We set off from Buchanan Bus Station at 6:40 am, with the minibus trailing closely behind on the same route. The pupils disembarked from the coach in Ballachulish, and the minibus then shuttled them to Kinlochleven, which was their starting point. From there, they walked to Meanach Bothy, where they spent the first night camping and prepared their inaugural meal.

“On day one we got given the maps for our practice expedition and walked 13km. We started in Kinlochleven then followed the West Highland Way up a steep hill. We travelled about 2km on the West Highland Way and took a lunch break where we cooked soup and made wraps. After walking another 6km with a few water breaks inbetween we found a clean, fast flowing stream where we re-filled our water bottles. We then walked the final stretch to the campsite along mostly level ground, set up our tents next to a river, made noodles and pastas for dinner then fell asleep around 10pm” – Stan Small.

The instructors have been genuinely impressed with the students’ organisational and teamwork skills thus far. They have demonstrated their ability to support one another and effectively communicate, ensuring that everyone arrived at the start line with the correct gear at the right time. Stay tuned as we delve into the nine-day Expedition. This is a departure from the norm for a Gold Duke of Edinburgh outing, which typically consists of a practice and a final expedition with some downtime in between ( can sometimes be months apart).

The 2 day route in full from Kinlochleven to Spean Bridge.