146 OUTDOOR PURSUITS
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a very rewarding set of tasks. One of the most challenging, yet exciting aspects, is the expedition, which our team, consisting of Aly Abdelfattah, Mike Bender, Steven Wride, Conor Mansir, Thomas Challen, Ben Thomas, Ed Tonkin, Chris Spear and Ed Parry, all completed as the four day hike across the Brecon Beacons in South Wales.
Our aim during this expedition (apart from completing it!) was to view man’s impact on nature and the surrounding landscapes. On our travels we came across several examples of man’s effect, yet we also found several areas that seemed undisturbed by his influence. We found abandoned railway stations, disused quarries and dams built upon natural reservoirs. For the majority of our journey, however, the land was mainly untouched by man.
So, to the beginning of our journey. The first day saw constant rain and visibility was also poor (not helped by the fact we were walking through a cloud), which made our travels treacherous and also made it essential that we stuck close together as a group and had excellent navigational skills. Thankfully, we came through together with no injuries and morale was high once the rain eventually passed.
As a complete contrast, as soon as we woke up there were clear skies and the sun beat down relentlessly. The heat was unbearable for the majority of the day, with stress building and morale falling with the high temperature. Fortunately, it cooled down by the evening and we made camp.
Much to our annoyance, the third day combined the worst weather of both previous two days. The morning was hot, with many members of the team suffering sunburn. Yet the afternoon was another climate altogether: rain lashed down on us as we struggled up yet more mountains – the only consolation was the fantastic views we experienced once we reached the top of some of our toughest mountains yet. By the time we made camp, the skies were clear once again and the temperature was mild - the downside was that we were not alone in our campsite… we shared the night with some friendly sheep.
However, the fourth day was the best by far: the best weather Wales had to offer, as we made our farewell walk, made easier by our route being along a canal and therefore flat and calming after days of traversing treacherous mountain terrain. Having woken up early in the morning, we finished ahead of schedule and enjoyed our trip home in the minibus - only to have the skies open with the full wrath of the Welsh weather as we successfully completed our expedition unscathed.
Having finished the expedition, we reflected on our experiences - some good, some bad, mostly challenging - but overall we decided that it was a worthwhile experience and we fully encourage everyone in the lower years to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, even if only by going for Bronze.
Aly Abdelfattah-Elmakhzangui
“
The only consolation was the fantastic views we experienced once we reached the top of some of our toughest mountains yet.”
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