A team comprising Year 11 and Post 16 students set off early on Friday morning to travel to the Lake District to begin their Silver expedition.

A team comprising Year 11 and Post 16 students set off early on Friday morning to travel to the Lake District to begin their Silver expedition. For some this was a practice, for others it was their assessed qualifying expedition.

Day one started with a dry but blustery day at the western end of the Lakes, their journey taking them the length of Loweswater and Crummock water to the pretty village of Buttermere. Heavy rain over the preceding week made the going incredibly boggy, and by the time the team arrived in camp, most boots were soaked through. A pleasant and dry evening saw the team in good spirits which were further lifted by a hot meal and a chance to rest.





The second day was a tough one; starting with a pleasant walk along the lake to the head of Buttermere, the team soon realised that they had a very long and steep 450m climb ahead, up over Warnscale to Dubs Hut, high above Honister. By this time the gorgeous weather at dawn had changed to low cloud and drizzle, which set in for the day and the Dubs Hut bothy provided a welcome break from the rain for lunch. Staff met the group at Honister youth hostel expecting a bedraggled bunch, but again the team were full of enthusiasm and good humour. Their final leg for the day took them down the mountain to the tiny village of Grange and their overnight camp at Hollows Farm.



The third and final day of the expedition was greeted with dry weather, which steadily improved throughout the day. Journeying from camp around the flanks of Catbells, high above Derwent Water and around the top of the lake, the team headed to their pick up point at Keswick and a well-deserved ice cream!

It was a pleasure to support and accompany such a fabulous and talented group of young people on this expedition, which those on assessment successfully passed. Well done to all involved!