Killary Adventure Company, Galway, Ireland

Kayaking Option

If you decide to choose the Kayaking option then we would highly recommend you get some kayak training before you arrive. You will be surprised how many Kayaking clubs there are around the country and we would be happy to put you in touch with one near by your school. If you live near Killary we could arrange for some kayaking lessons at special reduced rates.

We recommend that each student be very confident in paddling their kayak in a straight line before they attempt the challenge. With some students this will be accomplished in one 2-hour session, in others it will take a bit more practice.

Walking Option

Walking is a little easier to organise. Six weeks is plenty of time to build up a level of fitness to complete the walking expedition. It doesn't even need to be up hills it can literally be as simple as walking around the neighbourhood every evening after school. Again with all these training programmes, it is acceptable for the students themselves to appoint a leader who could contact us directly.

It is all part of the Gaisce programme that the students do as much of the organising as possible to really make it "their" project. It would also give them the opportunity to organise some fund raising for the trip, which in a different way will bond the group and teach them some different values.

What to Expect

Each programme lasts for one and a half days. We recommend arriving at lunchtime and spending the first half of the day starting the challenge with slightly easier sections. Then the next day the main section of the challenge will be completed. This is only a suggestion, as we know some groups have limited time.

Although Gaisce recommend camping over night, they are fairly flexible, but if it is late in the year it might not be feasible.

Killary charge the same price as their normal activity package youth rates. However if you pick the Kayaking option there will be an added charge of € 5.00 per child. This is just to cover the additional safety required on a Gaisce expedition. If groups are interested in cutting costs, then they have the option of bringing all their own food. Call us to find out more.

Gaisce Awards at Killary - Kayaking and Walking Options

Killary Adventure Centre can guide you on the Walking Option of the Gaisce Awards. Killary Adventure is a recognised Gaisce teaching establishment and with the increase in interest in the awards, we have put together some information so you and your students will know what to expect. The Gaisce awards are open for anyone between the ages of 15 and 25.
There are four different areas of activity in the award:

Community Involvement
Personal Skills Physical
Recreation
An Adventurous Activity

You can complete the Kayak Option of the Gaisce Award at Killary Adventure Centre There is also 3 different levels, starting with the bronze, then the silver and finally the challenging Gold. Participants must begin with the bronze and continue to the silver then Gold. For more information on the first three or general Gaisce queries contact:

The Presidents Award-Gaisce
The State Apartments
Dublin Castle
Dublin 2

Tel: 01 4758746
Email: mail@p-award.net
Website: www.p-award.net

The fourth section can be dealt with directly through the Killary Offices. The contact person in Killary for Gaisce information is Mona Purcell (Centre Manager).

The Programme

The following information is based on The Bronze Award. For more information on the Silver and Gold contact Killary. The adventurous Activity section of the Bronze award is divided into 3 options:

Walking approx. 15 miles
Kayaking approx. 25 miles
Cycling approx. 70 miles *

* We are sorry to say that due to safety we will not be able to offer the cycling option.

Preparation

To participate in the Gaisce Awards at Killary, you need a basic level of fitness. There is a need to differentiate between the normal activity programme we offer and the Gaisce programme. You may have been to Killary before on an activity holiday and will know that we offer a chance for anyone of all levels of fitness to participate in our multi activity programme. However we do recommend that anyone attempting the Gaisce adventure awards have a very basic level of fitness to begin with. But more than that, a mental willingness to really get into the spirit of the adventure and really want to complete the challenge that is laid out before them. This is why we also ask schools to look at a development programme spanning over the six weeks leading up to arriving at Killary. This development programme should cover all aspects of preparation leading up to their trip to Killary.

We also highly recommend that you appoint some leaders within the group who can contact Mona Purcell (095 - 43411) to talk through what to expect on the expeditions. They should make contact at the beginning of the 6 weeks and we will be able to give them a training programme that will suit their specific needs. It will perhaps give them a better idea if they talk to Mona directly and she will be able to answer any worries they would foresee.