Maps, Mud and Camping Stoves: Year 9 Take On DofE Bronze Training Expedition
Last weekend, our Year 9 students laced up their boots, hoisted their rucksacks and headed out into the East Sussex countryside for their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award training expedition. Two days of walking, cooking and campcraft later, they came back tired, a little bit wiser and very much ready for what comes next.
Out on the Trail
The route took the group through the countryside between Alfriston and the Long Man of Wilmington, one of the most recognisable landmarks in the county. Students took turns leading the group along the way, which meant there was no hiding at the back and hoping someone else would figure out the map.
Navigation was a key focus throughout. Rather than relying on a phone or a GPS, students were expected to read the terrain around them, identify landmarks and make decisions as a group. The Long Man made for a useful waypoint. Chalk figures carved into hillsides tend to.
Cooking, Campcraft and Keeping Things Tidy
Back at the campsite in Alfriston, the expedition took a practical turn. Students were responsible for their own meals, cooked on small camping stoves. Most went for the sensible option: rice, pasta and a sauce. Simple, filling and far less likely to go wrong than anything more ambitious.
Alongside the cooking, the group worked on campcraft skills that will matter just as much during the assessed expedition. Keeping the site clean and tidy, washing up properly after meals, staying safe around stoves and knowing where the guy ropes are before someone finds them the hard way. They also practised moving together as a group on the trail, thinking about pace and safety rather than just getting from A to B.
What Comes Next
The training expedition is exactly that: training. It gives students the chance to make mistakes and learn from them in a lower-stakes environment before the assessed expedition, which takes place at the end of this month.
From what we saw last weekend, they are more than ready for it. They worked hard, looked after each other and showed exactly the kind of resilience and independence that Duke of Edinburgh is designed to build.
Good luck, Year 9. We are right behind you.