Analysis of the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Expedition

This Assignment covers Unit 5 AO 4, 5, and 6 and Unit 6 AO 4, 5 and 6

On Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th of June 2011 I did the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Expedition out in the Gower. I am not sure how much I had to pay to take part in the expedition, but as a group we had to pay 20 deposit for all the equipment we needed. We also did a practice expedition on the 20th and the 21st of May a few weeks before the actual expedition to get a feeling of what it was going to be like and what exactly we needed to do. We would have done the final the next weekend but it had to be postponed due to the school inspection, we therefore did it on the 17th and 18th of June. The aim of the weekend and the reason we were doing this is because it is a good qualification to have and it is a good experience and also a lot of fun. I did it to get the qualification and experience working as a team out in the Gower facing a lot of different challenges and decisions. Unfortunately I did not do this with the Public Services Class because I had already signed up for the Duke of Edinburgh Award before we started this unit. We did this as a group which consists of Me, Josh Davies, Rhys Bowen, Josh Lau and Alex Pavlou, out in the Gower. Our supervisor for the weekend was Mr Davies who met us at each checkpoint, he is also a fully qualified and he has his mountain leaders qualification. We organised everything before we left so everyone knew exactly what to do. Before the practice we did training in school, so again we knew what we needed to do like putting up the tents, how to set up the trangias etc. On the practice (marked in grey) we started at the top of Cefn Bryn going from checkpoint to checkpoint finishing at Pitton Cross! We left Cefn Bryn and walked down it through Mill Wood and came out by Hangman's Cross which was our first checkpoint. Then the second day we left the campsite and finished again at the top of Cefin Bryn.

On the final expedition (marked in blue) we started at Port Eynon again going from checkpoint to checkpoint we then camped at Nicholaston Farm. We then the next day left the campsite nice and early and finished at the church in Pennard. As a group we all got lifts to the first start point. As I only live down the road from one of the boys they offered me a lift and we alternated which sorted out our

transport. I had the maps and someone else had the route cards and therefore let the rest of the group know what times and there we were starting. We were given four pieces of equipment by the school so we didn't have to go and buy ourselves, which is what the 20 deposit was for at the start, and if any of the equipment was broken or damaged money would have been taken out to pay for it. We were provided with one rucksack each to carry all the things we needed, a trangia to cook all the food for ourselves at the campsite, tents for us to sleep in and a first aid kit if there were any emergencies. (thankfully there weren't any!) I know basic first aid and so did others in the group, so if there was an incident we know exactly what to do.

We separated the load so it was fair on all of us for example I had the poles and pegs for both tents, Josh D had the inside of the 3 man tent, Alex P had the inside of the 2 man tent and Rhys and Josh L had the trangias. The rest of the equipment we needed we had to provide ourselves. Like our food we had to provide ourselves and we had to cook it to, we also took snacks for in-between for energy and we would also share sweets etc. We also had to ware appropriate clothes for example we had to wear tracksuit bottoms so they would be loose on us and not things like jeans etc that would be too tight. We also needed to make sure we had a complete change of clothes in case it rained and for if it was cold. Also a decent pair of walking boots for the terrain we were walking on. As a group if someone found something out that the rest of the group didn't know about then they would tell them and let them know, and informing them on any other details they need to know. We all had different roles and responsibilities. So I had the map most of the way and it was my responsibility to talk to the group and discuss where we needed to go, It was also Alex's responsibility to buy meths and matches as he offered to and so on. Before we set off we all did a equipment check to make sure we had everything we needed. Before going on the expedition I looked at the weather forecast to see what the weather would be like to see if I needed my waterproofs! It turned out on the Friday of the final expedition I desperately needed them! We were all fully aware of the countryside code and continuously made sure we kept to it, and any other safety requirements we needed to be aware of. We also needed to be aware of any hazards. Like faulty equipment, and when we were walking down Cefn Bryn we informed each other of any holes, so we didn't injure ourselves. Another thing we needed to be aware of is any illnesses in the group and medication and what to do if anything was to happen. To overcome these we let every member in the group know if there was a problem at any time. For example on the first day of the practice Josh Lau felt sick so one of the boys carried his bag and we all encouraged

him to continue. Day 1 of the final expedition, I woke up and got dressed in appropriate clothing for the day also fully aware of the weather conditions, I put all my waterproof clothing on as it was set to rain nearly all day. I also had appropriate food for the day. We were then dropped at the start point which was at Port Eynon where we were met by Mr Davies and set off at 10 o'clock. We then walked out of Port Eynon along the road for a few meters then joined a foot path, this then lead to a bridle path it was not very nice but we made it through! We then got through that and reached our first checkpoint in Horton, where we had a 5 minute break before setting off again. We then left going up through Horton leading onto a footpath which lead to Hangman's Cross. Then we stayed at Hangman's Cross for a 10 minute rest. From Hangman's Cross we crossed the road and up the path for about half a mile then into the woods. We walked through the woods for approximately one and a quarter miles where it was quite wet and slippery from where it had rained, so we took our time so we didn't injure ourselves, ending up at Penrice church. At this time it had started to rain quit heavily, so with our waterproofs on we decided as a group to carry on as we had a long way still to go and we didn't want to hang around and get wet! After leaving the woods we met Mr Davies just by the church. Through the wet we went up the hill along the quiet road for about a mile and joined the main road up to Home Farm, then through a small forest and back up Cefn Bryn. Something we learned from the practice however was for us all to discuss what rout to take and look at the map regularly, as Alex didn't and sent us nearly half a mile in the wrong direction then having to turn around. So we all looked had the map and we all discussed and decided together the route to take, because it was better to take our time and go the right, way than to rush it and have to turn around. We also communicated a lot better than during the practice. We got to the top of Cefn Bryn, and at this time it was raining heavily, but we got to the top and straight back down the other side. I turned around to see what was going on and Josh wasn't there and we couldn't see him anywhere, so I called the boys that were further ahead and told them to stop and I went back to look for him, thankfully he had only stopped to put his waterproof trousers on. The only trouble was I went back on my own and I could have then lost contact with the rest of the group but thankfully we were all ok! We then went down to the pond, which was our fifth checkpoint. We then had to go back up Cefn Bryn, but first we stopped under the trees for some lunch before going back up. We took our time going up because it was still raining heavily and we had time to spare! At this point we were all tired and couldn't wait to get to the campsite, we all had soaking wet boots but we met sir at the end of Penrice Woods. On our last stretch before the campsite, we headed about two and a half miles through narrow paths of Nicholaston Woods. We came across a swamp where we had a five minute rest and some of the boys threw some stones in trying to lift their spirits from the wet day we had. We carried on and we got to the last climb of loads of steps, so we stopped for a few minutes before going up and we all had a snack. We then climbed the steps and eventually got to the top with a sigh of relief! We had reached the campsite at Nicholaston Farm where we were met by Mr Turpin, who sadly had to send us back out for another 45 minutes because we were early. To prevent this we should have taken longer breaks more often. We then got back and Mr Turpin let us in just behind another group. So we emptied our bags and got the tents up as quickly as we could to get out of the rain and into the warm and dry! It was still raining for a while after we arrived but we still cooked our noodles when it finally started to dry up!

At the start of day 2 we all got up nice and early and got dressed. We then set up the trangias and boiled water for out breakfast. We then got everything out of the tents and packed them up while we waited for the trangias to cool, then we packed them up and got ready to leave. We got the map sorted and put our bags on our backs ready to walk down to meet Mr Davies at the bottom of the field to discuss where we were going to meet him. After we had finished talking we left the campsite and headed out and back up Cefn Bryn and admiring the view of Oxwich Bay. We carried on to where four paths meet at the top of Cefn Bryn and walked along the top and down to North Hills Farm. This didn't take us that long to walk because it was a gradual walk up and it was down hill for the rest. In total it took us approximately 45 minutes. We then met Mr Davies at North Hills Farm and had a ten minute rest and refilled our water and then set off. We headed up a long narrow path for around a mile, which eventually joined a forest which again was slippery from the rain the day before so again we took our time so no one slipped. This then came out by the main road running past the Heritage Centre. We then had a ten minute break and had some snacks before entering the woods. We then got to the top which lead onto the golf course, so being cautious we followed the path along the course and along to Pennard castle.

We then headed through the town and along to West Cliff where we met Mr Davies at our fifth checkpoint of the day, and had another ten minute break as we had time to waste! We then walked about two miles up to Widegate walking through a very long and horrible bridle path, before reaching a river where we could get the worst of the muck off our boots! We then walked up the final straight about half a mile to the church in Pennard. At this point we were all shattered and couldn't wait to get home. The church was in sight and we could finally ring our parents to come and collect us! We involved every member of the team in helping to make decisions and no one was left out and we all thou rally enjoyed the experience. We all had different strengths which we all used in some way during the expedition.

We all also worked as a team and all helped make different decisions and encouraged each other when we needed it, also bringing us closer as friends. As a group we had a laugh and when we finished we all had a sense of achievement. We are also very grateful to all the members of staff who helped us achieve this award. By Thomas Davies 10SD