By Dr Howe (Science Teacher and Silver DofE Coordinator)
Towards the end of the Spring Term, 45 Year 10 students attended the three-day DofE Silver training expedition north of Banbury. Also present were six Year 11 students, two of whom were achieving their Silver assessment expedition.
The expedition began in Mollington where the students plotted their routes and created their route cards. Once organised, they set off for a relatively short walk to practise their navigation skills with the support of staff members. The first night’s camping was at the Horley Scout centre and students cooked their nutritious meals (pasta anyone?!) in the sunshine between the showers. They then worked diligently on the route planning for the Peak District assessed expedition.
Thursday was the longer walking day, with groups doing an excellent job of breaking camp and heading off (in the right direction) after leaving the campsite. Unfortunately, later that day the weather changed, with strong winds and heavy rain arriving. This made going difficult, particularly walking through the muddy terrain. Where necessary, groups were re-routed. We decided to find alternative indoor accommodation that night rather than using the aptly named and rather windy Edgehill campsite.
Our final walk on Friday began uneventfully, until we reached the canal area where footpaths were flooded. Again, alternative routes were organised, and all groups made it safely to the endpoint at Chacombe. It was very interesting debriefing the students and hearing of their experiences. Some very strong teams had formed and lots of learning was done regarding equipment required and also what to leave at home to make the packs lighter.
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