Last weekend the Gold DofE group took off on their practice expedition in the Black Mountains. It was a challenging expedition with long days carrying a full backpack and all their provisions for the four days. Day 2 was the longest, this had the groups (and staff) walking the horseshoe from Llanthony, over Bal Mawr and round to Waun Fach finishing in Llangors. The songs and general joyous atmosphere kept the groups buzzing along. The weather was generally against the group with a significant amount of rain and some fairly biting temperatures, with day four being possibly the toughest start to an expedition day I’ve seen in a while. The group woke at 6.30am to heavy rain and darkness but the desire to finish a see a hot bath got them though, they were away from camp full of enthusiasm at 7.30am. All the students show great comradery and team spirit and did fantastically to complete the expedition with smiles on their faces and loads of excitement for the Qualifier in June (ish…).

Click here to view the photos.