Duke of Edinburgh- Gold

Gold D of E Practice and Qualifying Expedition, Black Mountains: 

Over the weekend, 41 Year 12s undertook a Practice Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition from Friday morning until Sunday, whilst 4 Year 13 participants completed their Qualifying Expedition from Thursday until Sunday.  

On Friday a large number of groups made their way up to Waun Fach standing at over 800m. This was certainly a challenge straight from the drop-off point carrying heavy rucksacks, but all of the groups showed great resilience in some strong winds as they traversed the ridge either side.  

On Saturday, all of the groups made their way to Llanthony and camped in the shadow of the majestic priory. On the final day, the participants were then able to enjoy great views of the Welsh countryside from Sugar Loaf (near Abergavenny) as they had the best of the weekend’s weather.

All groups should be commended for their efforts. Mr Smyth would like to thank all the staff for their assistance in running the trip: Mr Musto, Mr Lonsdale, Miss Wilson and Mr Davies.