Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expeditions
Over the Easter break, thirty-six of us headed into the minivans, with our hiking gear and heavy rucksacks, for the long drive to South Wales. Arriving that evening, our campsite was filled with excitement and energy as we played cards, cooked some tasty food and looked forward to three days of trekking through the Welsh countryside.
While this was our most challenging expedition yet, facing tough terrain and being hampered by injury, it was also the most rewarding, as every day we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful scenery and impressive landscapes. The views from atop Sugar Loaf were stunning and extended for miles across the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains. After a tough climb to the top, during which we ascended hundreds of metres in a few hours, this gave us a satisfying sense of accomplishment. Thankfully, we had clear skies that morning and good weather for most of the expedition, with only a spot of rain.
Altogether, we enjoyed our time spent in the outdoors and look forward to the qualifying expedition in June.
Report written by Jamie (Year 12)
The air was crisp but thankfully dry on an early start at Crowborough station. It was day one of our 3-day and 2-night Silver DofE practice expedition in East Sussex. Ashdown Forest, the setting for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, was the backdrop to our adventure but sadly no-one had packed their teddy bear! Having completed the Bronze stage of the award most of us regarded ourselves as intrepid explorers. However, our mettle was tested by the formidable challenge set by our expedition leaders on the first day. Needless to say, none of our teams, although stalwart, came close to completing the gruelling 25-mile target!
The evening brought welcome rest and reminded us that the real skill of DofE isn't the hiking; it's the open-air cooking! Night soon became dawn and the promise of rain later in the day spurred us into action. Even the rudimentary camping facilities didn't dampen our spirits.
Our January training day and route planning proved invaluable in navigating day two. As a team we carefully took our bearings, calculated timings and identified any difficult terrain. Exhausted, we reached our checkpoint before the light faded and without the need for the day one 'rescue minibuses'. Night two passed without incident and with very few comings and goings!
Although laden with our backpacks and looking slightly dishevelled we faced the final day with renewed vigour. Despite the exhaustion of the last mile and missing our home comforts, we reached Crowborough Station with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, having successfully completed our Silver DofE practice expedition.
Report written by Rohan (Year 11)
