Last Saturday night saw the Gold D of E candidates putting their navigational skills to the test in preparation for the approaching expedition
season. On a fairly claggy night they went up to Blackheath to attempt to find their way round a series of markers, for which they had been given the grid references. It is hoped that they will never have to do this in the dark on their actual expedition, but it is the only way to practise navigation when the cloud comes down, something that could easily happen on a typical trip to Wales.
After a staggered start the pairs soon spread out over the course, with little but the occasional startled squeak, or a puddle of
light, to give away their presence. Despite the fairly gnarly conditions everyone survived, with Jack Taylor and Rupert Wilson-Harris finding all but one of the points and everyone else finding at least some of them. Most importantly everyone managed to get back to the bus in time.
Well done to everyone who participated and thank you to Miss Baily and Mrs Young for helping out. Let’s hope for some drier weather when they are out on expedition later in the year.
Dr SAH Young
Head of Outdoor Education
