Our Gold DofE Expedition remains a very important and happy memory for me. Although I had always enjoyed Hiking and Wild camping, The practice and expedition were my first experiences doing it for an extended period of time. Hiking around the lake district with friends that I am still close with, encouraged me to improve my skills as it is something that I have continued to do, sometimes with those same people, in my own time.
I now help lead groups at my university hiking club and am working towards my mountain leader qualifications.
The sense of fun I had swimming in lakes and tarns and the feeling of freedom to navigate our own way around is something I still try and replicate on my own hikes.