In mid September, 17 Year 8 and 9 boys headed out to the Cotswolds for a weekend of outdoor training in preparation for the Junior Expedition to Morocco next Easter. Despite heavy rain for the majority of the weekend, the boys’ spirits remained high and, with many friendships forming, they began to form a cohesive team.  The boys learnt many valuable camping and navigational skills from their external leader, as well as the importance of a dry tent and effective waterproofs.

They went out for two hikes, during which they enacted different worst-case scenarios, such as a ‘broken ankle’ or a ‘lost man’; the boys enjoyed these diversions from the weather and certainly got to show off their acting pedigree in the process. Whilst a wet weekend in the Cotswolds is about as far from the deserts of Morocco as it’s possible to get, the boys are more ready for the next step in their journey. – Mr Gilbertson, expedition leader