While Hertfordshire basked in the first spring sunshine, forty-eight intrepid Bishop’s Stortford College pupils faced the 
winds, rain and snow drifts of Derbyshire’s Dovedale on their Duke of Edinburgh Silver practice expedition over the last weekend of the Easter holidays.
The cries of ‘but it didn’t rain on our Bronze so I didn’t think I would need waterproofs, hats, gloves etc’ and ‘I can’t fit everything into my rucksack’ resounded around various campsites as the large party of fifteen and sixteen year olds battled the elements and the freezing camping conditions. Thermals were definitely the order of the day.
Despite the weather, however, the eight groups all completed the three day venture, a lot wiser, more tired than when they had started and wishing they had listened to the classroom training that little bit harder.
Important lessons were learned. A picture of pasta on the front of the sauce packet does not mean there is pasta supplied INSIDE the packet. Eating bolognaise sauce in pitta bread is not quite the same.
For another group, having spent 90 minutes cooking pasta, the learning of the day was that removing the regulator makes the flame much bigger and cooks the food much quicker.
The usual crop of ailments accompanied the expedition; enough blisters to keep Compeed in business for several months, plus various pulled muscles.
After a final debrief at the end of the expedition the pupils returned to Bishop’s Stortford College looking forward to their assessed expedition in the summer…not!