Over the course of five days, they took on the challenge of preparing their own meals, mastering navigation skills using maps, and immersing themselves in the stunning landscapes of Reeth. Along the way, they built lasting friendships and created memories that will stay with them forever. What an amazing experience for these young adventurers!

We asked one of the students on the trip to share their experience in their own words. Year 12 student, Sadwan Rashid shares his story of his adventure in the Yorkshire Dales:

The DofE Experience by Sadwan Rashid

Experience

In just 5 days, the trip of a lifetime was over- it felt so long but far too short -and yet left an incredible impression that I will not forget. I met so many people and gained more friends than I could have expected. Everyone at DofE was incredibly funny, relatable and just an absolute joy to experience DofE with. After a long day of hiking nothing was better than coming back to the bunkhouse and relaxing with everyone. The common room was always full of laughter and joy and the activities left us with no regrets when it came to the end of it.

Nature

From the very moment I looked out the window of the coach the vibrant colour of the scenery left me absolutely speechless. The lush green coated hills stretched on endlessly in the horizon and the powdered clouds swam across the sea of blue overhead. As you trek the land of Yorkshire dales a variety of landscapes will greet your eyes. Slow, gentle, lazy flowing streams, crowds of tall grass and simple, primitive, impressive man-made structures. The immersion of nature disassociates you from the present as you sink into a lovely peaceful dream. Such unbelievably beautiful views almost made regret coming back home.

Skills

DofE was far more intricate and complex than anything I could have imagined. In the preparation stage alone, you have to calculate a budget for all the food and balance between the efficiency of calories and the safety of your taste buds. Then packing bags and cooking food taught me so much about how to take care of myself. Furthermore, the daily walks pushed my physical limits and helped me improve my fitness and endurance beyond what I could have imagined. Before DofE I couldn’t get from point A to point B without google maps, but now I can confidently read maps, navigate across a variety of terrain, and now I possess decent first aid skills that can really help in case of an emergency.