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EF Academy Torbay Duke of Edinburgh hike

EF Academy Torbay Duke of Edinburgh hike

Students from across the school took part in a Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) practice expedition on Dartmoor this weekend braving a very cold wind and some challenging conditions but they all came out of it with a smile and a sense of achievement.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programs take between one to four years to complete, and they must be completed by the participant’s twenty-fifth birthday. There are around 300,000 participants annually. The programs are at three progressive levels which, if successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

With assistance from adult Leaders, participants select and set objectives in each of the following areas:

Volunteering: undertaking service to individuals or the community.
Physical: improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities.
Skill: developing practical and social skills and personal interests.
Expedition: planning, training for and completion of an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad.

At Gold level, participants must do an additional fifth Residential section. The DofE Gold Residential section involves staying and working away from home for five days, doing a shared activity.

This weekends camp and hike which involved nearly 50 students from across the courses in school acted as a practice expedition for some and an intro to the great outdoors for others.
We hired a large bunk house near Hay Tor and left school on Friday night after a final kit check and meeting to go over the plans for the evening. Friday night camping was for the students enrolled on the Bronze award because they will have to complete their expedition at the end of this academic year. While the students that joined us on Saturday are taking their expedition in their second year.

Dartmoor is an area of moorland in southern Devon, England. Protected by National Park status as Dartmoor National Park, it covers 954 square kilometres (368 sq mi). The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous Period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The highest point is High Willhays, 621 m (2,037 ft) above sea level. The entire area is rich in antiquities and archaeology.

We reached our bunk house and immediately set up tents and sorted our kit out. We then took the students on a night hike around the Hay Tor area which was a real experience for some of the students but it really helps them understand the difficulty of walking and navigating with low visibility.

Tired and in need of food we got back to the camp site and cooked our dinners which again is practice for the students because they have to use the camp cooking equipment. The great thing about a night hike is the fact that it makes you tired so it wasn’t long before students started heads for their tents to sleep.

The following day we set off early after explain the route to the students and setting them group solo hikes. We met up with the group that left Torquay in the morning and expedition leader Bob East took them for a hike while Ian Mills took the other group on the pre-planned hike. The wind was very strong and it was bitterly cold at times but moral was high and we made good progress stopping for lunch on top of Rippon Tor with amazing views over Dartmoor. Into the final stretch and although tired the students really felt impressed with themselves showing why the Duke of Edinburgh Award is so valuable to young people.