From October 30th to November 3rd, a group of five students braved the cold and wet weather as they embarked on a challenging 5-day, 4-night expedition up the mountain in the Brecon Beacons. Navigating through rocky terrain and slippery paths, and enduring uncomfortable nights of sleep, our determined learners had completed their journey. They returned with excitement, eager to share the intricate details of their adventure, involving teamwork, attentiveness, perseverance, and the discovery of new-found skills.
Before this expedition could begin, Kayra, Durukan, Andrei, Filip, and Morgan, had to ready themselves with the not-so-easy decision of adapting to new skills to help navigate and set up tents hastily through harsh weather conditions whilst trailing up the mountain path. Andrei noted, “We acquired the skills to decipher maps and utilise specific notations. The initial day was mainly training us the basics such as map reading, navigation techniques, and tent setup.”
For the first 3 nights of the journey, Storm Ciaran was ruling the mountain with fierce winds and downpours of rain, making it too dangerous for our young adventurers to continue. So, they returned to the main building, where they would then wait until the storm subsided to carry on their expedition. “Due to Storm Ciaran and the harsh conditions it created, we had the luxury of sleeping inside the building for 3 nights,” added Andrei.
Returning to the mountainous path, our 5 learners would traverse difficult and diverse terrain, until they would ultimately reach their destination on top of the 790-meter-tall mountain. The students would discover some amazing spectacles at the pinnacle of the mountain, with a panoramic view of the surrounding landscapes wrapping around the base of the mountain. However, this was not the end of their journey, as now they “had a challenging descent along a steep route. Despite walking for 6 hours, the panoramic views justify our efforts,” noted, Andrei.
Another notable segment of their travels includes the “Taff path,” says, Andrei. These learners embarked on a 5-hour hike along the Taff path, discovering skills on how to navigate un-pathed mountainous terrain using bearings, whilst bracing the incredible 70mph winds that continued to barrage the path ahead. Despite all these strenuous efforts throughout these 5 days, the students had learned a lot of valuable life skills and would spend, “every evening, with amazing moments of laughter and storytelling. This experience provided me with crucial lessons on teamwork, attentiveness, perseverance, and an understanding of our physical capabilities,” says, Andrei.
Our learners had this to say, after their expedition:
“I feel the DofE expedition was challenging, but it helped me build up resilience” – Kayra.
“I’d like to thank Dan and Morgan for their exceptional guidance and help during the expedition and for being amazing instructors. I can’t wait for the upcoming expedition in April.” – Andrei.
