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Hele's School

Hele's School

Hele's School A great place to learn. A great place to grow.

Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions

35 students have been out and about on their practice bronze expedition.

Weather forecasting is getting better without a doubt, but the sun which we had over the weekend exceeded all expectations and the 35 students out and about on their Practice Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition between Plympton and the South Devon coast line could have done with a little more sun cream and several additional sun hats! Walking through Slatram, Oreston, Radford Park and up through Radford Woods to Staddiscombe, before heading across to Wembury via the Coast to Coast footpath is a delightful way to spend a bright, dry Saturday, and students' positive attitudes and smiles despite their heavy packs made it even better. The use of a tucked-away campsite just outside Wembury meant that we were able to settle down on Saturday night for some sleep to the sound of tawny owls, and were woken very early by a cacophonous dawn chorus a couple of hours too early. Nonetheless, an early start beckoned, and by 9am all groups were on their way into Wembury and heading west along the South Devon Coast Path to the breakwater at Mountbatten. This was the first time that students have had to carry all their equipment, and this, coupled with some steep climbs up and down, as the coast path drops to the sea then rises again to the clifftops, made for a real challenge. The finish line saw lots of smiles, a few tears of relief and certainly some tired bodies, but an achievement well worth the effort, and lessons learned for the assessed expedition next month