Last Friday, 33 Year 10 students set off for their practice expedition as part of their work towards their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Awards.
On the Friday morning they were taken by minibus to their drop-off points in the Banbury area where they spent the day with a map and compass, navigating the routes they had pre-planned in school. The students carried all their equipment, including their tents and camped overnight at the Horley Scouts Campsite near Banbury, after cooking their evening meals on Trangias. On Saturday the students decamped and navigated to their finishing point.
During the 2-day expedition students covered approximately 25k cross country, very successfully finding their way to the camp site and then to the finish point at Epwell the next day. Team spirit was fantastic within the 5 groups as they worked together to develop their navigation skills. Each group also had an ‘aim’, from looking at the impact of humans on the environment to the diversity of the wildlife in the area. It was a cold night on Friday evening but it stayed dry – more practice is needed with getting the tents up quickly!
Well done everyone from the Duke of Edinburgh Team!
