In the first week of October half term, students from the Sixth Form (including a few from our sister school Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park) set off for Fuerteventura for a surfing and yoga trip. The core part of the trip was, of course, the surfing! For the majority of the group this was a new experience and definitely out of our comfort zone, however it proved to be an excellent opportunity to showcase the famous FHS grit and resilience and the girls took on the waves in style. By the end of the week everyone was feeling much more confident in their skills and I think this has taught us all new things about ourselves and each other.

Another highlight of our trip was the catamaran trip around the island where the girls and teachers enjoyed a luxurious paella lunch and drinks as well as dancing on the deck, snorkelling, kayaking and many other exciting activities. We also enjoyed some relaxing yoga sessions to introduce us to meditation and being in touch with one’s body in the busy modern world we live in, jewellery making so we can take out memories back home with us or share them with our friends, and my personal favourite, stargazing in the Corralejo dunes. During this we were lucky enough to be able to see the moon, Jupiter and even Saturn through a reflector telescope and we learnt that constellations can tell us stories from Greek and Roman mythology, and being a classicist myself I found this incredibly fascinating. Most of us were even fortunate enough to see multiple shooting stars (Dr Upcott saw five!) while still furthering our knowledge about the universe that surrounds us.

Overall, I found this trip to be the perfect balance of activities and relaxation. It was the ideal way to spend our half term as I am sure we are all feeling rested and fuelled for the rest of the term.

Helena T-C, Upper Sixth