We were all relieved when our cases were under the weight limit when we checked in at 4am and then made it safely through security. Before we boarded the plane there was just enough time for a few squad photos and to consume a hearty full English breakfast.

After a quiet flight we arrived in Barcelona Airport and got off the plane to experience a surge of warm Spanish air – it was wonderful.

The baggage claim was a walk in the park (thankfully!) as all 37 suitcases, two stick bags and two goalie kits had safely arrived at their destination.

We were met by Laura, our tour rep, who took us to our international tour bus which transported us to Agua Hotel Montagut in Santa Susanna.

On arrival, we spent some well-deserved time lounging at the pool in preparation for our two games of hockey.

On Sunday morning we ventured away from the hotel and explored Santa Susanna to see its quaint shops and to immerse ourselves in the Spanish culture. After a cheeky mocktail and a browse around the shops we went down onto the beach for more photos and a paddle in the sea! Having worked up an appetite we sat down both evenings to an all you can eat continental buffet.

On Monday we headed back up to Barcelona to explore the city. We met Conchie – our tour guide for the day- who first took us on a short, yet fascinating, walk up to the breath taking Sagrada Familia. It was truly beautiful and even after over 100 years of construction it is still not complete. We then got free time to explore Las Rambles where we could do a spot of shopping and grab some lunch. Then we travelled to the Nou Camp where Barcelona play football. It was incredible!

We received a tour around the stadium, changing rooms, press rooms and the trophy hall before having a chance to get a photo with the one and only Lionel Messi!!

The pitch was pristine and the changing room had all the modern equipment. In the evening the 'B’ team played Junior Hockey Club and the 'A’ team played Atletic Terrassa Hockey Club. Both teams took a while to adjust to the water based pitches and playing in the sunshine against very strong Spanish teams. However, the girls played some great hockey and the scores were 1-3 and 3-3 respectively. We then returned to the hotel where the dining room staff had laid on a cold buffet for us to enjoy. Having been away from the hotel for 13 hours it was safe to say we all enjoyed our sleep that night! Tuesday, unfortunately, was cloudy and very overcast. However, this did not prevent us from enjoying our final day. Some of us played in the pool and joined in the activities organised by the Hotel Entertainment Staff while others walked back into Santa Susanna to buy “designer” sunglasses and handbags at the local market. In the evening both teams travelled to Mataro to play against teams from Iluro Hockey Club. The games were physically and mentally harder than the night before but with lots of encouragement from the side lines both teams raised their game and played their best hockey of the season so far. Although the 'B’ team lost their game and the 'A’ team drew their game both teams were pleased to come away with the results that they did.

Sadly, the following day we left the hotel. After 11 hours of travelling we made it back to the school. Everybody was still on cloud nine because the tour had been such a great success and we all had a wonderful time! We would like to take this opportunity to extend our grateful thanks to our sponsors Qube GB Ltd and Adam Purves Recovery who provided us with our playing and training tops respectively. Last, but not leas,t we would like to say a huge and well deserved thank you to the members of staff who made the tour possible and as enjoyable as it was. In particular, Mrs Lawrence who spent vast amounts of time organising and planning the tour.