of myself, one that rose to the daunting challenge it was presented with. So go for it!

Feeling inspired?

To take part in your own Classic Adventure: Click here to view our dates and prices for summer 2012 Book online now at outwardbound.org.uk/individuals Call: 01931 740000 Email: enquiries@outwardbound.org.uk