PARENT GUIDE

Killary Adventure is one of the longest-running and best-established adventure centres in Ireland. This year will see our fourth decade in business which means over 30 years of experience in providing some of the most exciting yet safe summer camps around.  The Summer Camp programme is for those aged 8 - 18 years of age.

Our job is to give your child the holiday of a lifetime in the most safe and secure environment possible. Our centre has 24-hour supervision and all our instructors are qualified in child protection as well as outdoor activities. Whilst a lot of other centres tend to change staff seasonally the majority of our management team has been here over 7 years and our instructors' average stay is 3 to 4 years.
This ensures we know exactly who will be working with your children and we have a team that is strong, confident in all aspects of their job and highly-trained.

What should your child bring to Killary?

We recommend your child brings with them the following items of clothing and equipment to help make their stay or day trip with us as comfortable as possible. The weather on the west coast proves to be completely unpredictable so be prepared for everything from hail to blazing sun!

• At least 3 complete changes of warm clothing. By this we mean tracksuit bottoms and fleeces (hoodies etc are fine too).
• Waterproof jacket & trousers. We highly recommend that you do not come to Killary without a rain jacket. If it is raining and you do not have a rain jacket you will not be allowed to partake in activities.
• 2 pairs of runners and/or walking boots - one pair that you do not mind getting wet
• Change of clothes and spare shoes for evening wear.
• Old set of clothes that you do not mind getting dirty for the Killary Challenge (very mucky experience!)
• Swimming togs
• Towels (at least two)
• Sunscreen
• Pair of old shorts to wear over wetsuit
• Any personal clothing that you need
• Toiletries
• Plastic bags for bringing home wet shoes and clothes (available at the centre for a small fee).
• Personal first aid kit not essential as first aid kit available in reception.
• A small rucksack is very handy for your child to carry their gear in as they walk to and from the activity base.

NB: Insect Repellent (to keep away the annoying midges April – Oct). You will not have an enjoyable visit if you do not bring Insect Repellent!

Only mobile phones on the Vodafone and 3 networks will work in the Leenane area. There is no reception for 02 and Meteor mobile phones.

It is advisable to leave all valuables at home as Killary takes NO responsibility for ANY lost or stolen property. This includes any valuables that go missing in the bedrooms. We advise people not to take valuables with them on activities and suggest that you leave any valuables at the reception desk. There will be lockers available for runners etc. but not valuables.

We will only accept valuables at the reception desk if they have a name and a photo attached to them. Camera phones can use your child's photo as the screen saver.

All bed linen is provided in the K2 centre, but they do need to bring their own towels. We have drying rooms available. All wetsuits are provided as are buoyancy aids & helmets.

Group Leaders

Our summer camp appoints Group Leaders who will meet your child each day and will be with your child for almost all of their activities. This ensures your child is given individual attention and if there are any problems that they are noticed and dealt with straight away.

Our Group Leaders are chosen for their ability to interact and look after children. It means the children have the security that they can turn to someone familiar if they have any individual requirements. All of our instructors are trained and assessed by the relevant National Governing Bodies and have completed training in Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children's Sport. All of our instructors are trained and constantly reassessed in Outdoor First Aid Remote Emergency Care Level 3.

Homesickness

As in all camps this can occur in the first day or two especially with the younger children. Therefore we recommend that children aged between 8 - 10 years come for the residential summercamp with a friend or a sibling. We will not take children under the age of 10 if they are coming by themselves.  Homesickness is a normal occurance for some children on the Summer Camp programme.   We recommend you contact them as little as possible in the first two days as this tends to make it worse. We have found that the children love the activities so much that they soon forget about any worries of missing home.
The best time to contact your child is between 6.30pm and 7.30pm as they will be out on activities for most of the day. Please be aware that we have been running these camps for 30 years and we are pretty good at making sure a child that might be a little homesick on the first night ends up having the best week of their lives!

Pocket money

As everything is included your child needs very little pocket money. There is a small shop open every day that sells sweets and basic toiletries, there are also Killary hoodies available for €30 each. We have a summer camp banking system where your child can deposit their money when they arrive and take it out as they need throughout the week.

Food at Killary

Over the years we have worked out the best menu for children spending a week away from home. It includes the following:

Continental breakfast: Includes cereal ( muesli, Cornflakes, Rice Krispies, Coco Pops or Weetabix), toast (brown or white), juice, fresh fruit, tea & coffee.

Lunch: Sandwiches, homemade biscuits, fruit and a drink. We provide all the meats, bread, salads, cheese and spreads, but each child makes up their own sandwich, putting what filling they want into it. They can have as many sandwiches as they like!

Dinner: There is a different meal each evening, which consists of a main meal and a dessert. Evening meals will be chicken Kiev, spaghetti bolognaise, homemade pizza etc and desserts would include homemade chocolate cake, ice cream, and trifle.

Bedrooms

We have made our centre as comfortable as possible to ensure your child feels happy and secure. Each bedroom has either 4 or 6 beds. Each room is en suite with an extra shower block available in case the queue for the shower gets too long!
 

All linen, duvets and pillows are supplied. Towels are not supplied.

Friends can ask to be roomed together and if not we try and match the most suitably aged campers. All males and females are in separate rooms unless siblings request to share a room to themselves.

Schedule

Each day starts at 8.30am with a wake-up call for breakfast. Morning activities run from 10am untill 1pm. Lunch is served at 1pm and afternoon activities are from 2pm until 5pm.
 

The campers are given a chance to shower and relax from 5pm until 6pm after their hectic day. Dinner is served at 6pm.
 

The evenings are filled with all different kinds of activities from BBQs on the beach to discos for the older campers. All night time activities are fully supervised by instructors and bedtime is from 10pm to 11pm depending on the age.

All the rooms are fully supervised throughout the night and there is a manager on duty in addition to the night supervisor.

Activities

The range of activities in Killary is hard to beat.

Your child will participate in an average of 3 actives per day. They will include:

• Ringo Rides
• Kayaking
• Archery
• Gorge Walking
• Cliff Jumping (different levels for different ages)
• Laser Combat Games
• Rockclimbing
• Abseiling
• Bog Jumping
• Team Tasks
• Bungee jumping (over 14 only, consent forms must be filled out PRIOR to arrival
• High Ropes Challenge Course
• Zip Wire
• Hill Walking
• Orienteering
• Turf Challenge

Rules

We try not to have too many rules in Killary as Summer Camp is about having fun, however the ones we do have are very important and crucial for your child's safety. The most important rules are as follows:

• If any child does not adhere to the safety regulations as outlined to them by their instructor at the beginning and during an activity session they will be removed from the session for their own and the other children's safety.
• No bullying of any sort will be tolerated at Killary Summer Camps
• All damage in the rooms must be paid for. If no one owns up then the cost will be divided between the occupants of the room.
• Any child found with drink or drugs will be sent home immediately at their own expense.

Arrival and departure

Please arrive between 6.30pm and 7pm if possible on the Sunday evening. There is no dinner on Sunday evening- tea and biscuits only. Please have remaining balance ready on arrival.

Please be here on Friday evening between 5pm and 6pm to collect your child.

Finally, as a family-run business, we understand how daunting it can be sending your child away from home especially for the first time. So please be reassured that we have put 100% effort into ensuring it will be a safe and wonderful, fun-filled week that they will never forget.

We look forward to meeting you and welcoming your child to Killary.

Booking and further information

 To make a booking for our Summer Camps both residential and non-residential or for further information please contact us at 095 43411 or email adventure@killary.com.