The world has us back! After we haven’t been for any Duke of Edinburgh outings for 18 months, we used the first of May as the first navigation training day for our two new Bronze groups. We met up at school at 9:30, and everybody was equipped with a compass and a map with the route marked. And off we went. Although the participants knew most of the paths we were walking on from other school outings, we took a closer look at certain features, such as different sorts of tracks, “hills and holes” (which are sometimes hard to tell apart…), the steepness of roads, and field boundaries. Also, we practiced the use of the compass (or the sun, when available), and listened to curlews and skylarks (although we were not able to spot them). 

We were very lucky with the weather – not a drop of rain, and when the sun came out, it was lovely and warm, so we had an enjoyable leisurely lunch en-route.  

Since we arrived back at school an hour before pickup time, we made the most of this extra time and tried out our Trangia stoves, making hot chocolate. There are worse ways to spend a day, and I am sure the world is pleased to have us back! 

Regine Trotter, Duke of Edinburgh Leader