After months of wet weather, the sun finally shone on Dartmoor for 4 days in April for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh official practice expedition. The expedition was the final chance for the 12 students to refine their navigation and camp-craft skills before heading to the mountains of Snowdonia for their assessment in July. The longest of the two routes took in almost 60km of the Dartmoor National Park and included some of the most remote and untouched terrain on the moor.
“The students all performed exceptionally well and displayed all the skills required to complete their award in July. They required very little staff input throughout the 4 day expedition and coped well with the complexities of remote navigation and wild camping.
“Some of the Year 12 students taking part in the Gold award this year have progressed through all 3 levels of the award in the same group. One of the most satisfying things to see in outdoor education is the relationships and strength of character that the students develop when taking on these challenges.” – Mr Douglas, Outdoor Education Co-ordinator.
On July 8th the teams will make the long journey up to Snowdonia, where some students will be hoping to climb all 1085m of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) itself.
The Orange Team cross a traditional ‘clapper bridge’ in Postbridge
Students cooking dinner and enjoying some down time at the end of the first day.
