On Sunday 14th July 40 pupils and 5 members of staff departed from CTA to visit the Rhineland. After a long journey by coach and ferry we arrived at our hotel, located directly on the Rhine promenade in the village of Boppard.

Day one began with a boat tour between Boppard and St Goar. Pupils then explored the town of St Goar, famous for the Lorelei rock nearby. We then continued our journey to Rudesheim to visit ‘Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett’, which boasts one of the largest collections of mechanical instruments in Europe. The weather was gloriously hot and pupils enjoyed ice creams as they meandered around the town.

On the second day pupils visited the town of Cochem, home to the fairytale Reichsburg Castle – situated at the top of a very steep hill! The views from the castle were truly outstanding. Pupils then cooled down at Cochem wave and adventure pool, enjoying the wide variety of different pools, including the 55 metre- long speed tube of the water slide and the waterfall.

The Deutsches Eck (German corner) forms the confluence of the Moselle and Rhein. The statue of Kaiser Wilhelm stands here, affording some fantastic photo opportunities of the pupils and staff, followed by time to explore Koblenz. Then, we returned to Boppard to travel by chairlift to Gedeons Corner. Pupils enjoyed ice creams in the panorama restaurant with an amazing view onto the largest bend on the Rhine. Special mention must be made to Mrs Schlicht who conquered her fear of heights to ride by chairlift to a height of 240 metres whilst Mr Johnson stayed at the bottom!

Finally, the most eagerly awaited day of the week arrived – Phantasialand! Pupils enjoyed rollercoasters, such as the Taron, the longest multi launch rollercoaster in the world. Pupils then headed to the log flume with the world’s steepest drop and River Quest to enjoy the river rapids ride with the world’s biggest splash.

Before we knew it, the week was over! It is a privilege to be able to provide everlasting memories for our pupils to cherish for years to come. I would also like to thank Mr Cooper, Mr Johnson, Mrs Schlicht and Mrs Hughes for supporting me with the trip.

Ms C Horton

Trip leader