Pen-y-Rheol

Fr Wilfred Skoyles and Fr Hilary Clarke, two old boys of the school, who themselves became Salvatorians, have established a Youth Adventure Centre in S Wales. Both priests work in a parish centred in Ystradgynlais which extends to the foot of the Black Mountains. At the remotest part of their parish, 5 miles from the nearest settlement, they discovered a ruined farm-house being used as a cow shelter. They negotiated with the farmer and set about making it habitable. Many hours of work were put in by volunteers; fittings and furniture donated and money raised by the usual round of sales and coffee mornings. Within 18 months the centre was opened.

Pen-y-Rheol (the end of the road) is 400 years old and lies in a small hollow facing out on to miles of desolate hills and mountains. The walls of the house are 18 inches thick and made of large boulders deposited during the last ice age. There is one large room extending the length of the house on each floor. The living room on the ground floor has a large stone fire place at each end with a low, very low, oak-beamed ceiling - above is the dormitory.

Five parties from the school have visited the Centre during the last two years - three School centre Expeditions and two 6th form Field Trips. Over this time we have seen many improvements, one of which is particularly welcome. On our first visit, in Whitsun 1975 the well feeding the house failed - all drinking water was taken from the adjacent river and what personal ablutions that were carried out were in the same source. The reluctance to wash was increased by the discovery of the rotting carcase of a horse a short distance upstream. These problems have been overcome by the addition of a hot shower and mains water.

However, some problems still remain which provide topics of conversation.

1. We are self-catering. Self catering ? The culinary abilities of the staff are limited and the sense of adventure of pupils at meal times, more so. Admittedly a diet of tinned gooseberries, plums, spam and baked beans is somewhat limiting, but we do try - spam and gooseberries, spam and plums, spam and baked beans, gooseberries and spam, etc etc. At least the results are interesting.

2. People snore - at least one person does - of course, I deny it. A remark like "it starts with the statement of the theme, then passes through a series of variations and finally ends with a recapitulation on full Wagnerian orchestra" is frankly hurtful, libellous and in the context of a Catholic school, unchristian and moreover untrue. Though I must admit the sight of a pyjama-clad colleague dragging his mattress downstairs in the small hours leaving the air crackling blue with imprecations, lends some slight credence to the rumour.

What do we do ? Well we, ie the staff, generally try to keep clear of them, ie the boys. They seem to spend much of their time falling off horses, in rivers, out of boats, down mountains, over each other and into the offerings left by careless ruminants.

It all sounds rather unpleasant and frankly it is - particularly when it rains which it does frequently and with great determination upwards as well as in the expected direction. In spite of all this we and they are returning this year. Why ? Well wouldn't you ? Perhaps we all enjoy it -though no one would ever admit it.


| 1977 Jubilee Magazine Index | HOME |