Does Anyone Do D Of E? Options

[Rosie91]

I'mve just been packing for my Silver Practice Expedition in Derbyshire and I am strangely excited, despite the fact that snow and temperatures of -4 are forecast! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) The main source of excitement, I have to admit, is the food I'm taking...the best things are the malt loaf and an assortment of chocolate-coated things...raisins, apricots, banana chips etc. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) For my skill I do violin, for my phys rec I do horseriding and for my service I help out at the stables.

Does anyone else do D of E? what do you do for your options and where have you been on your expeditions? has anyone done an expedition other than a walking one? I'd love to do a horseback one but with my school it's not really possible as very few people ride.

[anisha93]

im doing the bronze award, and the only 2 practice expeditions i've done are walking. I wasn't even aware they can be other types like horseback riding.

For my skills, i did piano, for my physical i did badminton and for my service i worked in oxfam.

chocolate-coated things! never a bad thing!

[Rosemary7391]

I'm doing silver. For my skills I do Clarinet, Service was helping in music lessons and my physical rec will be walking. We've done our expedition but it got rained off so we have to do it again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[smileygirl]

i did bronze and silver (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
we went to the lake district, peak district and err wales
it rained for like three days non stop and all our tents flooded
it was amzing though
i loved it

and i have a friend who's doing gold sailing i think (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
x

[cellocase]

I'm off on Gold on monday, and i'm incredibly excited, despite the fact that:
a) prediction is of -8, rain and possible blizzard last time I checked (a few days ago - I didn't really want to recheck recently!!) and
b) I'm doing it on crutches...does that count as not-walking?!

Can't wait!

[flutecake]

Does anyone else do D of E? what do you do for your options and where have you been on your expeditions? has anyone done an expedition other than a walking one? I'd love to do a horseback one but with my school it's not really possible as very few people ride.

Maybe if you really want to do a horseback one, you should ask you D of E rep to help you find some other riders to do it with. After all, you don´t neeed to do it only with people from your school and it might be a nice way making some new friends.

I'm off on Gold on monday, and i'm incredibly excited, despite the fact that:
b) I'm doing it on crutches...does that count as not-walking?!

Wow. Er how far are you going? Good luck.

I did all three, although I never finished my Gold - I´d started at Uni and was so busy I just didn´t get round to writing up the service part of it.
The expeditions were definately the best bit. Our Gold one was on Dartmoor, it rained for four days and we didn´t change our clothes once, the rivers all flooded, we got blisters, but it was still fun.

[Morgan's Munchkin]

I've done all 3.

Have always done some form of music as my skill, riding/polo as my physical, and helping with music lessons as my service. I went away with a military band as my residential for gold.

Our last expedition was definately the hardest - we had wind, rain, hail, snow and everything ended up frozen. Our tent leaked so all our stuff was soaked, we were sleeping in wet sleeping bags which were frozen on the outside, and all came home rather ill.

And yet I still miss it for some reason!!

[Rosemary7391]

Being outside is the best thing ever, no matter how miserable the weather! One of our expeditions was in February, and we had the joy of simultaneously freezing and boiling thanks to the temperature difference between us and the air!

[Rosie91]

A sample of the weather during my expedition over the weekend:

(IMG:http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v214/108/80/511448836/n511448836_472142_9363.jpg)

(IMG:http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v214/108/80/511448836/n511448836_472145_4010.jpg)

(IMG:http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v214/108/80/511448836/n511448836_472733_5819.jpg)

It was great! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[hellokitty]

I did my bronze D of E last summer. I did 17 miles across mainly cliff paths and camped at a site with a pool hahha! And they let us stay free for D of E!
Following that I've signed up for a trek through part of the Himalyas on a school trip in June/July... which means I turn 16 there! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

HK

[Scurra]

I did all three, and I'm waiting to be allowed to go and pick up my award from some palace or other (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

If you have any questions, by all means ask/PM!

Gold Practice was the best expedition - we camped wild every night in the Brecon Beacons (for four nights) - no toilets, no taps... But lovely walking!

Gold Qualifier was the worst, in the Lake District: 3 of our group of 7 dropped out, and we walked about 25km a day - 30km on the 3rd day, when we were down to 4. We had to carry someone's pack, because 4 was the minimum no. and they couldn't drop out... It also alternated between pouring rain and boiling sun. Still, we had a wonderful last night, and the views in general were fantastic - we climber higher than a jet plane at one point, as it was passing through the valley!


I recommend the Brecons.


Horseriding sounds like fun, but you have a great sense of camaraderie on foot with your team. Plus it's easier to find campsites when all you need to do is just pitch a tent in the middle of nowhere.


I also had playig the violin as my Skill, and wetn on a county orchestra tour to Belgium for my Residential.

[YetAnotherPianist]

The Queen has in the past; if Charles et al are anything to go by.

[cellocase]

I just got back from my Gold, on Dartmoor. It was great, but challenging - illness, bad weather etc - some girls we met on the 2nd night got pulled off the moors with hypothermia on our last day, according to BBC...