Y6 Hummingbirds, along with Year 6 from Bourne Elsea Park, visited YHA Whitby in Whitby for their 4-day residential from the 17^th – 20^th October.

On Monday morning, the children arrived early at school excited about the adventure that awaited them. After travelling by coach, everyone was ready to get stuck into their first activity – a trail around Whitby town. During this walk the children saw many famous sights of Whitby including the 199 steps, the James Cook statue and the Whitby whale bones. Some were lucky to see dolphins at the end of the pier.

Each group completed a range of activities including a trip to Whitby Museum, where we had the chance to see the infamous ‘hand of glory’ (a mummified hand that cast spells on sleeping owners, whilst burglars stole their belongings) and a range of fossils and historical collections, including a 100,000-year-old crocodile. We also visited a life size replica of Captain Cook’s ship, ‘The Endeavour’ and had lunch atop the deck. We felt like celebrities as we had the ship to ourselves.

Year 6 were also extremely lucky to take part in a jet polishing workshop and listen to a jet specialist talk about the history of jet and why it is so important to Whitby. The children took their time to polish their own piece of fossilised wood and turn it into a sparkling smooth gem. We also got to see the largest piece of Whitby jet in the world; it was a massive 21 feet long!

The highlights of the visit definitely included fossil hunting, jet polishing and a wonderful coastal walk. The walk and fossil hunting tested the children’s perseverance and patience as they combed the sand looking for fossils. Everyone found a treasure to take home with them including ammonites, sea glass and belemnites. The children enjoyed their time on the beach, where they ate chips and played in the sand.

On their final day, Year 6 had the opportunity to visit an English Heritage site – Whitby Abbey. Despite the weather, they had a fantastic time exploring this historical monument.

The children showed fantastic perseverance, friendship, kindness, and teamwork throughout the week. All the staff who attended are proud of all the children; it will definitely be a visit that made lasting memories. It was wonderful to see new-found friendships being formed with the children from both schools.