INTREPID students on the BTEC Level 3 Outdoor Adventure course at Duchy College, Stoke Climsland, recently undertook an action packed expedition on Dartmoor.

As part of their course, students were tasked with planning an overnight expedition which involved taking care of everything from logistics and transport to food and accommodation.

During the expedition their lecturers took a back seat and let the students take charge. 

The first night of the expedition was spent wild camping in the woods and completing a night navigation exercise to a nearby fort. Some of the students built their own shelters out of moss and twigs while others pitched tents to sleep in.

After surviving a gorge walk, up the River Erme at Ivybridge, negotiating rocks and rapids and pulling themselves up waterfalls, their second and third nights were spent in the comparative luxury of a bunkhouse.

Other activities included climbing and bouldering at Dart Rock followed by a navigation exercise at Venford Reservoir.

Mike Pape, from Plymouth, was among the students who organised and took part in the expedition. He said: 'As we are all training to be outdoor instructors, this experience gives us the knowledge we need to prepare an expedition and all the different things we'd have to consider in the workplace.

'I was in charge of logistics, so looking at how we'd get people there and the timings. It's never going to go exactly to plan, but it went well despite some last minute changes.'

Chris Wilson, programme manager for adventure sport, said: 'The students really rose to the challenge of organising this expedition and working together as a team.

'It was great to see the students catering for the different needs of the group and learning first-hand how complex it is to organise an expedition.'

For more information about the Duchy College's new Adventure Sports Training Academy visit http://www.duchy.ac.uk">www.duchy.ac.uk

The college's next information event is from 10am to noon on Saturday, January 25.