DofE Bronze is an event like no other. A humbling, enlightening experience like no other. I mean, where else can you get chased by sheep and an angry farmer whilst simultaneously having the time of your life?
Funny experiences
Many might think that the experience is just boring overall; walking that never ends, the classic gloomy British weather that always ends in disaster. Well, from experience, I can tell you that is just not the case. Fortunately, I never had a boring moment with my fantastic group of girls. For example, when we were only 10 minutes into our expedition, still fresh-faced and hopeful, we stumbled across a herd of slightly aggressive and frightening sheep.
As we tried to creep, peacefully and silently, across their field, a farmer decided to round up his sheep. They came bounding towards us while the farmer was shouting at us to “RUN!”. At this point, I will admit that the policy of silence and respecting nature went out the window as we were running for our lives and screaming – but what else could we do?
One of our girls got stuck in the middle of this ambush and almost got wiped out while searching desperately for a dropped digital camera (love her for that). But never fear, we managed to recover our friend and the camera, so a win-win result all round.
The weight of the bags was another challenge we faced. We were so close to our next checkpoint, when a tent fell off a bag and needed tightening. My friend and I took it upon ourselves to help and attach the tent back onto our friend’s bag. I grabbed the straps to tighten the tent and gave them a massive tug, but whilst leaning backwards the weight of my bag overcame me and before I knew it I was covered in mud and flailing around on my back like an overturned ladyird.
Genuine friendships and conversations
To fill our time walking we never stopped talking and I think this taught me truly about what a genuine friendship is. The pure understanding and love that was shared over those two days is the rarest kind, because it stems from tiredness and delirium but also a deep kindness and support that you find within each other when you need it most. I will be forever grateful for every situation we solved, for all the laughs we had, and for this inspiring opportunity in general – purely because of the girls I shared it with.
Overall, DofE is such a valuable experience, especially if you’re looking for an opportunity to branch out and meet new people! If you do decide to do it, I wish you all the sheep chases and close encounters with farmers in the world. But seriously, if you do find yourself in a random field with a map and a compass you don’t know how to use, make the most of it. Time flies when you’re having fun.
What a couple of my friends have to say about the experience…
“My favourite memory was when we were all having dinner and just sat around together.”
“DofE has taught me to be more responsible, and I want to remember next time to bring more undies!!!!”
Thank you, Sienna and Lucy xxxx
About the DofE
If you’re thinking about giving DofE a go, it’s open to young people aged 14–24, with most people starting at Bronze in Year 9 or 10 and then working up to Silver and Gold. Through The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, you complete sections in volunteering, physical activity, learning a new skill, and going on an expedition (and at Gold, a residential too). You can usually sign up through school or a local youth group. It’s not just about the certificate — DofE helps you build confidence, independence, teamwork skills and resilience, and it looks great on applications because it shows dedication and commitment.
Find out more information on the DofE website.
