Over the summer, there were three Duke of Edinburgh expeditions that took place, with two overseas gold expeditions and one silver expedition in Wales. The two overseas expeditions included canoeing in France, and kayaking in Sweden while the silver expedition was a domestic one in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Head of Outdoor Education, Mr Steve Macpherson, provides the reports:
Gold Expedition - France
The first expedition was a gold canoe expedition to the Dordogne in the South of France. The group travelled to the venue overland by train. Firstly, by Eurostar to Paris and then on SNCF trains to Beaulieu sur Dordogne where I met them. We spent a few days here practising and preparing for our journey down the river.
With its calm and clear waters, The Dordogne is ideal for canoeing. The river is one of France's main rivers for canoeing and kayaking, offering umpteen first-class sights within a stone’s throw of the water.
Our actual expedition started a few days later in the rain. Luckily, the weather did improve as we travelled down river, camping along the way in riverside campsites.
The group travelled in two-person canoes carrying all their equipment with them for the duration of their journey. Along the way, they were able to enjoy the views passing by - the Dordogne is framed with walnut orchards, rock-sculpted villages, fields of sunflowers, astonishing views and stone fortresses that patrol the cliffs above.
After four days, we arrived at our destination - Beynac et Cazenac - and what a place to finish. Stores returned and packed, we all went into this lovely village for a fully deserved meal and an early night. The expedition wasn't quite over though as we still had to travel back to Shiplake.
Gold Expedition - Sweden
Our second gold expedition was to Sweden, where we spent time kayaking amongst Sant Anna and Gryt Archipelago. Sant Anna & Gryt truly are treasures amongst treasures. This seventy-kilometre remote stretch of the Baltic coast is incredibly untouched with six thousand islands and islets in a maze.
Again, we started with some training and practice in preparation for our journey through the archipelago. During the expedition, our group got to explore this amazing coastal wonderland where we were free to paddle and camp wherever we liked. During the day, we kayaked through narrow passages and clusters of islands and before nightfall we would find a suitable island, set up camp, cook a nice meal, and enjoy the sunset - bliss.
The archipelago, with all its islands and reefs, is a delight to experience with a kayak and is considered by many kayakers as one of the world's finest archipelagos for kayaking.
Silver Expedition - Wales
Our final expedition of the summer was in more familiar territory - The Brecon Beacons in Wales. This time, it was the turn of the silver groups. On arrival at the picturesque Llangorse Lake, they were met by their assessors and the expedition began.
Llangorse Lake sits east of Brecon between the Central Beacons and the Black Mountains and is the largest natural lake in south Wales. Like the mountain lakes in the surrounding area, it lies in a hollow formed by glacial action but at 154m above sea level, it is far more accessible.
The area surrounding this lake was to be our day one. Over the following two days, we travelled along the tangle of footpaths and up onto some of the lower slopes of the Brecon Beacons themselves.
We finished our expedition on the bank of the Brecon & Monmouthshire canal, and I am reliably informed that the assessors’ debriefs took place at an ice cream shop in Brecon.
Well done to all the students who took part in expeditions over the summer and a big thank you to the staff who helped. We could not run these expeditions without your help.
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