On the first evening of the half-term break, 60 boys from the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Scheme and from the Combined Cadet Force embarked on their first Navigation Practice Expedition, based at the School.

The 24-hour expedition involved a fast-paced lesson in putting up a tent so as to not lose the daylight, before a remind-and-revise session on the use of the trangia. It was also an opportunity for candidates to work out by trial and error what is the best way to administrate oneself in an expedition environment.

One of the most important skills is cooking – and some of the meals produced were by far the most impressive that any of the staff had ever witnessed.

One group cooked an entire vegetable curry from scratch, preparing the food as they went along. Other meals were pasta and sauce. But the main lesson that was learned was about energy requirements and the importance of something good to look forward to when getting back in camp.

The second day was the navigation phase. Groups had spent the last few weeks preparing their routes and route cards for a short 12-15 km walk from School, over the river, and through the surrounding area. With only a few navigationally challenging moments, all the groups made it safely back and within their predicted times.