Mandy Gibbons and Ann-Marie Walsh

Catriona Brazil, Denise Kelly, Joe McPhillips, Damien Vereker, Thomas Bourke and Nicola Murray set off for Carlingford Adventure Centre accompanied by NCBI community resource workers Ann Marie Walsh, Mandy Gibbons and John Cooney, none of them seeming too daunted by the prospect of taking part in unknown adventuresome activities. We arrived in Carlingford, Co. Louth in good spirits, with the sun shining, in time for tea.

We set off for the local taverna for a few scoops, and to drink in the atmosphere. We met Joe, yes, another one, who regularly played at the pub and who, coincidentally, is a long cane user and an employee of RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind in the UK). He knew there were others with impaired vision in close proximity, he told us, as he could hear the tapping of their canes!

The first activity of the day was Canadian canoeing with three canoes lashed together. Fortunately the sun was shining as we learnt the art of synchronised paddling on calm water with a picturesque backdrop of King John’s Castle and Slieve Foye. Some of the brave among us then jumped off the harbour wall into the sea, before peeling off our suits and returning to the centre for lunch.
The afternoon started with a spot of archery then high ropes, which were, as the name suggests HIGH!

Imagine scaling a rather wobbly 30 foot telegraph pole, climbing onto a pizza-box sized platform and jumping off to catch a trapeze as well as balancing on horizontal and inclined beams and traversing a taut cable. The entire group attempted these with the majority reaching the top, with the exception of the two mature “elders” who gave lots of encouragement and applause!

In the evening we took part in a night line, where the roles are reversed, with sighted guides wearing blindfolds and being guided. “Elephant” being hollered, meant that the contact had been broken, so the proceedings halted until all hands on shoulders prevailed. The leader had to then describe the terrain and obstacles for the person directly behind them who then passed the message back, so it was a good exercise in terms of clear concise communication and team work.

Damien Vereker found the nightline particularly enlightening. “I truly enjoyed all the activities I took part in during the week. I had no problem in saying yes to doing each activity but I found out whilst doing some of the activities that I was not as brave as I thought I was! The activity I enjoyed the most was the nightline, where we were blindfolded and could see nothing at all. I have retinitis pigmentosa and have total night blindness. Not being able to see anything at all was a completely new experience as there was no light that would make it possible to make out shapes and shadows, which I use to navigate myself from a to b during the day and night time.”

“At one stage we came to a tree and I had to work out the best way of getting around it and what would be the safest way for the rest of the group behind me to follow. This was very difficult and it really made me aware of how you need to have patience, move slowly and pay attention to sounds, smells, and touch when you cannot rely on your sight to help you sort out the problem,” according to Damien.

Our second day started on the water again, where we doubled up in flat kayaks or ‘frenzies’ which required a slightly different paddling technique to the canoeing, and were easier and faster to maneuver. We were then given a bit of a speed treat as we were taken out for a spin on a rigid inflatable boat.

Our final activity, not for the faint hearted, was abseiling. It takes a bit of nerve to lower oneself over the edge of a cliff, backwards, and to be in total control of the lowering instructors, particularly Gordon, whose patient explanations about what to do and how to do it enabled everyone to participate in all of the activities. The motto of the centre is ‘challenge by choice’ and all of the participants stepped up to the mark, perhaps achieving far more than they thought they could, making new friends and meeting new people. Several of the group have planned to continue with some of these new activities at home.

Denise Kelly had this to say about the trip: “I enjoyed all the activities, the instructors were fantastic and had great patience. The activity I liked best was canoeing as it was relaxing and the water was calm. I didn’t like the rock climbing as it was tough and hard to keep your balance. I would like to go bac to Carlingford it was great fun and everybody had a great time including me.”