What I've learnt

 Hello!

 I thought I would do a post all about what I feel I've learnt through my Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition.

 Firstly, undertaking it to start with required a great deal of courage. I was afraid of being homesick; of the physical side of it being too hard; of not fitting in with the group.

 I made myself do it, however, and it turned out to be amazing. So one thing I've definitely learnt is that there are times when you have to be brave and take a chance, and something really wonderful could come as a result.

 Another quality I feel I had but which grew significantly over the course of the expedition is resilience. The journey was hard sometimes; I got tired and cold and missed home comforts. But I gritted my teeth and kept going. I think D of E has certainly strengthened me in that respect.

 I had to rely on the others in my group many times during the expedition, and I think my willingness to lean on others and trust them has grown.

 I am quite an independent person and prefer trying to solve my own problems to burdening others with them; however I have realised through this expedition that sometimes it is better for everyone of you share your problems so that you can work together to find a solution.

 As well as the aforementioned personal qualities, there are more general things I've taken away from this expedition, such as knowledge of the Lake District and a renewed love for it, and practical skills when it comes to dressing for all weathers, camping and cooking outdoors.

 I'd like to thank my group; Ruth, Andrew and Luke for being brilliant, and all of the D of E instructors; Wayne, Dave, Joan, Karen, Richard and Joe, for training us well, guiding us through our practice expedition and assessing us on the assessed one; for all of their great advice and support.

 Since I started this blog I have completed my D of E residential - in China! - which you can read about on my blog: Liz in China 2012. So now all five sections of my Gold D of E are complete, and soon I can get my badge, from either the Duke of Edinburgh or the Earl of Wessex! It should be an amazing experience.

 Completing my Gold D of E Award has been more enjoyable than I could ever have imagined. All five sections have taught me new things; one thing I think they all have helped with is making me a braver and more confident person.

 I would recommend doing a Duke of Edinburgh's Award to anyone; it will bring you places you never imagined and will teach you so many different things. Just go for it!

 I hope you have enjoyed sharing my D of E journey with me, and I wish you luck on your own if you are about to undertake one, or are on one at the moment.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

PS. If you want to hear more from me, I have a music blog which I update regularly: Liz Gibson, Waxing Lyrical.

Assessed expedition day 4: Keswick

 Hello!

 I will tell you all about the final day of our Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award assessed expedition, in which we were heading for Keswick.

 Our route took us across fields, up hills, through forest and across a lake, and which was one of the most enjoyable days of the whole expedition (practice and assessed).

 We woke up at our lovely camp site and set off through the farm to which the camp site was attached. Soon we were climbing a green hill, where we encountered several sheep.

 We walked through the hills, and across a meadow, then we reached the road where we stopped for a quick rest. We then waked for a while following the road before leaving it to climb a light slope through a field.

 We ended up in a little village, and walked down lovely country lanes until we reached a huge hill we had to climb.

 I shuddered at the prospect of such a climb, but then told myself that the sooner I got on with it, the sooner it would be over. It wasn't a treacherous climb in any way, just very strenuous. However, we kept plodding on, and finally could stop and relax at the top where we had a really nice view.

 We then walked for a while through the hills, it was lovely being so high up; it felt like we were walking on top of the world. It was so peaceful and quiet up there; just us and the scenery and the odd hiker passing us.

 We climbed down from the hills and our route took us though some woodland. It was a real beauty spot, with gorgeous views of the lake and surrounding hills.

 I also saw shapes in the hillside which reminded me so much of a mother goat and a baby goat! Whether they were carved deliberately or not I do not know.

 We then had a bit of a rush through the woods to be on time to catch our ferry across Lake Windermere. I didn't like rushing and felt a bit unhappy as we traversed the lake; however after we had eaten our lunch and chatted as a group on the other side I felt better.

 I was the group's navigator for a bit, guiding us along a path through some woodland where sadly we encountered a dead rabbit. We got a bit lost but then found our path, which lead us into thicker woodland.

 We walked for a while through the woods, talking about films and the Lake District among other subjects. We had a fairly clear path at this point, so we could afford to focus less on navigating and more on bonding as a group. 

 When we left the woods - after negotiating our way through a tricky bit of muddy ground - we found ourselves on the road to Keswick, our final destination. We passed through a pretty village, then saw some farm workers training a horse to pull a cart, which was really interesting.

 The landscape was really stunning and green.

 We kept on going until we reached the Cumberland Pencil Museum, which was our destination. We had done it! We had completed four days walking in the hills and three nights camping! 

 I was so amazed by what I personally had achieved. Considering that at the start of the practice expedition I was really homesick and didn't think I could make it through three days away from home; in the end I made it through seven. I was really proud and happy.

 Of course, we had to have our picture taken outside the Cumberland Pencil Museum - we had made it to our destination! We were four tired, but very happy people.

 While we were waiting for the other D of E group to arrive, Ruth and I had a little mooch around Keswick; Ruth knows the town and showed me around, which was really nice.

 We were then summoned back to the pencil museum as the other group had arrived which meant we could go home. Happy as I was to be going home, I knew I would miss the Lake District and my amazing group, REAL.

 We got back to college, I was reunited with my Mam, and we went home. The end of a brilliant camping trip.

 I will do one more post on this blog talking about what I have learnt from this whole experience, so watch this space!

 For now I will say that my Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition stretched me to the limit and made me realise how much I was capable of if I just kept going and believed in myself and in my group.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Assessed expedition day 3: Aira Force and the coach road

 Hello!

 We awoke on the third day of our expedition to a rainy morning. We ate, packed, met with our assessor, Richard, then embarked on the day's journeying.

 We meandered our way out of the campsite, passing lots of caravans, and then along the road and past a church. We then started climbing quite steeply into the hills.

 It was raining and I got tired quickly but kept going. The path was narrow and we had to walk single file. I found out that I walked faster when I was first in the line so, as long as the others were happy about it, I walked at the front as much as I could.

 We climbed the hill in the misty rain, then it levelled out and we were walking through a forest.

 I might have heard murmurings of this forest being haunted, or maybe my imagination had manufactured them. Whichever it was, I was on the look-out for any ghosts or strange goings on. The place did have an eerie stillness to it, and you could imagine it being home to ghosts - hopefully benevolent ghosts!

 We reached daylight at the other end of the forest, where we crossed a bridge over a little stream. There we met the D of E group from my college, and we kept running into each other over the course of the day, as they seemed to have a similar route to us.

 We started climbing again, into the hills. They were very green, with lots of low-growing vegetation and not that many tall trees from what I can remember. We had a nice view of a lake; I think it was Ullswater.

 We spent a while crossing those hills, and it was one of my favourite parts of the day's journeying. I feel that green hills in the misty rain have a unique kind of beauty, strange and still. It felt like we were up in the clouds.

 We passed a man who asked us if we were going up Striding Edge, the answer, of course, being a resounding no! I'd be hesitant to cross Striding Edge in daylight, yet alone drizzle, and I doubt very much that D of E would let us do it anyway.

 He also talked about the Lakes and how he often walks up in the hills with his dog - he seemed nice. After we said goodbye to him, we passed a memorial stone seat which was one of the milestones we had been looking out for.

 We left those beautiful hills for some woodland, where we found Aira Force, the majestic and powerful waterfall.

 I had been there before but had forgotten just how magnificent it is; the torrents of water crashing and spraying against the rocks. We stood on a bridge with the waterfall flowing below us, and took a lot of photos and video footage!

 We then moved on, climbing up through the woods until we reached open fields again. We had a rest and then pressed on. We met a road which we followed for a while. We reunited with the other group and walked together for some of it.

 We reached a little car park where we found the D of E leaders and assessors. We topped up our water bottles, had a bit of a rest and then started off again. This time we were walking along a quieter, grassy path, which lead us to a little beck which for its size was flowing very fast and powerfully.

 We ate our lunch there; I swear I remember I had banana soya to drink that day; you remember the most bizarre little details. We then walked on a little and then we were on the old coach road.

 Apart from that it sounded like it belonged in an Iain Banks book, I hadn't known what to expect from the old coach road, whether it would still be a road or just a path or what.

 It turned out to be a wide grassy path set in really impressive mountain scenery, and it was a pleasure to walk along, except that it decided to rain on us, rather heavily, which wasn't so good.

 We kept going for a long time - the coach road made up a significant part of our journey.

 When we finally left the road we had to leave a check point card for Karen on a gatepost and she had challenged us to create something inspirational on the back, so we drew a picture of us all looking tired.

 Sadly, she wasn't impressed; one of the other groups had penned a poem about the "Grand Old Duke of Edinburgh," which was apparently better than our drawing. Ah, well.

 We walked along various roads and footpaths through farmland and finally reached our campsite, which was on a farm. It sadly didn't have a lake, but it did have a stunning view of the mountains.

 We sat and I filmed a video of us talking about D of E; I hope to make a D of E film and might include some of what I filmed that evening.

 We cooked and ate dinner, and drank lots of hot chocolate. Andrew cooked salted peanuts, and they were absolutely gorgeous - it brought back memories of my Silver D of E practice expedition when he did the same.

 We ate and chatted and had an amazing last night in the Lakes. Then we got tucked up in bed - without any disco music or chickens to disturb us! Not that I minded either of the aforementioned earlier in the weekend, but it was nice to have some peace and quiet.

 That night was so lovely; thank you to my wonderful team REAL for so many great memories.

 Bring on the final day!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Assessed expedition day 2: Ullswater

 Hello!

 This blog post will tell you about the second day of our assessed expedition in the North Lakes for our Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

 We had camped by the side of Ullswater the night before (see previous post) and we got up in the morning, had breakfast, packed, took the tents down and embarked on the next part of our journey.

 Today's walk would take us to the other side of Ullswater - from which the disco last night had entertained us. We would then walk away from the lake for a bit to reach our campsite.

 The first leg of our journey was up and down a lot of slopes overlooking the lake; it was a hard trek, but pleasant, as the lake made a nice view. We stopped for a while at a nice viewpoint and watched boats on the lake.

 We then descended the hill and stopped to have our lunch right by the water's edge. It was lovely and relaxing and a nice break from the tough walk.

 We set off again, still following the lake, through fields and woodland - we encountered some nice ducks - and there was the moment when we forgot to post our check-point card on a fence and had to run back and do it before the leaders wondered where we had got to!

 We climbed some hills, and had to cross through a chicken farm which was a rather surreal and slightly creepy experience: all the chickens, on seeing us approach, came washing towards us a a huge wave.

 We were surrounded by this crowd of chickens, each one making a lot of noise, which when combined had the effect of a slightly spooky moaning sound. It is arguably the most bizarre thing I have encountered on any D of E expedition.

 Fortunately, we survived the chickens, and were nearing our destination. The rough ground became smooth campsite grass - blissful to walk on!

 We found our spot in one of the best campsites I have been in with regards to facilities - the shower room was really nice, and although we didn't have a lake to go and visit this time, it was in quite a pleasant setting.

 Ruth and I were very excited to see a rainbow! A good omen perhaps! And there was an amusing incident when some of the lads from the group from my college had their tent invaded by chickens!

 So for us, three bird-related encounters - one with ducks and two with chickens - in one day!

 This campsite also had a playground, and Andrew and Luke went off to play on the swings, leaving me and Ruth to do the washing up. However, when Richard found out, he made the lads come back and do the washing up! So Ruth and I could sit back and relax, which was really nice.

 We had a really nice night there; it is certainly a campsite I will bear in mind for if I ever go walking in that part of the Lakes again.

 So, that was Ullswater! Remember to check this blog to learn how the rest of our trip went!

 Thanks for reading!

 Liz x

Assessed expedition day 1: Kirkstone Pass

 Hello!

 In my previous posts I have told the story of our practice expedition and preparation for our assessed expedition. Now I will tell you all about the big weekend itself! (Well, a weekend of sorts that ended on a Tuesday.)

 The group met on Saturday morning at my then college, as a group from there were also doing their expedition that weekend. We enjoyed a pleasant journey up to Ambleside.

 Ambleside is not my favourite Lake District town; it is too tourist-orientated for my liking, but it looked quite pretty on this summer's day. After we had sorted out kit, maps and compasses, we walked out of Ambleside and up a path on a wooded slope.

 We walked through the woods for a while, got slightly confused about which was the right path to take out of the woods; we found it in the end and it took us along a country road that provided us with some very pretty views of the hills and farmland. We also saw a lot of sheep.

 We reached the famous Kirkstone Pass, and had a big climb to get to the famous Kirkstone Pass Inn, (the "inn with altitude," as it calls itself on its website) which we sat outside for a bit.

 However, the Lake District weather again proved its unpredictability in going from a lovely sunny day to us getting soaking wet in a completely spontaneous downpour. We quickly scrambled into waterproofs and set off again.

 Despite the weather, I could really appreciate the beauty of the area. We walked on, following the Pass, and for me it was one of the nicest parts of the trip, especially when the weather dried up again.

 We could see the sun shining in the distance in the V of the Pass, and that golden glow was a nice thing to be heading for.

 We walked on along country lanes and footpaths through the hills, played I-spy for a bit, and, as seems to be the trope on this Gold D of E, saw a lot of foxgloves. In fact, foxgloves was one of my I-spy words (Ruth guessed it).

 We reached our destination, a little camp site by Lake Ullswater that seemed to be attached to a farm. It was really hot and sunny when we got there, but got cooler later in the evening.

 We met Joan's dog, Ollie, a lovely fluffy thing, and Richard came to check up on us - Richard was our assessor for this expedition.

 We cooked dinner - Ruth and I shared some vegetable chilli dip - would that be chilli sin carne? - and I made some hot chocolate.

 We then all went down to the lake as we had done that night at Coniston. There was a boat moored called Jim or something like that, which surprised us as boats usually have female names. Maybe Jim was the owner?

 There was some building or boat on the other side of the lake that was playing really loud music - we could hear it perfectly a whole lake away! - and continued to do so into the night, so we fell asleep to such classics as Livin' On A Prayer and Sweet Child of Mine.

 It was a nice evening and the time we spent by the lake and falling asleep that night to 80s music are among my favourite memories of our assessed expedition.

 Thank you for reading this blog entry; watch this space to hear about the rest of our assessed expedition!

 Liz x

In between days

 Hello!

 We completed our practice expedition on Sunday (see previous post) and the next Saturday we had our assessed expedition. In the days in between - hence the title - I had a lot to do to prepare for our final expedition.

 First I went with my Mam to a big outdoor activities shop in Bolton called Decathlon where I got a waterproof poncho (good for wearing at camp if it is raining), a fleecy cardigan (good for wearing at camp to keep warm) and finally, perhaps most importantly, a pair of walking poles. They proved indispensable during our assessed expedition.

 We also bought some Kendal Mint Cake - I love Kendal Mint Cake. 

 I remember on my Silver D of E expedition we came across a couple in the hills; the woman explained that the man was diabetic and badly in need of something sugary to eat. I offered him a Kendal Mint Cake and afterwards his wife said he was feeling better and the mint cake really helped! 

 So there you have it, Kendal Mint Cake is another indispensable piece of kit for D of E and could even save a life.

 After our shopping trip, there was route-planning session for the group - now christened REAL, standing for Ruth, Elizabeth, Andrew and Luke.

 We worked together to work out the best routes to take to get from each campsite to the next and to mark them on the maps. We also had to fill in route cards; for each leg of the journey we had to estimate how long it would take us, and say how many kilometres we would travel and when we intended to have our rests and stop for lunch.

 We had good fun and it was really nice spending time with the others in a more relaxed environment than trekking through the mountains. I felt that we were becoming stronger and stronger as a group as we got to know each other better.

 We were ready to set out on our assessed expedition! Bring on Saturday!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Practice expedition day 3: Bouth

 Hello!

Bouth's finest!

 We woke up on the third and final day of our practice expedition in that lovely Coniston campsite where we had spent a wonderful evening the night before (see previous post).

 We packed, put down tents, had breakfast (though annoyingly I spilt half my cereal on the ground - I ate a couple of mini brioche rolls to make up for it), washed dishes and were soon heading back out of Coniston village.

 We walked for a while through a wooded area along the lake, then climbed out of the wood and into the hills.

 We groaned a bit when we saw the hilliness of the next leg of our journey, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable. We saw rabbits and sheep and it was quite nice being up in the hills and able to pretend for a bit that the rest of the world wasn't there; that we were in our own little world.

 We then climbed up further, and it started to drizzle, and "We Don't Need Another Hero," by Tina Turner, came into my head for some reason and spurred me on to keep climbing though it was getting tiring and we were getting wet.

 We had a stretch of mountain where we kept meeting the same group of bikers, which was quite amusing: they would pass us, then they would stop and rest and we would pass them, then we would stop and rest and they would pass us.

 At the top of this climb was a tarn, and it was nice to sit by it for a bit and relax and have a chat, and get to know each other a bit better.

 We then set off again; after a bit of debate over which way we were meant to go we ended up following an old path down the hill, and gradually found ourselves leaving the wilderness of the mountains for farmland - but we still didn't see many people, maybe because it was still raining on and off.

 We finally reached a little town and a lady offered to fill up our water bottles, which was nice of her. We were not sure of the right direction to go in to leave the village, so we did a bit of exploring which was cut short by the heavens opening and rain pouring down in absolute buckets.

 We all huddled together trying to eat our lunches without them - and us - getting soaked. In the end Joan and Wayne thankfully found us and put up a little shelter for us to eat under, and then the rain seemed to ease off a bit and, having found the right path, we continued on our journey.

 We ended up in a wood, where there was some extremely tiring climbing, but it was a really nice place to be. I like the Lake District because there are such contrasting landscapes so close to one another. We had gone from the lake to the mountains to farmland to woodland. The huge variety makes the days seem a lot longer and fuller.

 We had entered the wood after a lot of rain and came out of the wood into bright sunlight; Lake District weather! We were in a nice little meadow and could hear the traffic on the road below. We then had a huge debate over whether we were in the right place and which way to go, and we eventually chose a route.

 We walked through fields, climbed over the dodgiest stile I have ever encountered, asked a farmer if we were on the right path, and ended up walking through countryside until we reached a little village where we knew we were in the right place but had to climb a steep hill to reach the village church.

 Someone handed out winegum-type things which were well-received, and we rested for a bit outside the church. Wayne quizzed us on the purpose of a block of stone that we eventually decided was probably a mounting block for visitors to the church to get on and off their horses.

 We had one last leg to go after the church, which took us through another wooded area to the village of Bouth, where Christine McVie was born!

I wish I had her voice!

 Our journey was complete, and as we sat in the pub car park taking our walking boots off and sorting out our kit, I realised that I was really lucky to have such an amazing group of people to be doing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition with. And I felt a lot more confident about our assessment weekend than I had done on Friday morning.

 Bring on the assessment weekend! I felt like I could face the world that day.

 A special thank you to Joan who gave me a lot of really good tips and advice about packing rucksacks, and who was very kind and patient with me over the weekend.

 I hope you, my reader, have enjoyed reading about my D of E journey so far; remember to watch this space to hear how things went on our assessed expedition.

 Thank you for reading my blog,

 Liz x