Monthly Archives: Sep 2020

DofE 9: E. Chilterns

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Chilly first night down to 7°C under a clear sky. light N breeze

Day 1: Camped on the banks of the River Thames before setting off for the meet-up point. I got there just in time to be issued with 2 groups of girls ready for a Practice/training Expedition.
There were a lot of changes made to groups so we set off last for the day’s walk.The day went well but for very different pace-setting between and within groups. Apart from this problem, they were a very likable bunch of characters. Some were steady and others fiercely competitive. We had an excellent rapport after getting on well right from the start. We had fun too, not just DofE but wordplay too. They tried to persuade me to do a Tiktok with them but ‘your phones should be packed away and off’. Another was ‘Cursive speech’. It’s the hollow sound your voice makes when you hold your tongue down and clench your jaw. Here’s me thinking it was scrolling handwriting.

The faster group were set places to wait for me and the 2nd group where we could consolidate routefinding methods. After we crossed the Thames, the fast group got even faster. From here, as we got nearer the camp, other groups’ routes converged. That meant the fast girls could see a group of lads which suddenly gave them a surge of more energy. Ironic that after they’d complained of tiredness not long before. Then they were out of sight.

After some coordination with other instructors, it turned out they were with another group having taken a wrong turn. Ironically – we had to wait for them, to the obvious glee of my slower group.

A long wait by a narrow rail crossing.

Day 2: Groups walk by themselves and I checkpoint them. The pattern re-emerged from day 1 where the fast group rushed ahead and made enough errors to reduce the gap. The second group steadily plodded on but got all their navigation right.

Packing up: Got some good feedback from the kids as well as the Exped leader via a parent. One of the girls was “buzzing over the day”, I think she actually surprised herself with how quickly she mastered map-reading and route finding.

That was a fabulous couple of days’ work. You can tell days like this because on the drive home, you think over the work on all levels with satisfaction. It makes up for the long drive.

DofE 7 & 8: Princethorpe Qualifying expedition.

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23°C, light breeze and bright sun.

Camped at the same site as in July; the campsite the expedition is using is rather tatty. The showers still have an Out Of Order sign, even 2 years after the first time I visited.

Group A, 5 lads. A group I’ve met before who got on well and had no difficulty at all. It was warm and sunny both days. The plan is to walk with them for part of day 1 and check their competance. I ended up leaving them later than ideal because there was a risky road section further on that I wanted to escort them down. As it turned out, the road was held in check by HS2 works a few miles down.

A long checkpoint on by a grassy verge. I was there about an hour, enough time to brew a coffee and get the tent dry. I guy walked past and asked if I was ‘doing a spot of wild camping?’. I answered him politely, he seemed to have little knowledge of what that entails.

Group B, a week later… 6 girls this time. More fine September weather and a very able group. They only made mistakes near lunchtime when they got hungry. I could see their confidence inproving over the hours I walked with them. As last week, I left them slightly earlier to get my car for a few final checkpoints. They travelled safely enough but had rather more rest-stops than is ideal.
Group 14 arrived at camp last and were determined to prove their ability to erect tents AND cook in the short hour remaining before pickup.

Unfortunately for both trips, they couldn’t camp the night because of Covid-19 restrictions. Many kids see camp as the highlight of the expedition- it’s a time to relax, look back on the day and for many – stay in a tent for the first time. It’s a shame they miss out on their first camp.