Duke of Edinburgh expeditions tend to make up quite a bit of my working diary from April through to June, but it was nice to start the ball rolling a little earlier this year. I’m due to spend 5 days with Oswestry School in about a weeks time, working with pupils building up to their Gold walking expedition which is expected to take place in June. However, this weekend was aimed at those candidates that are direct entrants into the scheme and, as such, have not received the training that others will have had. Oswestry School actually have candidates planning to undertake their expeditions by canoe and sea kayak as well, but this weekend was spent looking at skills common to all.

Up until mid afternoon on Saturday, time was spent looking at putting up tents and some basic camp craft considerations, safe use of stoves and fuel for cooking as well as appropriate food for expeditions, clothing and kit as well as a basic introduction to maps and the information on them.

This was followed by 3 hours or so of basic navigation practice, where they had the chance to put a few skills into practice. They main emphasis was very much on orientating the map and relating the map to the ground and vice versa to develop an appreciation of the detail and accuracy of the maps that are available. It was also good to start developing the skills of approximating distance, both from the map (by measuring with the scales on the compass) and the real world (by timing and pacing).

Back at the camp site, it was time to start cooking. For most, this was the first time that they had cooked in this kind of environment, and it’s alway interesting to see what food they’ve brought with them. After seeing lots of doughnuts and cakes appear for lunch, I was relieved to see some pretty impressive meals being prepared in the evening. However, I suspect that the hard work involved in washing up may make some reconsider their food choices for next time. By the time dinner was all done, the daylight had gone. After a few improvised games, everyone settled down in their tents fairly early.

Everything takes so much longer than you expect when you’re camping, especially when it’s all new. We’d told everyone that they should be ready to leave the campsite by 9am. By 9.45am, it was looking like we might actually be away before lunch! However, walking long distances was certainly not what this weekend was about – it was more about learning lessons about living outdoors. So a bit more practice of putting up and taking down tents of different designs and advice on cleaning stoves and pans was a valuable addition to the program.

I then spent some time with a group of 5 walkers, looking at route cards. Having looked at the information that they should include, they prepared a route card for a short walk of around 4km. They must have done a pretty good job of it, as we managed to arrive back at the campsite only 8 minutes after they had predicted – not bad for a first attempt.

Personally, I thought that this weekend was a fantastic introduction for these direct entrants. We’ll have to see what they’ve actually learnt from it next week!