The Wednesday before the start of the new academic year saw 13 girls, in two teams, set off to the Lake District for their DofE assessment.
The weather forecast was not good and copious amounts of rain were seen on the five hour drive. The first night was spent next to Coniston Water, in readiness for the first day of assessment. Needless to say it rained for most of the night and morning, but the teams set off in relatively dry conditions.
Over the next four days the girls endured some of worst weather seen on Gold DofE. Heavy rain and strong winds peppered the teams every day. Both groups showed great strength and resilience in completing the expedition and I've not seen a more relieved set of girls in all my years of DofE. A very well done to all the participants.
Mr Read, Outdoor Education Instructor
On Wednesday 26th August all the practice training and preparation came to a head at the top of Neptune's Staircase in Fort William, Scotland. Buoyancy aids on, canoes and kayaks loaded, nine students set off for four-days and three-nights of paddling along the Caledonia canal. This included the expansive and monster-laden Loch Ness (although sadly no sighting this year!).
After a solid day of paddling and some light showers to get them acclimatised to the Scottish conditions, they arrived at the first wild camp which was a bit of an eye opener for what was to come. Setting up in the rain and settling down in the campsite for the evening, with no running water and a composting toilet, added the 'wild' element to wild camping. The students took this in their stride and got through the first night.
This pattern of paddle and camp, paddle and camp took them through the next few days with conditions improving. With amazing scenery and light winds from behind, the groups could be heard singing from a mile away. All achieved what they set out to do and on Saturday 30th, they arrived at the end point with cheers and obvious elation on their faces. A snooze on the bus had them ready for a celebration meal and a night's sleep in a bunk house, before returning the following day with memories for life.
Mr Allison, Outdoor Education Instructor
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