Students reenact the Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition undertaken by Prince Charles during his school years in 1965.
In the spirit of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, a tradition born at Gordonstoun School, seven students recently embarked on a challenging four-day trek through the Cairngorms. This hike was a reenactment of a journey taken by a young Prince Charles in 1965, as part of his Silver Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
The students, aged 15 to 16, retraced Charles's steps from Balachroich to Rothiemurchus Lodge, passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee. This historic expedition, which honours the heritage of the award, was a testament to the school's founding philosophy, fostering self-discipline, willpower, and a sense of achievement.
The students discovered the log of the original 1965 expedition in the school archives before embarking on their journey. Just like the King, they camped three nights in the wilderness, navigated the route, and cooked their own food. They also faced similar challenges, such as rain and stormy winds, but responded with remarkable perseverance and strength of character.
Charles, then a 16-year-old student at Gordonstoun, completed a 29-mile trek through the Cairngorms in October 1965. He trekked through forests and mountains in winter weather, reaching heights of 850m. One of the former pupils who completed the original expedition with Charles, Michael Fabianski, recalled camping by the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee.
The recent Cairngorms expedition presented a genuine test of the students' resilience and teamwork. Peter Green, the principal of Gordonstoun, found this demonstration of the school's founding philosophy to be powerful. India Lewis, 16, one of the students who participated in the expedition, was struck by the diversity of the landscape it covered, starting in dense woodland, going through mountains, and ending in a wide open plain.
Another team of seven students completed the route in reverse, adding a new dimension to the reenactment. Sixteen-year-old William Griffin, who also completed the route, found the hike through Glen Dee particularly atmospheric, with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other.
The students remembered their motto, Plus Est En Vous, and found strength to complete the challenging hike. The weather during Charles's hike was rainy and stormy on the first day, overcast with showers and low mist on the second day. The students found the experience of retracing Charles's footsteps to be cool and something they could always say they had done.
This hike was part of the students' Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, a programme created by Kurt Hahn in 1936 as the Moray Badge, which later evolved into a national programme in 1956. The students' resilience and determination during the Cairngorms expedition were seen as a continuation of the qualities demonstrated by the King during his own hike.
In conclusion, the Gordonstoun students' successful reenactment of Prince Charles's historic Cairngorms trek serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of adventure and determination fostered by the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Their journey through the challenging landscape mirrors the principles instilled in them by the school, principles that have stood the test of time and continue to inspire young people today.
The students' Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing Prince Charles's steps, was a testament to their commitment towards education-and-self-development and personal-growth, as they learned essential skills such as navigating, cooking, and camping in the wilderness.
The students' resilience and teamwork during the Cairngorms expedition, reminiscent of the qualities Prince Charles exhibited in 1965, demonstrated their dedication to learning and self-improvement, fostered by the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the principles instilled in them at Gordonstoun School.
