Laura Fisher, Lauren Lewis and Rebeca Nisbet (Lower Sixth, pictured left to right)

Last weekend (23rd – 25th June), we embarked on our Gold Duke of Edinburgh's practice expedition. Over the three day period, we cycled just under 100 kilometres (98.17 kilometres to be precise) in the white peak area of the Peak District, and camped both Saturday and Sunday night.

On Saturday, we had quite a shock when we realised how much harder the weight of the equipment we brought would make cycling up the hills, yet by Monday we hardly noticed the added weight!

Sunday brought many trials over the 43-kilometre cycle, including the sheer number and steepness of hills, 24°C heat and the herd of the local cows crossing our path. However, despite the difficulties we faced, the promise of ice cream and the poorly timed cow jokes kept us going with a smile on our faces.

Although it was a challenging experience, we took risks and conquered the expedition as a team. We are now looking forward to our five day long assessed expedition in August, cycling coast to coast through the Lake District.

DofE Manager, Mr Ellis, said: "The girls did exceptionally well on the practice expedition and based on how they performed over the three days, they are in a strong position to have a successful assessed expedition in August when they attempt the Coast to Coast from St Bees to Sunderland."