Sunday 20th July – Tuesday 22nd July 2025 Qualifier Silver Expedition

On Sunday, we met 28 Year 10 students at Longshaw to complete their three-day training for their Silver DofE.

Day One:
The students began their hikes in extreme temperatures, heading out over Stanage Edge towards Castleton. Some groups explored the caves in the area and enjoyed the clear visibility at the top of Stanage Edge. The Orange group took the lead on Day One, making it back to Castleton where they set up camp for the evening.

Day Two:
The students packed up nice and early, with the Red group being the first to get ready and head out towards Mam Tor. The weather was more favourable, with some cloud cover and a slight breeze at the top. All groups were in great spirits when we met them at the trig point on Mam Tor. They were ahead of schedule and took a variety of routes from the summit. The Green group chose the most elevated path, continuing along the ridge, while the Yellow group made exceptional progress and were the first to arrive at the campsite in Edale.

Day Three:
Day Three tested both kit and resilience, as rain started early and all groups had to leave before 8 a.m. to beat the severe weather. The terrain was more technical, with all but one group tackling Jacob’s Ladder, braving the rain and wind as the elevation increased. Well done to the Blue group who, although they were out for the longest and followed a more technical map-reading route, still returned in exceptionally high spirits. We met the students in Hayfield at the finish, and it was brilliant to see that everyone remained so positive.

Well done to all students for passing their Silver DofE!
I am confident that each of these students will be very successful at Gold DofE.

Miss Baker and the DofE Team