Côte d'Opale : A Memorable Adventure

Monday 1 July: Departure and Arrival

Our exciting France Enrichment Week trip began bright and early on Monday 1 July 2024, departing school at 9.15am and heading to Dover for our ferry crossing. The anticipation amongst the pupils was palpable as we departed - there was much conversation and many questions about what the week would entail. The pupils seemed to have a lot of sweets to graze on for the journey but still had room to sample the many food options at Cobham Services. We arrived at the white cliffs of Dover, where we did have some fun and games with the Border Control, who sent us around Dover to collect a form that neither the driver nor any of the teaching staff knew we needed to have. All was well in the end though, and we boarded the ferry and departed on time. We had a smooth ferry crossing from Dover to Calais, following which we embarked on a short coach trip to our accommodation, which was set in a lovely rural location.

Upon arrival, the pupils went straight into the dining room to enjoy their first evening meal. They were given various instructions in French by the hotel team and were encouraged to use French when asking for water refills. Their excitement about the trip was evident, resulting in a late night of chatting, not sleeping! With some gentle encouragement from the teachers, they eventually settled down to sleep.

Tuesday 2 July: Market, High Ropes, and Sand Yachting

After a hearty French breakfast of croissant and pain au chocolat, albeit with some sleepy faces, we began our adventure at a traditional French market. Despite the soggy weather, the pupils enthusiastically explored the stalls and managed to spend some of their money on various items.

Next, after a short coach trip, we visited a high ropes activity centre. The pupils tackled various courses, climbing through tree obstacles and zip-lining through the forest. The weather cleared up, allowing us to enjoy our packed lunch in the forest under the lovely sunshine. As well as the staple of our lunches for the week, baguettes, many pupils seemed to love the pouches of apple sauce - so much so, I know one pupil bought a large jar of the same sauce to take back to the UK with them as I don’t think you can get the same brand in the UK.  

Our next destination was the beach, where pupils dug a massive hole in the sand, which seemed to be a recurring theme whenever we were on the beach. We also played beach football and enjoyed a game of rounders.  

The final activity of the day was sand yachting. Thanks to favourable wind conditions, we were able to do this activity - pupils received expert instruction (in French, with sand diagrams) and paired up to navigate a course. Some pupils showed natural talent, while others revealed their inexperience behind the wheel, making for a lot of fun and laughter and some squashed cones. Clearly, some pupils are not ready to pilot vehicles just yet!

After a long, energetic day, we returned to the hotel for dinner. The evening concluded with a group quiz conducted in French, which, due to the day’s exertions, saw pupils retiring to bed and sleeping much earlier than the previous evening.

Wednesday 3 July: Parc Bagatelle

With packed lunches in hand, we headed to Parc Bagatelle for a day of thrilling roller coasters, water rides and classic fairground attractions. Again, we were blessed with good weather and queues that weren’t too long.  

Dinner at the hotel had a surprise course after our starter. Harry, our brave volunteer, was blindfolded and given a special food item to eat. You might be ahead of me here - yes, it was a snail that had been cooked in garlic. Although Harry wasn’t keen on his treat and it didn’t stay in his mouth very long, he did try another one, minus the blindfold, along with all the other pupils who said they would like one. I was pleasantly surprised that so many of our pupils were adventurous enough to try this unusual culinary experience. Vincent ate multiple snails and seemed to like them a lot.  

After the culinary delights of dinner, the pupils enjoyed free time playing outside, culminating in a mass football game refereed by Mr Cook. It was noted that his leniency on yellow cards outshone some referees at the Euro 24 games!

Thursday 4 July: Beach Fun and Goat Farm Visit

Our last full day in France saw us spend the morning on a lovely sandy beach. Pupils dug massive holes (again), played beach volleyball, and paddled in the sea. One pupil did suffer a mild jellyfish sting, but it didn’t dampen his spirits and was a mild injury.

After lunch and an obligatory ice cream, we walked to the nautical activities centre. The wind that had allowed us to do the sand yachting on Tuesday prevented us from doing sea kayaking and paddle boarding, which was slightly disappointing. However, we did some bodyboarding and swimming in the sea instead and the pupils still had a good time in the water.

The final activity was a visit to Arnaud and Sabine's goat farm. Pupils enjoyed interacting with goats and learning about cheese production. They even tasted goats' cheese made on the farm, ranging from fresh (two days old) to more mature varieties (one to two weeks old).

That evening, we returned to the hotel for our last dinner, followed by a lively disco and karaoke session. The pupils danced and sang enthusiastically, with teachers joining in the fun.

Friday 5 July: Return to the UK

On Friday morning, we packed up and headed back to the UK. The return ferry crossing was not quite as smooth as our outward journey due to the weather conditions, and we were greeted by rain upon arrival back in the UK.

Overall, this trip had a fantastic week of activities. The pupils had a brilliant time, forging great memories and new friendships. We hope they recovered well over the weekend, ready for the last two weeks of term.

Mr Cook, Trip Leader