The end of July saw the adults and children of Earthsea House embark on our annual three day camping trip to a local campsite in Norfolk with our sister house, Merrywood House.

Day 1 saw the group basking in scorching weather – not so pleasant whilst trying to erect the large circle of tents but perfect for the traditional opening activity of a gentle meander round the village, finished off with an ice cream. The group then split between different activities on site, including kayaking, the huge zipwire and the climbing wall. The kayaking saw lots of the Earthsea clan get very wet, with lots of splashing good fun shared with the children. A BBQ tea was enjoyed by all before a large group game of football filled the circle of tents before everyone gathered around the campfire for a sing song and the toasting of marshmallows.

Day 2 began with a lovely BBQ breakfast, some exploration of the woods and mud hills before the whole group set off for a day at the seaside. In glorious sunshine but blustery wind, much fun was had playing in the sand, with a particularly impressive boat constructed allowing for some fun role play as children pretended to sail off to exotic. Despite the chilly water temperatures, adults were more than happy to take children out to play in the sea, including pulling children around for leisurely trips relaxing in the inflatable dinghy. We somewhat dominated the beach with a very large group game of cricket, with the wind facilitating some long hits of the ball! Some wonderful entertainment around the campfire provided through a joint effort between adults from both homes, followed by a night time walk in the local area, topped off a fantastic day.

Day 3 unfortunately saw rain descend on Norfolk in quite relentless fashion, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the happy campers. In the rain breaks, more games of football and an inventive muggle version of Quidditch were enjoyed before the traditional junk modelling activity was held. As always, this was full of creativity and team work with some fantastic mythical creatures brought to life. After a fish and chip lunch, the camp was rounded off with children and adults sharing memories of a superb three days spent together – and of course, tucking into the official Camp 2019 cake!