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School trips and Excursions
School trips are a fantastic way to improve learning experiences outside the classroom. Whether they’re educational, activity-based, residential, or just a fun time away, they’re a great way to maintain motivation.They also offer a unique opportunity for pupils to explore new places, cultures, and ideas, all of which can help encourage personal and social development. Please come on board to hear some stories and memories from Airdrie Academy staff and pupils.
1960s
In 1967 Airdrie Academy’s football team players were victorious in the final match against Our Lady’s HS in Motherwell at Hampden Park in Glasgow
They won the prestigious Scottish Shield.
A few months later the team were treated to a European tour as a reward. Members of the school choir, Scottish dancers and the victorious footballers stayed with host families in and around Prosecco, Trieste in Italy. They also had stops in Germany and Koper in the former Yugoslavia.
The team players were John Whiteford, Jim Glover, Andy MacInnes, John Traynor, Colin Griffin, Tom White, Stuart Ross, Ian Burke, David Smillie, Jimmy Henderson, Les Mottram and Ian Walter.
Scott Rankin: I stayed in a village called Prosecco with a couple called Mirco and Melanie Stoka (not sure of the spelling). It was stunning and a trip I will never forget. I was with the football team lol not a singer or dancer maybe a chancer lol. I’m sure I can see myself and Robert 2nd last row far right. It’s my long hair that draws me lol. Wonderful memories.
Robert Marshall: Here is a group of us with the friends we made in Prosecco. I am third from left and Scott is 5th from left just peeping through. If my memory serves me well, the girl in yellow t-shirt at front was called Yana Mann.
Margaret Shiell remembers her visit as a member of the school choir:
‘I loved that trip. I was a former pupil but asked along. My brother wasn’t too happy as we were placed with the same family in Opacina before we went to Koper. We stayed with Senor and Senora Kraus. He was the travel agent who had help organise trip. We stayed in Opatjina, not far from Prosecco. He made his own gin which we tasted. I felt like I was 'going under' at the dentist...it was pure alcohol! The food was amazing!
Audrey Clelland: I couldn't sing and my friends were in the choir, so when they were looking for Scottish Country Dance dancers I joined them, "Paw Broon" the P.E. teacher taught us some basic moves. This picture was taken on the Lido in Koper. It is a mix of choir, dancers and football team. We were relaxing after our time in Trieste.
Wendy Young, pupil 1964-1969
In 1968 we went on a school trip to Iceland. It was a fabulous trip. We stayed in Reykjavik. We went to Gulfoss waterfall. We went to the whaling station where we saw the whales which had been harpooned - the stench was dreadful! We had a day on Icelandic ponies. We saw the geysirs and we went to the national museum. I still have a box of 90 slides which I took there.
1970s
Margaret Robertson with the help of Elspeth Johnson
We were at Airdrie Academy from 1969 till 1975. At the end of our 4th year in July 1973 we went a school cruise with the Geography teachers at the time Jack Heron and Elizabeth Morris ( I think ) and her husband . We were on the SS Uganda and sailed from Dundee doing a cruise Travemunde , Gdańsk , Helsinki and Copenhagen. On the cruise Mr Heron selected 20 boys and 20 girls from 3rd and 4th year. I was in 4th year.
We set sail from Dundee and the girls were in Marco Polo dormitory as you got onto the ship , the boys were in a lower deck. It was an educational cruise with lots of other schools from all over Scotland . On the at sea days we had a rota to do various things on the ship which included a class room period where we discussed the next port, points of interest and how much each of us wanted from our £20 pocket money we were allowed to take . Majority won and everyone got the same amount to keep it easy.
Our first stop was Travamunde in Germany and we would go off for a walking excursion with the teachers with us in charge of the tour My lasting memory from there was first time I had a camera and had my thumb in every photo when it was developed 🙈
Second stop was GdaÅ„sk where I ended up being pushed about in a wheelchair having gone over on my ankle. My friends Elspeth , Margo and Elizabeth took it in turns to push me . We didn’t go far from the port but did some shopping and I remember things being really cheap. I bought slippers and some Russian dolls as souvenirs.
Next stop was Helsinki and we visited the Royal Palace and had a shot on the trams. We also had a guide take us round a model village of Helsinki.
Last stop was Copenhagen which was beautiful and we went a tour round the centre and ended up at the Little Mermaid statue where I bought some souvenirs of the statue . At night we went a visit to the Tivoli Gardens.
I can’t remember what we did at night but I do remember an end of cruise show with someone from each school taking part. Sorry that it is short but it was many years
ago 😂
I still keep in contact with Elspeth and we meet up periodically for lunch and a catch up and in between message one another.
Elspeth ( nee McPhee, her mother was a Maths teacher at the Academy) keeps in contact with Margo who married and moved up Perthshire and sadly Elizabeth passed away a few years ago with cancer. We did keep in touch up until then.
Hopefully this was what you were after. I did enjoy my years at the Academy and the teachers and we all completed the full 6 years
Janet Dalziel, Harriet Cullen and Brett Docherty
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In April 1973 we went to Germany, Austria and Lechinstein (a country inside Switzerland). It was a great trip!
We got ferry to Calais then Paris on overnight train right through. We visited many places but were based in Kandersteg. I remember we visited Interlaken and surrounding areas. One of the teachers was Mrs Murray who taught French.
This was my first time abroad. We went with Mrs Turner the French teacher and her husband. Sadly, I don't have the photos anymore but it was a great trip.
Jim Smillie Geography teacher 1973-1986
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Some of the best memories I have from my time teaching at Airdrie Academy was the involvement in foreign trips with Jack Heron as party leader. Along with Jack’s wife Margaret, his sons and my wife Kay my first trip was taking a party to the Hotel Nimes et Tongres Blankenberge Belgium in 1977. Travelling on a Parks bus via North Sea Ferries Norstar and Norland, Hull to Rotterdam.
We returned in 1979 also accompanied by George Allan and Jimmy Rodger. We also took various other school trips with Jack Heron as party leader. These included the Loire Valley in 1980, Rhine Gorge 1981 and Leysin 1982.
"Wish You Were Here" with the presenter Judith Chalmers was filming during our trip to Chateau de Chenonceau Loire Valley in 1980. Our group on the 'road train' from the bus park was filmed for the programme. I can't remember if it was ever shown and if anyone remembers seeing themselves on TV!
There there was a Wish You Were Here sticker in the Monklands Prefects' Room. Some of our pupils had a chat with Judith Chalmers and got her autograph.
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1981: Oberwesel: Rhine Gorge
Accommodation on
Hotel Ship Rotterdam
The trip was meant to be to Boppard further down the river. The tour company changed it to Oberwesel due to problems they had with the hotel in Boppard. The hotel they had lined up in Oberwesel was too small for our party so a few days before we set off, we were told that our accommodation would be on a ship. Another school arrived after us but as we already had the pick of the cabins they asked to be sent elsewhere. So, our party had the ship to ourselves complete with open air disco on the top deck.
Fergus Munro, Pupil 1972-1978
I remember flies or spiders in the loos on the boat. Also remember going for a wander along the river on a very hot afternoon, going past a vending machine and finding that an old shilling was the same size as a Deutschmark. The resulting freezing cold can sticks in my mind as my favourite ever ‘Coca Cola’.
Ellen Maxwell- maths teacher
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This is Daerhead cottage, the Airdrie Academy outdoor centre and the scene of many S1 trips in the early 1980s. The school purchased the site and fundraised to buy materials and equipment to make it functional. It proved to be very popular. A lot of school groups and clubs used it.
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There were day trips from Daerhead to Moffat with the boating pond or Drumlanrig Castle with the adventure playground. Washing facilities at the cottage were minimal and the toilets were outside. Luckily there was a stream right outside the front door. Trips were Mon-Wed or Wed-Fri and you were desperate to get home for a good wash! Fun times and lots of memories made though!
David Brown- technician
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I assembled and mortared in the wood burning stove in an afternoon, and made all of the reinforced concrete sections for the bridge over the burn in the Technical Dept of Airdrie Academy before it was assembled at Daerhead over three weeks. I think that was in school year 1979 -80.
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Elaine Miller, pupil 1982-1988
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We had a few weekends away to Daerhead with the badminton club with Mr Carr I remember getting out of the minibus at the beginning of the single track as there were so many potholes along the way and in our wisdom, we decided to take the route as the crow flies only to have to negotiate all the turns of the stream enroute. We were all soaking when we got there thankfully it was sunny.
We had a great time: late night runs up the hill and torch lit parties in the dormitory. I remember a trip to Moffat with lots of fun on the rowing boats and another trip to Drumlanrig castle with zip wire in the grounds.
I am thinking this was around 1982-83
We were away with Alan Paisley ,Richard Rae , Gail Hutchison, Lorna, Debbie Morrison , Carole Davidson and myself Elaine Miller. Great times!
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Lesley Curran, pupil 1983-1990
I remember going there with S1 Glentore House. Mr Fletcher and his wife took us in a mini bus. We had just come out the school gates and the back door of the mini bus opened and fire logs fell out. Great start. His wife had just come off a night shift and was exhausted. We were all being too noisy so got sent out for a walk and told not to come back for at least an hour lol . Great memories.
October week trip to Newtonmore 1983​​​​​
Staff were Mr Duncan,
Mr Dalgetty and Miss Maxwell
Pupils included Colin Dick, Jason Leitch, John Brown, Angus McEwan, Diane Paul, Judith Gartshore and Sandra Houston.
It was a fun week!
Geraldine Caulfield- English teacher
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The late Mrs Vivienne Fullerton organised many theatre trips. One I remember is a trip to see 'Macbeth' at Stratford Upon Avon, thinking the long May weekend of 1982 or 1983. Janice McLean and I were on that trip.
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Staff and pupils met at Airdrie Train Station, and we travelled by train to Birmingham, with a few changes of train and a bus to our hostel accommodation on the outskirts of Stratford Upon Avon. It was an amazing and fabulous trip. I don't think this type of trip would ever happen today without screeds of risk management paperwork. Changed days.The pupils were great ambassadors to the school. I wonder if any former pupil remembers this trip. I can't remember any photos being taken. I have enclosed the programme.
This was Jim Hutchinson's trip to Germany but mainly Austria early July 1984. Jim's wife Eileen is in the photo. It also has Tony the bus driver, Roy Dalgetty, Ian Fannon, Bob Duncan, Elizabeth King and me.
This was a brilliant trip. Stops included Salzburg, Lake Achensee, Innsbruck, Kitzbuhl, Maximilian's house and Solbad Hall.
I remember that we got to stamp our own coin.
As teachers we walked a good deal and on one day, we had taken the chair lift up the mountain, walked so far, exhausted and with no buses we thumbed a lift, and a lovely Austrian lady took us down to our hotel. We never told anyone.
I also was on Liz and Brian McLean's Euro Disney Trip with Susan Harvey, Wilma Gilhooley and Jimmy Rodger as the best co-pilot for Parisian streets. Amazing. Brian and Jimmy will have stories to tell.
I also went along on Brian and Liz's South of France trip where we managed to make our way through a picket of Lyonese striking lorry drivers as we had 'Les Enfants'. However, on the route home we had to travel through Switzerland. At a roundabout enroute to a petrol/ diesel station in Dover, we run out of fuel. Two new drivers boarded the bus who kept the windows open, played blaring music at dawn and looked as though, they had hijacked the bus.
All part of the fun.We also had a burst tyre on a hairpin bend on our journey to Cannes.
The things you remember.
Julie Shaw- pupil 1989-1995
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I remember a joint school exchange trip with St Ambrose High School to Châtellerault in France. Mrs McMeekin came with us. It took place between the 15th and 24th of June 1993 when I was in S4. The visitors had come to Scotland the year before.
I have a few pictures:
In 1995 the students organised the first ever Airdrie Academy trip to Alton towers. That’s a tradition that is still going strong to this day. It was a fantastic day and a great set of memories to leave school with too! Here is a picture that still makes me smile
Arthur Bannister- science technician 1991-2013
We went on school trips to Lightwater Valley and Alton Towers regularly. We had a trip to the Harry Potter studios in London and a favourite of mine, Trips to Eurodisney. I was always invited to the Geography department trips as a trained first aider and with other departments, music trips to London.
Gail ( Simpson ) Crosbie - English teacher 2004- present
I remember the Paris and Euro Disney trip in April 2005. The group leader was Lynn Watson and myself and Kelly Smith, both newly qualified English teachers were recruited for the trip. We travelled from Airdrie on a double decker bus to get the ferry over to France. The teachers took turns supervising upstairs. We also had a tuck shop available on board and the subsequent sore tummies, trumps and sugar rushes were palpable!We stayed at a Disney hotel and I vividly remember a knock on the door around 9pm. A young lad had ‘washed’ his one and only pair of trousers in the jacuzzi bath and was using a hair dryer to dry them which had short circuited, and flames were lurching from behind!It was a memorable trip for many reasons and will always be part of my stories linked to 20 years teaching at the Academy
Linzi Charnley pupil 2003-2009
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These are photos from our music trip to Italy in 2006 and to London in 2008 and 2009. I had the best experiences and made good friendships which have lasted well beyond school.
There’s also a couple of photos from when we represented Airdrie Academy at the Festival 4 Stars competition where we won the regional heat and moved on to the final in Blackpool (photo with the saltire flag, 2009/2010)
Michelle Green- Maths teacher 2006 to present
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Since 2013, we have supported St Andrew’s Hospice with a sponsored walk up Tinto Hill. We usually take over a hundred S1 pupils and the atmosphere is positive. Lots of local schools take part and the pupils are always a credit to themselves and the school. I am proud to have been involved in organising this for over a decade.
Anne McMillan- pupil 2004-2010
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The annual trip to the battlefields in Belgium was a huge highlight. It was a fantastic mix of adventure, fun, education and friendship - everything you wanted in a school trip.
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Kieran McMath- pupil 2007-2013
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My time at Airdrie Academy was filled with the most amazing experiences. I went on several school trips with the performing arts department. The group photo is from one of the many drama London trips and another from a science trip to Disneyland Paris. I think they were both taken in 2011 when I was in fourth year.
I also remember going on different Business management trips – there were at least two from a trip to a stock exchange event in Glasgow with Mrs. McLean. I also found a photo of a trophy we won at an enterprise challenge.
At school I participated in several Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, but the photos are actually from 2013 when five of us went over to Dunoon for a residential with people from other schools - it was great fun, even although my case was left on the ferry and I didn’t have any clean clothes for the first day!
Other things that jump to mind are an Art and Design residential week at Kilbowie Outdoor Centre where I made a documentary to be shown at Summerlee and a week long programme with the fire service down in Coatbridge where we put on a display for our families. I have so many positive memories of my time at Airdrie Academy.
Lauren Gray pupil 2012-2018
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A really fond memory I have is the 2017 Belgium trip (where I also took my camera) so I have attached some photographs:
Alex McLuskey- 2019 to present.
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In 2023 I was lucky enough to be picked to spend a week in Barcelona with the modern languages department. A group of 50 people from all different year groups and different personalities spending a week together in a foreign country. I was sharing a room with 2 other people, one of whom I had never talked to before but little did I know that one person would become the person who means most to me.
The one person I could have never imagined speaking to in my life became the person I couldn’t imagine my life without in less than a week.
The one person if you told me I would be best friends with I would have laughed in your face.
The one person who isn’t even in my year at school, yet we have so much in common.
The one person who I instantly clicked with
The one person who I could talk to about anything even although we just met
The one person who came into my life when I needed them most
The one person who changed my life for the better.
My best friend.
Emily Keys- pupil 2022 to present
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I loved the Alton Towers trip in both S1 and S2. You have to get up really early but its worth it. The bus is such a good laugh and you are trusted to go around the park with friends. We all had such a good time! My mum was on the very first Alton Towers trip in 1994 so I am carrying on a family tradition.
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