DofE Expeditions - June 2023

The Duke of Edinburgh Expedition this year took place on 5-7 and 8-10 June. The students had been responsible for selecting their groups. On the Monday and Thursday some very bright and breezy participants met at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Petersfield. From the very beginning, we were blessed with excellent weather. The first day for both groups was spent learning about simple first aid for hiking, what to do in an emergency, as well as learning how to pitch tents and cook using Trangia stoves.

As usual, there were a number of students who had packed as if they were going on a world cruise with way more clothing than they needed – with a bit of slight-of-hand, and the use of my car boot, we were able to lighten their loads – they still had to find space to pack their tents and cooking equipment. 

Their first dinner is always entertaining. Imagine, six students, a kilo of uncooked pasta and a 1 litre pot – what could go wrong? After eating, they had to wash up and sort out the extra pasta they had cooked. Settling down for the night in the middle of a field surrounded by wild creatures (sheep and cows) is not always everyone’s cup of tea, but we eventually got them off to sleep.

The second and third day at the QECP were the actual expeditions for each group. Each team showed amazing resilience and focus, navigating their way around the countryside, working as a team and really doing themselves proud. I am pleased to say that we did not lose anyone (for too long) and the only medical issues we had were a couple of ticks (the biting kind) and some hayfever.

After the expedition, I am pleased to say that despite a few very tired students, it was brilliant to see such happy faces knowing that they had achieved something so awesome. Rumour has it that some staff covered over 80 000 steps over their three days, whilst another logged over 100 miles in his car with the aircon turned up.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the staff who joined me for three days each with these super- amazing students. Thank you to Miss Kiernan, Mr Wright, Miss Perkis and Mr Bernard-Patel for all the miles they walked and the support they gave to the students. DofE cannot run without these tireless heroes.

Mr Moore
DofE Co-ordinator