Forest School Adventure (part 2!)

So, after a rather warm night's sleep in the centre of town (ear plugs are a brilliant invention!), a deliberately tepid shower, and a hearty breakfast, today its the ferry!

I'm used to either a very small 'foot ferry' akin to the one that goes from Lymington to Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight, or the huge vessels you drive on to. Today is something in between.

It's a passenger ferry, no vehicles, just people, and it's a glorious day for it! The sun is out, it's not as hot as yesterday, and the breeze is cooling without churning the sea into a wild ride! It's not a boating lake either! This is the Atlantic, where the Channel flows in at the South and the Irish Sea seeps down from the North. Think of pirates and shipwrecks and Cornish legends!  

Penzance port has a great view of St. Michael's Mount, and the town.

The sky and sea are blue and calm. It takes a while to drift past the Cirnish Coast, but eventually Lands End is rising from the sea and we turn and follow the dolphins. 

On board I meet 2 other Forest School Leaders and we swap stories of work and life. We watch the mainland shrink and fade in a heat haze while sails start to dot the blue that surrounds us. The first island pokes its head into view and we focus on its growing presence. The sun is heating the deck and the passengers. Excited children chatter, well behaved dogs slumber in the shade, cold drinks flow.

The Scilly Isles widen, multiply, and come into focus. St. Mary's welcoming us all. 

Docking was hassle free, baggage collection and meeting our host: pretty simple. The accommodation was in walking distance and suddenly we were on a hill looking down on Hugh Town.



The flora here is much more tropical, huge succulents grow in cracks in walls and between cobble stones. Palms grace the skyline with their geometric shapes. I'm not sure my Chartham ID information will work here...! On Monday I will get to see the woods an how different snd similar they are.

Wherever you do Forest School some things will always remain the same.

Then we have time for ALL the volunteers to meet, an evening on the beach, BBQ and smiles all round. Relaxing, getting to know each other, and watching the forked lightening out at sea... its been a long, eventful, and fun day. 

I think we've all enjoyed it, and there is definitely an air of excitement around Forest School next week...

But first we have our chance to go and explore!


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