D of E - Bronze practice expedition

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This weekend I have been supervising another group of 6 from De La Salle school on their Bronze practice expedition. I met the group on Saturday morning, they were kitted out and we set off on a set route in some of the foulest weather I have seen for years. The route took us through Rape Seed fields where the water soaked into every piece of clothing that the team were wearing. It was a bit difficult to teach navigation in the driving rain, but the team took to it like ducks to water. After a few hours of trudging around in the rain, we arrived back at the camp site and luckily the rain had stopped long enough for us to get the tents up and get a hot meal cooked. Once everything was packed away, and a debrief for the day, I handed the group over to the teachers and returned the following morning.

Sunday morning started with the usual supervising the team eating a substantial breakfast, getting the tents down and then we retreated to the Cafe on the camp site where I did a table top exercise on emergency procedures. The weather was a lot better today with glorious sunshine for most of the day and the importance of keeping hydrated being stated continuously throughout the day. We headed out to practise some more navigation, including setting the map, pacing and bearings. We also did a casualty simulation, looking at basic first aid, contents of the leaders bag, and I even got the 10 person Bothy bag out to show them the temperature difference. Because of the heat we cut the walk short and arrived back at the camp site for debriefs and my presentation to the star student, however my prize of 2 chocolate bars had melted in the car and I certainly need to rethink that one.

In all another excellent group who have their qualifying expedition in 2 weeks and will smash it, well done guys. 2 weeks in a row with good groups, how lucky am I.

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Duke of Edinburgh - Bronze practice Expedition

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Over the last 2 days I have been working with Award Solutions who are a charitable organisation who help develop and assist young people through their D of E awards. My role for the 2 days was to supervise a group of 6 from Altrincham College for their practice Bronze D of E Expedition. Monday morning I met the group at the excellent Linnet Clough Scout camp, near Mellor in the Peak District, where they were all issued with group kit and their personal kit was checked. We then spent the day on a pleasant circular walk, looking at navigation, teamwork, wildlife, and eventually some camp site admin. Once the tents were up we went for another shorter walk practising some more navigation, including map features, pacing, grid references and taking a bearing.

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After a substantial evening meal, and pots washed I left the group with their teachers and returned the following morning to ensure they all had a good healthy breakfast. Tents and kit packed away then it was back out on the footpaths for a tougher 8 mile walk. At the halfway mark they were given an option to cut the walk short but my group wanted to finish the original route and were still the first group to finish the whole route.

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The team had also picked an expedition aim, which was to identify 20 wildlife species. They easily achieved this, and were even able to offer some interesting facts about some of the species. Their list is as follows:- Chaffinch, Grey Squirrel, Elderflower, Gorse, Carrion Crow, Foxglove, Holly, Grey Heron, Canada Geese, Magpie, Buzzard, Silver Birch, Pied Wagtail, Tormentil, Swallow, Cow Parsley, Hawthorne, Thistle, Nettle and Robin.

At the end of day 2 it was time for group and personal debriefs and finally hand the group kit back and head home.

In all a very pleasant couple of days with a really great team, they supported each other when needed, stayed positive throughout the 2 days and will definitely do well on the qualifying expedition. I personally found it really rewarding to watch their confidence grow, and especially when one or two of them get that Eureka moment when they suddenly realise that they can actually do it. Well done guys.

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Walking for Health walk

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Today we had a group of 6 for a shortish 2 1/2 mile walk around Castle Hill. The sun gods were shining on us once again, and given the amount of wet stuff that has come out of the sky lately we were very lucky.

We met at Jubilee Tower, Castle Hill, Huddersfield at 11 am then dropped down the steps and found the footpath towards Castle Houses. From Castle Houses we made our way over to Farnley Hey and then down to Molly Carr Wood. It was then a steep climb up to The Lumb and then a final push back up to the car park on Castle Hill, just as the rain arrived

Total distance was 4 km or 2.5 miles, during the walk we saw Hawthorn, Common Orange Lichen, Skylark, Robin, Twite and a Willow Warbler, but unfortunately I hadn’t taken my camera.

A nice easy walk for the group, some of whom are carrying injury from various knee operations. A perfect little get together for anyone recovery from an illness or injury and wanting to get out walking.

Yorkshire 3 Peaks

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Yesterday I took a group of 6 around the gruelling 25 miles of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks (Y3P) for Large Outdoors.

I met the group at 6.30 am and after a quick safety briefing we were soon on our way in the sunshine up the gentle slopes of Ingleborough.

I had checked the weather reports which looked promising, mostly dry with some rain coming in around tea time with a cool wind and near perfect conditions, but I did get some colour on my neck and arms in the first hour. We made the summit of Ingleborough in good time then headed down to the snack bar at Chapel-le-Dale, where we re-filled the water bottles and then headed up the newly laid path up the steep incline of Whernside. From here we dropped down to Ribblehead and after another quick stop we pressed on the dull 8 miles towards Pen-y-Ghent where the weather came in.

We eventually arrived at the top of the smallest of the 3 peaks then descended down the slippy slopes back down to Horton in Ribblesdale.

The group were excellent company and all 6 completed the 25 mile walk in just over 12 hours, some needed a bit of moral support and to ensure the group completed the walk I ended up carrying one persons rucksack up Pen y Ghent.

There was plenty of wildlife around, including Tormentil, Early Purple Orchids, Herb Robert and Common Cottongrass. We were also entertained by some very vocal Skylark and male Meadow Pipit doing their shuttlecock mating flights. We also caught a glimpse of a Wheatear and Pied Wagtails.

Another physically tough day on the hills, but very pleased to have helped all the clients to complete their challenge safely.

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What 3 Words - Explained

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The following information is simply to help readers understand a way of locating a lost person, or sending information should you become lost. It is in no way a means of disregarding or replacing map reading skills, which we firmly believe are an essential requirement for anyone venturing out into remote locations.

Police Forces and Mountain Rescue teams across the UK are now using this system to locate lost or vulnerable persons.

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In an emergency situation, finding your current location is paramount to getting help to you fast. Until recently walkers have used Grid references and GPS co-ordinates using free apps such as OS Locate, and Googles My location. However there is a new kid on the block which can very easily find your exact location and share with family, friends, and emergency services. Download the app for free here.

So how does it work.

what3words has divided the entire planet into 3 x 3 metres squares, with each square having its own unique three word identifier. Use this 3 word address to pinpoint on the what3words map and get that much needed help to you fast.

Navigating to a 3 word address

There are 2 ways you might receive a 3 word address:

  1. As a link, i.e. w3w.co/parent.green.robot which you can click to open the 3 word address in the app.

  2. As three words said over the phone , radio, or in a text message. Then you can type or say the 3 word address into the app’s search bar.

Once the 3 word address is displayed at the bottom of the screen, you can get directions to that precise location:

1. Tap the curved arrow icon in the bottom centre of the screen, to get directions in your preferred navigation app.

2. The 3 word address is translated into GPS co-ordinates and will open in your chosen navigation app.

How to find a 3 word address

Use the what3words app to find the 3 word address for where you are, to pinpoint the location of an incident or to add more precision to a street address.

  1. Open the what3words app and tap the ‘your location’ icon to see your current location, or tap the search icon and enter a street address.

  2. Tap the ‘grid square’ icon to zoom for more detail.

  3. Switch to satellite and move the pin to select the precise location.

  4. The 3 word address is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have the 3 word address, you can share it directly from the app, or say it over the radio or phone to make sure other responders find the location quickly.

When you receive a 3 word address

You may be given a 3 word address over the phone, receive one in a text message, email or see one written down.

  1. Open the app, and enter the 3 word address into the search bar, remembering to put a dot between each word (parent.green.robot)

  2. Check that the location in the drop down menu aligns with the callers description.

  3. Select the correct 3 word address to view the precise location.

  4. Switch to the satellite view and zoom in for more detail. Use this to confirm the location with your caller.

What 3 Words, Grid Reference or both?

W3W now has the ability to show a 10 figure grid reference as well as the W3W. On the W3W app, simply go to settings, and then display settings. Scroll down to Country Specific systems and on British National Grid select 10 Digit grid reference. Now go back to your home screen and you will see a 10 figure grid reference displayed under the W3W. Simples.