Earlier this month our intrepid Year 10s got their first taste of the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expedition experience. Here’s how they got on with their morning trip to Horsenden Hill (written by our Year 10 Journalist Leaders Kwanitah J-P and Matilda M) and the afternoon practical session back here at NHEHS (written by Eleanor P).

The day began, as all great adventures do, with an absurdly long walk. By some stroke of luck (or possibly misfortune), I ended up right at the front of the group, which meant I got exclusive, whispered warnings from the teacher about upcoming hazards—mainly mud, puddles, and the slow, creeping demise of dry socks. This was, of course, incredibly useful information that I immediately chose not to pass on. Instead, I braced myself and listened to the very surprised screams of stupefied students. 

It started with a tentative splash, followed by a disbelieving “Oh no.” Then, the full-scale carnage unfolded—panicked yelps, exaggerated gasps, and the unmistakable sound of twenty pairs of socks resigning themselves to a slow, soggy fate. Someone behind me actually screamed as if they’d fallen into quicksand rather than a slightly inconvenient puddle. It was, objectively, very funny. By the time we emerged on the other side, spirits were dampened (literally), boots were making that awful squelching noise, and we had all collectively accepted that dry feet were now just a distant memory. The worst part? We still had the entire day ahead of us.

And I have both my eyes to tell the tale!

Having not been present for the walk, it was a shock to be met at the door of the Sixth Form Centre by muddy boots as far as the eye could see. However, despite the mud problems, we managed to have a productive afternoon! Our form began with a run-down about information for our real DofE expeditions (including classic topics like ‘walking on the right-hand side of the road, but not at corners’ and ‘dealing with not bringing an entire airbed’), but little attention was paid as we could practically smell the appetising(?) lunches being prepared on the patio. Our meal was already exciting as it was to be cooked by us in Trangias, but the chaos was heightened when it was realised that a) we only had fifteen minutes to prepare our full, nutritional meal for 6, and b) some groups were going to have to get by without a sieve for their pasta (oh, woe betide!). Our group went for dal, rice and naan, which attracted many envious glances from teachers who could do nothing but critique it to make themselves feel better (“you won’t be able to do that on your actual expedition, girls…” – utter rubbish!). After some washing-up, we were off to the tiny, 45-degree incline, 3m^2 patch of grass the Sixth Form try to call a lawn. Why? To put up 3 full size tents, of course! Not taking everyone else’s eyes out with poles was a bit of a challenge, but it was actually lots of fun to learn to put up tents, and our group felt like we’d achieved something much more profound than we really had when we were finished. A talk about kit rounded off a day which is definitely going to be very useful going forward for all of us as we face our true practice expedition in March (which, of course, shall be covered by us in minute detail. You’re welcome.).