On Friday 1st April, 22 year 12 and 13 students set out to the Brecon Beacons in Wales to commence their Gold DofE practice expedition. The girls arrived at Llangorse bunkhouse to freezing conditions and the view of snow on the tops of the mountains around them. Their first couple of nights under canvases, they endured temperatures overnight down to -3 degrees Celsius, but they were lucky enough to wake up to bright, crisp sunny mornings and the most stunning views all around them.
Their route took them from Llangorse over to the village of Felindre and then on to Llanthony where they stayed in the grounds of the remains of a beautiful old Abbey. Their final day took them across towards Hay-On-Wye via Offas Dyke. The weather remained kind to them in the day, the rain only arriving at night but the winds did cause issues up on top of the ridges, in particular on Offa’s Dyke where they were lucky not to take flight! The group did amazingly well, walking distances of up to 18km a day carrying back packs with all their equipment and food for the 4-day expedition which is an incredible achievement.
Their determination to keep going despite their aching muscles, blistered feet and the cold and wind deserves upmost respect. Their teamwork and support towards each other was lovely to see and made a real difference in making sure this was a successful practice expedition. They should feel incredibly proud of their achievement, we certainly are.
