RGS girls reach new heights on Alpine adventure
A GROUP of RGS students swapped the Yorkshire Dales for the Swiss Alps this summer, gaining new skills, confidence and friendships on an unforgettable Girlguiding adventure.
Year 9 pupils Tora Watson, Mya Broadbent, Tallulah Lockhart and Bella Kirby joined a county Girlguiding trip to Switzerland, spending ten days based in the mountain village of Adelboden.
The trip brought together girls from different Guide units, giving the RGS students the chance to experience a new country and culture while taking on a packed programme of outdoor adventures.
Their activities included ziplining through the Swiss countryside, swimming in Oeschinen Lake, exploring the Jungfrau - known as the ‘Top of Europe’ - and its famous Ice Palace, and tobogganing high in the Alps.
They also enjoyed a gorge walk to see Adelboden’s traditional wood carvers.
For Mya, 14, who is a young leader with 2nd Ripon Brownies and had previously visited Switzerland with Girlguiding in 2023, one of the highlights was the journey to the Jungfrau.
“We got a cable car and then a mountain train to the top,” she said. “At the top we saw the Ice Palace, and we even went outside and it was a stunning view.”
She also particularly enjoyed the zipline adventure park, which featured a series of different zip lines over a river, including a long run past wild horses.
“However, the best bit was getting to see it with my friends from school and my cousin, and we had a fantastic time,” Mya said.
For Tora, 13, one of the biggest benefits was the opportunity to build friendships with people she had not known particularly well before the trip.
“I absolutely loved going on the Girlguiding trip to Switzerland and getting the opportunity to get to know all of the girls better,” she said.
Her favourite activity was tobogganing high in the mountains.
“It was so much fun and the view was beautiful,” she said. “The main thing I came away from Switzerland with was the ability to be able to talk to people I didn’t previously know and have so much fun with them.”
Tallulah, 13, who is a member of 5th Ripon Girl Guides as well as being a Ranger and completing her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, also picked out the ziplining as a highlight.
“I really enjoyed my Girlguiding trip to Switzerland because it showed me how much we all rely on each other and how easy it is to connect to other girls,” she said.
“I loved ziplining in the Swiss countryside over gorges and mountains. It was so high up and amazing to zipline through the trees.”
She also has particularly fond memories of visiting the highest Lindt chocolate shop in the world at the Jungfrau.
Bella, 13, relished the fact she got to meet so many new friends. Although the zip line challenge was her favourite, she says: “I thoroughly enjoyed all the activities, like tobogganing, gorge walking, going on a giant swing and just being in the beautiful mountains. It is an experience I will never forget.”
For all the students, the trip offered much more than a holiday. Travelling abroad, taking on challenging activities and spending ten days living together helped them develop confidence, independence and teamwork, while forming friendships with girls from across the region.
Tallulah said: “From this trip I learnt that being a part of a community of girls is amazing and knowing them means you have unforgettable memories together.”
The experience also demonstrated the opportunities available through activities outside the classroom, with the students returning to RGS with new experiences, greater confidence and memories they will share for years to come.
Ripon Grammar School, 16 Clotherholme Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2DG
Tel: 01765 602 647
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