April has a reputation for strange weather, and this year has certainly been no exception. Over the course of the two day expedition we had
showers (normal) , torrential rain (enough to soak those without decent waterproofs), hard frosts (sufficient to freeze solid wet tents and footwear left out in the porches ) and yet clear blue skies and strong enough sun for those of us with pale skin to go a little red round the edges. Variety is, as they say, the spice of life. Similarly some of the paths were still mired ankle deep with winter mud, whilst others wound gently though the bluebells, anemones and even a bit of early wild garlic. This all made for a great learning experience for the seventy odd members of the LV who ventured fourth whilst the rest of the school was being cultured at the summit day which formed part of the School’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
Inevitably navigation was a little hazy at times, and some camp craft skills were in need of some refinement. However, the great thing was the
reflective and positive attitude of all the groups and the way the feedback and instruction was taken on board, with lots of thinking ahead to the assessed expedition at the end of term. For many of the participants this was their first time out on this kind of exercise and they made a very creditable start to a life-time of expeditions
As ever, many thanks to all the staff who gave up their time at a busy stage of term and to the kind landowners who let us invade their fields.
Dr SAH Young
Head of Outdoor Education
