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“Back in the summer and autumn of 2018, I took part in my Silver expeditions near Glenmore Lodge and Badiguish Activity Centre in the Aviemore area. It was the first time I had experienced what a camping trip was like and was the first Duke of Edinburgh expeditions that I had ever completed.
It was an amazing feeling to be able to explore what Aviemore had to offer thanks to the use of the Boma off road vehicle that I had borrow of from the Association, because I had the use of this vehicle, I was able to travel the routes we had picked to travel through independently, with having the freedom to race with my teammates when I changed the gears to a higher speed and the most memorable moment that stands out to me when I think back on this incredible experience is when my teammates and I came across a stream crossing where we decided to see if the Boma and I could be pushed through in order to get to the other side and afterwards once we had achieved this task, I felt that I could push boundaries and face any challenges that expeditions later threw and my teammates and I.
Throughout my Silver expeditions, I felt that my teammates and I had shared something in common with each other that nobody else had experienced, we became a close group of friends that always relied on each other not only on expeditions but in personal life too, we learnt resilience, how to build and work as a team and I think individually we developed more confidence no matter what challenges we faced through a change in routes, bad weather and the Boma batteries running out in the middle of a hill but that only seemed to make us more excited to take on the challenge of Gold expeditions 3 years after we started our Silver expeditions journey.
Due to local area pandemic restrictions still being in place at the time, my teammates and I decided that it would be safer if we planned a hybrid expedition which meant that instead of a base camping spot to stay overnight at, we would do longer walking routes and campcraft activities that fill most of the day then head home to our beds when you would usually be camping to start again refreshed the next day.
Our Gold expeditions took place in the Perthshire are where we walked through the beautiful landscapes of Loch Leven, Glenturret, Dunning, Megginch Castle Gardens, Kinnoull Hill and finally ending this fantastic experience at Crieff Hydro.
The views were gorgeous and my teammates and I couldn’t quite believe how lucky we were to be able to end our wonderful journey that had been expeditions in the place we call home, it was a very special and emotional realisation when we stopped to think and discuss what we had achieved and enjoyed the most about being on this incredible journey together.
If I could recommend to young people whether to take part in the expeditions that Duke of Edinburgh offers I would say that you see areas near your hometown that might not have seen otherwise, you develop a strong friendship with your teammates, you learn valuable life and campcraft skills and most importantly you learn more confidence and team building which will help you in the world of work so if you are thinking about going on an expedition over the next few months, I would say give it a go, you are in for an incredible experience and you never know what this journey may lead you to.”
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