Three days of DofE Silver Expedition Award Training in an around Llangollen, North Wales. A group of 49 girls from London, St. Paul's private school. Group broken up into 7 groups with a staff member assigned to lead and train a group of 7 each. I was assigned a group for three days of training, and two nights camping. Provided training in tent set up, safe and proper use of Trangia stoves and associated fuel, camp cooking, Navigation: map symbols, planning distance and time from a map, parts and use of a base plate compass, handrailing, thumbing a map, timing, pacing, developing a route card, planning and leading legs on a journey, camp maintenance, leave no trace.
Tent camped two nights at Wern Isaf Farm, near Llangollen, North Wales.
Met the girls when they arrive on buses from London on Tuesday mid day at the large parking lot at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Trevor Basin Visitor Center. Split into the groups for the three days of training, and with all their gear in their rucksacks we walked them from Trevor Basin and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct east of Llangollen, and walked them to Llangollen and then up to the camp site above Llangollen at Wern Isaf Farm. Training started from the point of meeting them at the buses. Handed out maps of the journey and then provided training in navigation for the next several hours walk to the camp site. On Thursday, after camp tear down the girls planned the route back to Aqueduct & Trevor Basin Visitor Center parking lot where they met their bus for the return trip to London.
Wednesday was an all day (7+ hours) journey, with a mixture of training and then the girls demonstration of their understanding of those skills. The journey took in a visit to the Castell Dinas Bran (castle) overlooking Llangollen. In the evening after return to base camp and cooking their evening meal they worked on sample route card development for the multi-day journey they will take in the location they will do their assessment in the Peak District. Wednesday was an 12+ hour day for them.
For my part, other than the set location and time for pickup and drop off at the start and finish, I had the flexibility to provide leadership and navigation training in preparation for their Silver Assessment coming in October. The detail and thought that my group gave to their route planning, and their maintaining of awareness of their location at all times, and application navigation skills presented demonstrated the success of the training, which was aided by the fact that these girls were top students, competitive and intelligence, with great attitudes and motivation. These girls are not going to fail their Assessment. Probably won't fail at much in their lives.
The attached GPS file shows the route taken on Day 1. Though similar, on Day 3, the return to meet the buses, the girls planned a higher elevation return of similar distance.
Area :
Berwyn Range
The Berwyn range (Welsh: Y Berwyn or Mynydd y Berwyn) is an isolated and sparsely populated area of moorland located in the north-east of Wales, roughly bounded by Llangollen in the north-east, Corwen in the north-west, Bala in the south-west, and Oswestry in the south-east.
