Year 4 Residential: Arete Activity Centre

Arete is a not for profit outdoor education centre.

The centre is located in North Wales in a small village called Llanrug.

The village is five minutes drive away from the popular village of Llanberis, home of the Welsh Mountain Railway, Mount Snowdon and Llyn Padarn.

There are no shortages of options for activities, we are a short drive away from the Snowdonia, Glyderau and Carneddau mountain ranges (the biggest mountain ranges in Wales).

Take a look around the centre by watching the videos on youtube

The trip is £65 for three days (two nights).

We manage to keep the trip costs low as the course will be staffed by school and not outside instructors.

We have a choice of activities at Arete, this is normally planned around the ability of the group and the weather.

Our typical trip could include the following:

A mountain valley exploration day which will include water filtering, low level scrambling and a fun paddle in the lake. Take a look at at this activity.

A mountain summit day. (Moel Eilio is our preferred mountain). Take a look at this activity.

Camp fire and marshmallow roasting.

Orienteering at Llyn Padarn.

Bushcraft.

Food preperation and cooking.

Teambuilding games.

All activities are based around the ability of the group, therefore there should not be any reason for your child to not want to join in.

There may be elements of the day that encourage children to come out of their comfort zone and try some new challenges, however should your child not want to do these challenges then they will not be forced as we want their experience to be a positive one.

As with all activities there is an element is risk, after all nothing we do is ever completely risk free.

With outdoor adventurous activities the risk is often higher than regular sporting activities due to the environment, weather and demanding nature of the activity.

Every activity we go on is risk assessed and safety measures put in place to ensure the experience is not just fun, but as safe as possible, minimising risk by use of equipment where required.

Arete will provide every child with and safety equipment they may need, including helmets, harnesses, footwear and waterproofs.

The trip will be led by Mr Bloodworth with another member of staff for support.

Mr Bloodworth has completed his Mountain Leader Training, has vast experience in the mountains and has been approved to deliver by a technical advisor.

Mr Bloodworth has also run several self managed residentials at the centre.

If you would like to see Mr Bloodworth’s digital logbook you can by clicking here.

To keep costs low we will not be using any additional staffing from Arete.

Behaviour expectations will be high whilst at Arete due to the nature of the activities and the additional risk.

Children that are not meeting these expectations may be required to change groups away from peers, miss out on activities and lose any free time the group may have.

We always have excellent behaviour whilst away on residentials which has resulted in no injuries in our previous trips.

Breakfast at Arete will include:

A choice of cereals, toast and jam.

Lunch at Arete is a packed lunch including:

A sandwich, fruit, crisps, cake, water.

Children are responsible for making their own sandwich and choosing their packed lunch items.

Tea at Arete will include:

A freshly cooked pasta bake with salad prepared and cooked by the group.

A BBQ and potato salad prepared and cooked by the group (this may be done on camping stoves in the winter if the weather does not allow for a BBQ).

Dietary requirements can be catered for providing they are expressed on the Arete consent form.

Children will be in dorms, sharing with friends.

Boys and girls are separate with staff bedrooms situated nearby.

Bed wetting is not a barrier for attending our residential.

We have on many occasions supported children that bed wet so they can enjoy the trip and have their bedding washed discretely.

If you would like any more information on this or your child will require any support whilst away please get in touch with Mr Bloodworth.

The showers at Arete are split so boys and girls do not mix.

The showers are in bathrooms similar to what you would have at home.

All the bathrooms have doors for privacy.

Children will be asked to shower each day

Kit List

Packed into your backpack 

If you are struggling to fit all in, you can pack towel & bedding into a plastic bag with your child’s name on.

Please ensure your child’s name is in all their clothing as unclaimed lost property without names will not be returned to school.

An extra pair of trainers would be beneficial.

Arete will supply all specialist equipment that is not on the kit list.

Please don’t buy anything specially for the trip.

We recommend old clothes and trainers.

There is a limit of £10 for the shop.

Please bring some change as we are not able to access the till therefore no change will be given.

Tuck Shop Price List

School will update Facebook:

• When we arrive at the centre.
• In the mornings with details of what activities we will be doing.
• At the end of the day with photos of our activities.
• When we are leaving with an ETA and a tracking link.

These updates may come late at night once all children are in bed.

Please note that we are unable to update through ParentApps due to having no access to a computer, those without Facebook are still able to access our page via the internet as it is an open page.

Your child does not need to wear school uniform.

Monday group to arrive at normal time. Option to collect at lunch on Wednesday.

Wednesday group have the option to arrive at normal time or lunch, returning on Friday around 5pm.

Medication and money to be handed into staff.

Monday group will require a packed lunch and water bottle.

Wednesday group will will be in school for lunch as usual but will need to bring a lunch box and water bottle.