Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Final Expedition - Summer 2007

In the last week of the holidays a record 31 Paulines headed off to the Yorkshire Dales for their assessed Duke of Edinburgh Gold expedition. Carrying all their food and camping equipment they had to walk over 20km a day for 4 days, having first planned their route in fine detail. Along the way their assessors tested their knowledge of first aid, access law and safety in the hills.

All 31 completed the expedition and passed the assessment in some exceptionally fine weather - a real surprise given the rest of the summer! To complete the award the boys have to fulfil the physical activity, service and skills requirements and complete a residential course. We wish them luck.

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Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Training - Easter 2007

A record number of 32 Lower Eighths, led by 6 members of staff, spent the last week of the Easter holidays based at Patterdale Hall in the Lake District in preparation for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Many held the Bronze Award already but for others it was the first time that they had experienced mountainous terrain at first hand.

The boys were divided into 5 groups (minimum 5 and maximum 7) with the aim that each group should ultimately be able to plan and be responsible for all aspects of a multi-day expedition into wild country to take place in August. There will be a practice expedition in June beforehand - a scaled down version of the real thing.

The purpose of the training week was to introduce the groups to the skills of navigation, route planning, walking, cooking and campcraft. Lectures on topics such as nutrition and safety also formed an important part of the training but the major emphasis was on being out in the hills.

Navigational skills came first and all groups had plenty of practice at this, at first being largely directed by accompanying staff but, as confidence grew, planning and navigation became more and more the responsibility of the groups themselves.

All this culminated in a mini-expedition at the end of the week where each group was dropped at a different point, some 15 to 20 km from Patterdale Hall, was asked to plan and follow a mountain route back, camp overnight and then follow a short walk on the final day.

Despite the only damp weather of the week, all groups successfully coped with the cool and misty conditions and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of (at last) being independent of a staff chaperon.

Each group is now starting to plan the Brecon Beacons practice expedition, taking place in a long weekend after AS levels have finished, and involving two overnight camps. They will be totally responsible for the route to be followed, buying food, booking campsites and following a specific aim during the expedition, which might be to do with the geology of the area or its flora and fauna, or a whole host of other relevant topics.