The sun was shining on year 12 over Easter when they headed down to Dartmoor for their DofE gold expedition training weekend. This year we had record numbers; 42 pupils who had signed up for this opportunity. 

On Friday 11th April we arrived at Postbridge in Dartmoor where we met the instructors from Ocean Rock. The students were divided into 7 groups, each of 6 people. They collected tents and stoves and made final preparations to their rucksacks. 

Each group walked a slightly different route, some headed for Brimpts farm, while others headed to Sheepstor. Each group was self sufficient and practised their map and compass skills to navigate the wild landscape of Dartmoor. All groups were in to camp in time to set up and cook tea before it got dark. Even the one group who managed to get lost for a short while.

The second day was the longest walk, with each group walking over 20km. Not an easy thing with a full back pack. However everyone was up for the challenge and managed to complete the day with a smile on their faces. The weather was kind and the biggest problem was getting sun burnt, not something you would expect from Dartmoor in April! The groups swapped camp sites for the second night and again all made it in with time to spare.

The final day the groups had a slightly shorter walk. This time the navigation was a bit trickier, with rain and mist coming in to give an atmospheric walk. Overall the pupils were a credit to the school and all have said that they enjoyed the experience. There have been some learning points in terms of equipment, which dehydrated food is best (if you are interested the Chilli con cane comes out on top, but the caramel pudding is disgusting). The assessed expedition is in the Black Mountains in July and the pupils are hungry for the challenge (not the caramel pudding).