Gold DofE Practice, Dartmoor

 

People weren't over optimistic when we left the bus...

 

But then the weather started to break...

 

 

And we had a superb evening on Friday night wild camping on Dartmoor, we had clear sky's overnight so it was crisp but with fantastic vies of the stars

 

Walking off Great Mis Tor

 

On the way to Lynch Tor

Climbing club visit Dart Rock

For the half termly trip out the climbing club visited Dart Rock for the evening.  We had reduced numbers for this trip but those that went had had a great time climbing and in the caving system.

Practising games at Alder Lake

Ahead of the students leading a group of younger students after half term we went to Alder Lake to practice some of the games they will be leading.  We also had a recap of some of the skills learnt in the FSRT course last week.

Another Silver DofE training!

After a truly wet and windy night where the campsite flooded and we had to move tents when all reasonable people are in bed, Sunday proved to be a cracking day.  A big well done to all those who went out this weekend, keeping cheerful throughout. 

Lower 6th Sea Kayak from Newton Ferrers

We had a couple of students drop out today due to injuries but the rest of us had a great time on the sea. We headed to the mouth of the Yealm and challenged ourselves to go out in to the bigger waves and swell, then after lunch went rock hopping in the swell before trying out the tow lines and heading back.

FSRT for the Upper Sixth

A full wet day for the Upper Sixth who attended the Foundation Safety and Rescue Training, run by Jo Nosworthy.  This was a brilliant course with all those who attended learning many new ways of rescuing paddlers (or swimmers!) using a variety of techniques from shouting and encouraging individuals to rescue themselves all the way through to rescuing an unconscious paddler entrapped in their boat.

Silver D of E Practice

A big well done to the super team of Silver DofE students who were out this weekend.  The navigation, campcraft and team morale were of a high standard and the group worked well throughout, setting the standard for the expeditions over the next few weekends.

Second years White Water Kayak on the Dart

No pictures today as someone forgot the camera! We had a great shake down day, remembering how to ferry glide and break in and out.

Weekend paddle trip to Exeter

Today Miss Lindsey ran a paddling trip to Exeter Canal, not as many students turned up as was expected but they still had a great time paddling with lots of watery activities and rescues!

Silver DofE training, Sharpitor

The fog was down today as we went for our training, giving us real conditions to work with.

First years first sea kayak from Batten Bay to Bovisand Pier

A good day was had by all on the sea in their first sea kayak trip.  We looked at navigation, paddling techniques, playing in rock gardens and rescues at the end of the day, helped along by the stunning weather.  Not looking so good for the next few weeks as there isn't much water in the rivers!