Perse students go for Gold in Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition

Five teams of Perse Lower Sixth students set out for north Wales over half term as part of the PES Peak Gold programme.

The four-day practice expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Gold award saw the group based just south of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on a lesser-known range of peaks offering greater navigational challenge with the lack of paths and waymarked routes.

With the purpose of DofE being to nurture independence in young people, pupils purchased all their own food, organised their equipment and planned the hiking routes for the trip ahead of time, with Perse outdoor education staff on hand to ensure safety as the terrain and weather conditions permitted.

The first day focused on navigational training, which was definitely needed as the weather offered low-lying cloud and intermittent showers. This limited visibility ensured pupils gained valuable skills in taking bearings and conducting pacings over broken and boggy terrain.

More heavy cloud cover and brisk winds greeted pupils on day two for their ascent of Moel Hebog. The approach route up the mountain began over boggy terrain, with a few pupils falling foul of the odd muddy hole.

This soon gave way to broken, and sometimes steep, rock requiring good route finding and steady footing. Pupils were guided through this section of the route by experienced staff, but the challenges were no less for it, with heavy packs to take on their journey.

The final day saw pupils walk through dense woodland to reach the end point at a picturesque steam railway station.

Perse Director of Outdoor Education Ben Parker said: “The pupils had to contend with difficult terrain, obliging weather (from a staff perspective), and damp kit due to the unfortunately timed rain. Nonetheless, they demonstrate great motivation and perseverance throughout and we were most impressed with all the teams involved.”