OP

Gold canoe and walk Practice Expedition

Lake District

Twenty-three walkers and eight canoeists completed their training and practice expeditions in the Lake District at the end of last term. The weather was wet at the start and this produced many challenges but when it cleared up pupils were able to fully appreciate the beauty of the area which helped enormously.

It was a successful trip that highlighted the importance of listening and taking advice as well as being individually prepared for the physical challenge that can easily be underestimated.

Phil Wastie, DofE Co-Ordinator

Silver Practice Expedition

Wye Valley

Now offering Silver rather than Bronze DofE programmes, Malvern continues to expand the options for transport available to the Remove year group. This year we offered pupils the choice between walking, kayaking, canoeing, mountain-biking, stand-up paddle-boarding and katakanuing and happily we had teams representing all of these options. They camped together in the same location each night and then went their separate ways in the day. Each evening they

returned to share stories with the others making for a great atmosphere and a very successful trip. The weather was lovely and lots of learning took place.

White-water kayaking

River Dart

Our Slovenia-bound kayakers gained some practice on the River Dart this spring when we spent the day white water kayak training in Devon. Paddling solid grade 3 rapids, the team did fantastically. They managed the river well and descended the section famous for its high flows and technical paddling difficulty. They are now looking forward to trying out their skills in alpine conditions this summer.