It
was a rather warm and pleasant Monday afternoon when the six young people from
Castlemilk stepped off their bus and walked down the track to Camas. They all
seemed positive and ready to take on the week ahead, most of them armed with
plenty of dry, loud humour. Equipped with hot water bottles and torches against
the cold and the dark of the dorms, they headed to bed after dinner and
reflection.
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| Camas laundry in the sunshine |
The sun continued to shine as a boat with red sails drifted into the bay the next morning the Castlemilk crew piled onto it with a few helpers. Once out at sea, an impressive amount of snacks were devoured (after all, food is what Camas is all about), and a few attempts at fishing were made. However, all the fish managed to successfully escape capture!
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| Out at sea on Mark's boat |
The week continued, trotting along at a normal Camas pace, quite unhurriedly and pleasantly, yet still a bit too fast for anyone to notice the passing of time. As for outdoor activities all six of the young people engaged in both kayaking and abseiling. They proved to be willing and enthusiastic participants; during kayaking a wild (but friendly) seaweed-tossing fight broke out and one of the most reluctant participants proved to be an enthusiastic thrower who engaged in the skirmish with total abandon and much enjoyment.
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| Kayaking |
The walk up to the abseil was surprisingly more challenging than the actual abseil as the sun was scorchingly hot and the path very steep. Once up at the old quarry some of the youngsters glanced hesitantly at the vertical smooth rock they were about to lower themselves off. Despite the impressive height of the abseil (12 meters, give or take) and the deterring climb down to the abseil platform, all six abseiled down the cliff without a single complaint! Some were nervous and uncertain but decided to give it a go anyway, nudging up to the edge with gentle encouragement from their instructor and then smoothly making their way down. I found their bravery extremely impressive! Others were seemingly unphased by the heights and proceeded to complete the abseil two or three times. Occasionally they were singing and skipping (yes, turns out skipping when abseiling is fully possible) their way down the vertical rock!
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| Abseiling |
Another activity the group partook in was putting on wetsuits and coasteering around the two rocky islands in the Camas bay. Once again this was conducted with plenty of gusto and enthusiasm, despite the sea being a bone-chilling 10 degrees.
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| Coasteering |
Throughout the week the group's colourful and humourous personality continued to shine through during free time and meals. Countless musical numbers erupted spontaneously as one person started to sing with fierce passion and was swiftly followed by another few singers. A joyful "wedding" ceremony also took place. Participants swathed themselves in mounds of white blankets that made them look quite silly, and morosely waltzed down the grassy yard of Camas to the tune of the wedding march played on the trumpet by Seven Foot - one of the Camas volunteers Thomas who was given this affectionate and inaccurate nickname - (I believe he's actually six four) that lasted throughout the week. The "priest" proclaimed: "Do you take this E.T...?" while the onlookers crumpled with hilarity.
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| Kite flying at Market Bay |
The last afternoon was spent walking to Market Bay. The beach was bathed in warm, golden sunshine all afternoon and everyone went swimming with much whooping and enjoyment - this time without any wetsuits! One participant especially seemed to find their element as they spent a good 45 minutes throwing themselves into the freezing blue waves, to the astonishment of the Camas staff. Scones, tea and other snacks were consumed a plenty and then the unwilling mere-person was called unto land; fortunately they had kept their legs!
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| Swim at Camas (with wetsuits!) |
Last but not least a barbecue feast took place on the beach outside the sheds. The group, their helpers and Camas staff stuffed their faces with delicious food and sat on the ground in the faded evening light for a long time, talking and nursing full bellies. It was decided that a group photo must be taken and thankfully it only took about 89 tries to get the perfect one!
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| Group photo at the barbecue |
Breakfast the next morning was eaten horrendously early as to make the morning bus. The walk up the track was done in a slightly more sullen manner than the walk down it, and we all gathered together to do one final reflection. This involved throwing a roll of wool around that eventually connected us all together and talking about our favourite part of the Camas experience. Lastly the wool connection was broken to symbolise the impending separation. A hugging party broke out as the bus pulled up. Then the bus, and with it the young people of Castlemilk disappeared around the bend of the road to the energetic waving of the Camas staff.
It
was my first group at Camas, and it was a pleasure. It turns out even my
worries about how my Swedish ears would handle the Glasgow accent were
unfounded! Myself and all the staff at
Camas are very grateful to have such a lovely, up-for-it group of young people
visiting for a week! Thank you!
Written
by Matilda
