13 Ponteland High School students have taken on a challenging four day expedition through the Lake District as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, putting their navigation, teamwork and resilience to the test.
Starting in Ullswater, the group travelled through the Lake District before finishing their expedition in Keswick. Across the four days, students covered not only an incredible 105,000 steps, but climbed the equivalent of 557 flights of stairs, tackling both the Helvellyn and Catbells mountain ranges along the way!
However, as expected, the expedition certainly came with its challenges. By the fourth day, sore feet and tired legs were beginning to take their toll, but this was no barrier to some rather creative ways to keep going. After reaching the mountains, students resorted to sliding down sections on their backs! James L said:
“Our legs had completely given up, so sliding down the mountain seemed like the only sensible option!”
The weather provided another challenge, with thick fog making navigation at the top of the mountains extremely difficult. Students had to rely on their navigation and communication skills, working together to stay on route. Liv described the experience as:
“It was scary, but also such a thrill – you couldn’t see much, so you really had to trust your team!”
And then, on top of that, there was the rain!
With torrential downpours adding to the challenge, Ewan came prepared with perhaps the most important and fashionable piece of expedition equipment: his rainbow hat. The colourful hat certainly brought some humour to the group. Ewan joked:
“If we’re going to get absolutely soaked, we might as well look fabulous doing it!”
Beyond the miles walked and mountains climbed, the expedition was an opportunity for students to put everything they have learnt through Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold into practice.
Four days of walking, camping, navigating and battling the elements also created plenty of memories that will stay with the students long after the blisters have healed. Experiences like these are at the heart of DofE, giving students the chance to challenge themselves while building friendships and skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
A huge well done to Olivia D, Frances E, Beau H, James L, Ben J, Owen B, Francesca S, Emily, Lily W, Kamran H, Ewan D, Anaya B, Fin C. You should all be so proud of yourselves!
Written by Holly H
