PUPILS at an independent school have abandoned creature comforts to take part in a bushcraft adventure experience.

About 30 boys and girls aged seven to 11 from Cundall Manor, near Thirsk, spent three days living in native American-style tents, cooking their meals on a campfire and taking part in activities such as tracking, canoeing, archery and making boomerangs.

Jake Kempton, the school’s head of outdoor activities, said: “It is a fantastic experience for the children. They learn first-hand about living outdoors which, apart from anything else, is a superb preparation for the Duke of Edinburgh schemes we also run.

“We are committed to developing children’s personalities and experiences outside as well as inside the classroom, and this is a marvellous way to do just that.”