Ilam Hall - Tuesday

Tuesday was fantastic! We spent the morning at the Treak Cliff Caverns learning all about mining and the Blue John stone which is unique to the hills of Castleton. Our tour guide, who was also called Tim, was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic and the children learnt a great deal. It was also really good to see just how much the children knew already and how they were able to use and apply their science learning. Tim gave us an hour tour and commented on just how excellent our children were – both with their interest and their attention. After lunch we walked to the top of Mam Tor!

Mam Tor is one of the most famous peaks in the Peak District and although an easier walk in many respects compared to Thorpe Cloud – it is double the height. It was quite warm so we stopped a number of times to help us catch our breath and to ensure we stayed together in one group. When we arrived at the top, the views were breath-taking. We all sat down for ten minutes just admiring the countryside. The walk back down was fun and there was lots of talk about how proud the children were of themselves and just how much they were enjoying the walk. Some were quite surprised by this! This was our longest walk, coming in at approximately five miles.

Back down in the village of Castleton, we stopped at the tourist information centre shop before returning to the coach and Ilam. Like the Monday night, the evening consisted of a lovely dinner and time outside with friends.