DUKE OF EDINBURGH GOLD EXPEDITION

At 7am on Saturday 4^th July, 19 students set off on their Gold Duke of Edinburgh assessed expedition, ready to tackle four days of walking, camping and carrying everything they needed on their backs. By 4pm on Tuesday 7th July, every student had completed the expedition, covering more than 50km and taking another major step towards achieving their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Although the expedition took place in July, the weather clearly had not checked the calendar. Over the four days, the group experienced heavy rain, wild gusts of wind and blazing sunshine—sometimes seemingly within the same hour. Waterproofs were repeatedly put on, taken off and put back on again, while the students discovered that there is no such thing as travelling light when you are carrying a tent, food and several days’ worth of equipment.

There were also plenty of memorable moments along the way. One of the more unusual highlights involved watching England beat Mexico at 2am from inside a tent, proving that sleep is apparently optional when football is involved. The final campsite was equally eventful and looked like a scene from Animal Farm, with sheep wandering freely between the tents and treating the guy ropes as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Despite the challenging terrain, unpredictable weather and curious livestock, the students showed outstanding resilience, teamwork and determination throughout. They supported one another, remained positive and kept going when the walking became difficult. Completing a Gold assessed expedition is a significant achievement, and all 19 students should be extremely proud of what they accomplished over the four days.