Duke of Edinburgh
This term has been a very busy one so far for the Settle College Duke of Edinburgh candidates- with 2 qualifying expeditions already completed as well as lots of hard work on the volunteering, skills and physical sections.
The Silver group took on a challenging but rewarding expedition in the Buckden area at the end of September. They started in Arncliffe, walking to Buckden on the first day where they camped at the fantastic Buckden Camping. The following day was an exhilarating trek over the hills to Semerwater, taking in Fleet Moss en route, and then wild camping on a farm by the lake. The final day finished in Aysgarth with a well-deserved ice cream after almost 70 kilometres.
A huge congratulations to all of them- it was a real treat for the staff to hear their presentation the following week where they humorously discussed the highs and lows, as well as recounted the adventures of their ‘mascot’ Lego minifigure who accompanied them along the way.
The Bronze cohort also successfully completed their qualifying expedition during October, in the Kettlewell area. Each of the 4 groups undertook 2 days of tough walking, camping and cooking at Kettlewell Camping on the Saturday evening. On an exceptionally beautiful but very cold weekend, they threw themselves into the challenge and showed resilience and determination as well as fantastic teamwork across the two days. Well done to all those who took part, and we are looking forward to your Silver adventures soon!
The camping season is now over for this year and so in preparation for the new season, the Year 10 Bronze group will be taking on their first training activity, with a day walk from Settle College in November. In addition, the Year 9 cohort will be registering and getting started on their skills, volunteering and physical activities in preparation for their training after the Christmas break. Year 12 Silver are underway with their activities too, and are looking forward to making a start on their expedition training after the half term break.
