This summer, Gemma from the Rayburn Sports team joined Mount School York on their Sports tour to SportCamp in Greece. She gives us the low down on the group’s 6 day tour, jam-packed with sports, cultural visits and glorious Greek food!
Day 1 – Bound for SportCamp
Following a safe flight over to Athens, the Mount School of York Sports team and I were greeted with the mediterranean heat as soon as we landed! We arrived in SportCamp with a hive of activity in full swing from other local Greek and international children also staying at SportCamp. All excited for the tour ahead!
Day 2 – Fixtures and Food
Today was the group’s first chance to experience some basics in Volleyball with a local team who were at sportcamp training. With the different shots and serves under our belts, the girls played a few games on the outdoor beach courts – a nice warm up for the netball and basketball fixtures ahead!
The remainder of the morning was spent playing a number of netball fixtures, followed by a basketball game against a lovely team of girls from Athens. This was a great way for both teams to enjoy each other’s sporting cultures and engage in a little friendly competition – the Mount School Basketball Club may have gained a few new players!
Lunch at Sportcamp was then followed by an afternoon of swimming and more sports on site: the girls were able to choose from football, tennis, table tennis, basketball or volleyball before it was time to get ready for our evening meal out.
We ventured out to the stunning Panorama Tavern, just 20 mins from SportCamp. Here we enjoyed the stunning views over the cove with a menu of local Greek dishes. This was just what was needed to refuel the group after their active day!
Day 3 – Athens
Today was an opportunity to really discover some of the history around the city and enjoy some much deserved shopping time!
With a stop at both the Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis, we were able to soak up the history of the Olympic birth place and admire the magnitude of the Acropolis structure.
After many hours in the beautiful sunshine, it was off the Athens Mall for a few hours of shopping… Sephora being one of the biggest highlights of the shops to hand!
Back to sport camp for some rest and relaxation in and around the pool, before dinner and bed!
Day 4 – Rest and Relaxation
After our action packed last few days, the girls were deservedly treated to a relaxing day! With a quick visit to the Loutraki Lighthouse and Heraion Ancient sites for some stunning photo opportunities, it was off to Heraion Lake to relax!
We spent the afternoon sunbathing and splashing in the water, relaxing those aching muscles after a busy and active few days. With lunch at the beautifully positioned Ypanema Restaurant, overlooking the lake, it was a much needed day to enjoy some down time.
Late afternoon, it was time to head back to SportCamp and the girls were free again to play sports and swim! Our evening meal was then nicely finished with an outside party held for all the children in SportCamp – it was great to see young people of all nationalities taking part in the dancing which ranged from local Greek dancing to the Macarena!
Day 5 – A sporty morning and a visit to Corinth
After breakfast, we met with local Greek girls who were staying at SportCamp for a full morning of sport. On the agenda was beach volleyball, netball and basketball!
It was great to see that the Mount School girls had really developed their skills for the sports they may not play as often at school, providing great competition and showing fantastic sportsmanship.
After lunch we then had a chance to visit Corinth for a quick ice-cream and souvenir stop! En-route we stopped at the stunning Corinth Canal, which cuts an impressive route between the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland,
It was then back to SportCamp for a quick dip in the pool and an early night ready for our early departure the following day…4am check out of our rooms!
After another safe flight home, it was time for me to say goodbye to the Mount school as they made their onward journey back to York.
A lovely week and some fantastic memories with such a great group!
Gemma’s tour highlights:
- Fixtures – enjoying the cultural exchange and atmosphere between the girls was amazing to witness!
- Panethanic stadium – fascinating to really explore its connection with the modern Olympics
- Heraion Lake – a well-deserved rest day in a beautiful setting.
- Watermelon – an underrated dessert and a firm favourite with every meal (…maybe just for myself and the teachers)