On Halloween, 6 boys and 6 girls from Buxton School embarked on a trip outside London for two days and a night in the forest in order to complete their Duke of Edinburgh silver and gold awards.


To develop map reading skills, independance and communication with others within the group of 12 students the students were dropped off at a particular point in two groups of 6 each. They were given a compass, map and told to reach a particular point within an allocated time. Each group had a phone to call the teacher who was nearby incase anything went wrong and each person had a set of equipment to carry. Between a group of 6 people they held a rucksack each contained with clothing, sleeping bags, head torches, food, tents, first aid equipment and other necessities.

After trekking for a certain distance the group came to a rest at night and began to prepare dinner, the group had a hearty meal and began to erect the tents. As night fell the students slowly began to fall asleep after a long day of walking and enjoying each others company.

When morning came around the students cooked a tasty breakfast of bacon, sausages and pancakes to prepare them for the day ahead. With 6 kilometres to cover overall the students began their final march to the end. After several hours of walking they finally reached their destination and could finally relax on the journey back to school.

Upon asking a student he said it was 'amazing and a great experience, the weather was a letdown but we carried on as best as possible. It was invigorating and I truly enjoyed it.'

Taking the equipment home and back to their beds, each of the students got their well earned rest feeling satisfied and like they've achieved something worthwhile.