The weekend activities should be considered the culmination of everything that has happened in the week or weeks preceding them. They are a chance to put learning into practice and are challenging and highly rewarding. The students will find themselves amazed at what they can suddenly achieve with their new-found confidence and with the help of their friends. The programme, as with the course as a whole, is a balance of adventure, exploration, creativity and culture.

The weekend excursions are also a chance for students to discover new places, as in both courses we take a trip away from the Marlborough College campus for a full weekend of adventurous activities.

COURSE A

The weekend programme for Course A in 2021 will see students take a two-day trip to the beautiful Wye Valley. Students will take a coach to Kerne Bridge where they will prepare for a day's canoeing down the river Wye. The canoe trip will bring them to their accommodation for the night: a campsite with beautiful woodland views where the students will enjoy a meal around the campfire before settling down for the night in tents. On Sunday they will be heading back onto the water for a day's paddle to the historic town of Monmouth. 

COURSE B

In Course B, students will spend the weekend in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales, where they will participate in activities such as climbing, kayaking, surfing and coasteering. Students will be staying in a rustic ‘Bunk Barn’, a short walk away from a beautiful beach that is a great spot for an evening campfire. There will be opportunities for beach games, coastal walks, a boat trip and sharing stories around the campfire. 

'MIDDLE WEEKEND'  

The course has an intensive programme of high-energy trips and activities and for those joining us for a month, it is essential that they have a chance to catch up on some much-needed sleep and recover some energy ready for the start of a new course. For this reason, the ‘Middle Weekend’ (between the end of Course A and the start of Course B) is designed to be a relaxing opportunity for students to reflect on all the events of the previous two weeks. This weekend will include a traditional English brunch in a restaurant, a short day trip off-campus and plenty of free-time to enjoy the games and facilities available around the college.

Press play below to watch a video of the MCSEC Pembrokeshire Weekend from 2018.