Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award practice expedition

Last weekend (Saturday 23 to Sunday 24 April) 47 Year 10 students successfully completed their practice expedition in the Bury St Edmunds area in preparation for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition.

The girls packed lightly and efficiently for the trip, with all rucksacks weighing in at 12kg or less. Four of the teams started their trek at Bury St Edmunds railway station, whilst the other four teams were taken to starting points in Thorpe Morieux and Kettlebaston (all an equal distance from the camp site at Bradfield Combust where the girls would arrive to camp overnight). The eight teams were accompanied on the first day of the expedition by a member of staff, who trained the girls ‘on the hoof’ by walking with them and showing them all the tricks of navigation which, until then, had only been practised on the chapel lawn and in the school grounds. En route to Bradfield Combust the teams were subjected to rain, hail, sunshine and a cold wind, but they all coped very well and were blessed with sunshine once they reached the campsite – just in time to put their tents up and cook some tasty hot food over the trangia stoves.

The group spent the evening talking through the route they had planned for the next day with a member of staff, whilst consuming copious amounts of restorative hot chocolate and biscuits. On the Sunday, having eaten a hearty breakfast and packed up their (rather soggy) tents, the groups were challenged to use their planned routes to navigate from the campsite to either Thurston or Elmswell railway station, with the added incentive of knowing that trains to Cambridge only arrive every two hours! An icy wind kept the girls walking at a brisk pace, and all arrived in time to catch their train back to Cambridge (or be collected).

The standard shown in all areas this year was particularly high and we anticipate an impressive performance from the team when they complete their assessed expedition, on the weekend of the 14/15 May, in the Saffron Walden area, which the students are all now busily preparing for.