On Saturday and Sunday the 16th and 17th of March, our Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver students, along with two sixth form volunteers, braved the wind and rain of rural Buckinghamshire to hone their camp craft skills. The group  took part in a walk to the campground, setting up tents, building shelters in the bush, making fires, roasting marshmallows, cooking over camp stove, rock climbing and much more!

The groups had the true camping experience surviving a cold, wet and windy night – the Bronze and Silver students will be reconsidering what to bring for the next two expeditions, to ensure they stay warm! Regardless of how much or how little sleep they had, everyone was up at 7:20am cooking breakfasts on their trangia stoves.

By 9am all tents were packed and everyone had a go at harnessed rock climbing. By 12pm it was time to hit the track again, but this time they had to walk without staff in order to work on their pacing skills in groups. It was a fun weekend and everyone enjoyed the experience.

A big thanks to all staff who volunteered for this weekend – the students really benefited from having such a big and enthusiastic support crew. The next event is the Bronze Practice expedition, walking from Tring to Aston Clinton on the 11th and 12th May. We can’t wait!