Sample English Excursion |
How our English Learning Holidays Explore Scotland
Today we visited the Comrie Apple Festival, a wonderful and friendly way to meet some of the region’s makers and learn about food production, ecology and sustainable gardening.
A typical day on our English learning holidays is a mixture of travelling & exploring – sometimes a large landscape, sometimes tiny details.
Because every day and week is different, this blog exists to share English moments with you.
You can think of this language immersion activity as a sample English excursion, of which you will experience something similar when you join us for an English learning holiday.
Why We Share Local Events
Every one of our language holidays is a curated mix of planned conversations and spontaneous conversations.
We aim to bring you to at least 1 local public event, like the Comrie Apple Festival, as they are a great way to integrate you into our culture.
Another regular feature is that in the evening we cook and share food together, especially any local foods we have gathered that day!
Sharing Food is Sharing Culture
Offering food is a great way to bring people to the hub.
Some mornings we just have breakfast with friends, other times we rush off with a packed lunch to eat on a hillside.
I love wild swimming so there’s an offer of that.
If that’s not your jam there are other more gentle ways of getting immersed in nature, including picking apples in an orchard.
Whatever we do we stop, chat and look around and connect you with nature.
Whatever the language activity, there’s a focus on culture, ecology, nature and/or wellbeing.
Happy Apple Day!
Today, Comrie Community Orchard celebrated its annual apple harvest with a festival featuring local artisanal makers and their produce, activities for families – and a whole lot of apples!
In this language school blog, we’re going to share the sights, smells and tastes of this small, local festival which celebrates a community orchard, fresh, organic local produce and the community itself.
At our English language school, we’re all about encounters with people – our English conversation holidays are based on it!
About Our Immersion English Experiences
English immersion experiences are just the best way to get you to improve your English language skills.
Get out of the classroom, take part in real-life conversations and begin discovering your true voice in English.
A Successful Community Garden
Apple Day is a chance to meet the volunteers who have been keeping the orchard all year round.
Scottish Cultural Food Festival
Apple Day is a harvest festival.
The local community are invited to taste and buy many of the apple varieties grown (there are 40 varieties on-site) and to enjoy the delicious fresh apple juice being squeezed before you.
(Or if you are under 5, go toffee-apple-bonkers).
It’s the sort of event that took place across the whole of the UK 60+ years ago, but changing food culture, shopping habits and lifestyles have all but erased traditions like this one.
(NB: The churches calendar still celebrates Harvest Festivals).
Food Culture is Changing
There is growing recognition that actually seeing the source of your food builds respect, both for food and the natural environment.
Across Scotland and the UK, communities are banding together to rebuild lost orchards, community ‘greens’ and communal food larders.
Comrie has a particularly good spirit of community activism for the environment and for community projects.
Cultybraggan, the site of the community orchard itself is a repurposed WW2 POW camp that now sees new life as a micro-enterprise hub.
“Across Scotland and the UK, communities are banding together to rebuild lost orchards, community ‘greens’ and communal food larders.”
Ruth, 2019
How the Orchard is Managed
Meet the Makers English Immersion
It’s no wonder Perthshire is known as the Larder of Scotland!
Comrie Apple Festival
How this sample English excursion helps your English and positively impacts our community:
✅ Great for mental/physical health
✅ benefits our local community.
✅ is a good introduction to Scottish culture
🟠 preserves craft skills, historic machinery, monuments etc.
✅ supports Scottish industry/agriculture
✅ gets you talking with a rich and diverse selection of people, or about diverse subjects.
✅ explores Scottish wildlife in non-invasive ways
🟠 supports arts & artists
✅ financially contributes to preserving culture
✅ is for fun & feeling good in English.
Further Information
Find out more about Comrie Community Orchard
Are you visiting Perth in Scotland? You are in for a treat!
Find more about Pershire’s food and drink.
