3 October 2024

Gold Duke of Edinburgh

A group of 40 Lower Sixth students travelled to the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (The Brecon Beacons) in Wales last week for their first Gold DofE expedition.

They faced very challenging conditions over their three days of hiking including icy winds and torrential rain. Taking in some spectacular scenery including the stunning ridges between the summits of Picws Du and Fan Foel looking down on the glacial lakes.

With 72mm of rain in just a few hours students hunkered down in their tents and were rewarded with clearer skies when they walked behind one of Wales' most beautiful & powerful waterfalls, Sgwd Yr Eira. Followed by an epic route over the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu nature reserve, the crystal clear sky meant they could see the Milky Way! Students took on the highest peak; Pen Y Fan at 886m above sea level the groups with a challenging ridge walk before reaching the last camp.

The students showed great resilience and determination during this expedition with many really having to dig deep into their mental and physical reserves to keep going in some very tough conditions. They have definitely learned a lot about outdoor skills, campcraft, navigation and that they are capable of a lot more than they may have thought. Campsite owners and members of the public were all extremely complementary of our students.