Half term kicked off with lots of hiking, orienteering and three nights in a bunk house in the Bakewell area for 30 Fifth Form boys completing their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions.
The first day was spent walking a loop of Castleton and climbing Mam Tor in the process. Some boys found this challenging – one even claimed that he had never sweated so much!
On return to the bunk house the boys were tasked with cooking their own dinner while having their route cards and maps checked by the two external assessors.
The next day, the boys set off in two groups. The first group headed east from Great Hucklow up Frogget Edge and reached their campsite after seven hours. Group two headed south along Cressbrook and also reached their campsite seven hours later.
After a night under canvas, the groups swapped campsites which involved a further seven hours of walking in order to make the swap. One group lost their way and fell a couple of hours behind. However, this proved to be a real team-building experience as they worked together to find their way back to camp.
To round off a challenging weekend, the boys walked into Bakewell in time for lunch on the final day.
Mr Peters celebrated by buying a Bakewell pudding, Bakewell tart and a cherry Bakewell from The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop. Afterwards, the boys were keen to get out of their dirty clothes and collapse on the minibus home; a well-deserved reward after completing all their walks and impressing the assessors.
