Our P7s have been busy breaking in their hiking boots in anticipation for one of their term highlights: the West Highland Way walk. The annual walk is all about instilling a love for the outdoors and tempering resilience while raising money for a good cause.
This year, each step students take will be in support of the Spartans Community Foundation, a North Edinburgh charity that delivers life-changing youth work, innovative education programmes, and community activities that are free or affordable for everyone.
To raise funds, students have hosted several bake sales, both in school and at Murrayfield during international rugby matches. “Great initiative and enthusiasm has been shown by the children and their families,” says Mark Anderson, one of the teachers who helps facilitate the trip.
This walk is no slouch through the park, though. Students will cover 70km of hilly terrain in only three days. To prepare, students have been logging miles outside of school. According to Mr Anderson, several students have organised training walks, ranging from Munro trips up Ben Lomond to coastal walks in Fife. Some even participated in the recent Kilt Walk.
To kick off the West Highland Way walk, our students’ will start their journey in Fort William. Their first day will be spent walking 24km to Kinlochleven with an elevation of over 300m. Day two, students will traverse 16km over the Devil’s Staircase, climbing 500m in elevation, before finishing near the Bridge of Orchy. The final day will be spent walking 30km from the Bridge of Orchy to Drovers Inn where the P7s will enjoy a celebratory meal to finish.
Along the way, students will sleep in hostels, “which will be good preparation for Primary 7 Camp later on in the month,” Mr Anderson says.
It is also a fantastic way to develop a love for outdoor learning in our students which they can further explore in older year groups with exciting trips such as Carbisdale.
You can find out more about supporting our P7s here: https://bit.ly/4mVnSUy
