SCOUTS and Explorer Scouts from Woking trekked the mountains and valleys of the Brecon Beacons in South Wales recently on a three-day trip.

Thirty-three Explorer Scouts completed hikes as part of their Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award, joined by a further 13 Scouts and Explorers not doing their DofE.

Three teams of between five and seven set off from Llangorse in the early hours of a sunny Saturday morning to tackle a three-day expedition for their Silver DofE. Three more teams set off on a slightly wetter Sunday on a two-day trek for their Bronze DofE.

Each day, the silver teams walked some 12 miles, and the bronze teams about 10 miles.

All six teams carried their own food, tents and other kit, and cooked their own meals on camp stoves, so were totally self-sufficient.

Meanwhile, those in the group who were not part of the DofE scheme took the opportunity to cave, climb and abseil at Llangorse Adventure Centre on Monday morning.

The expedition teams finished next to Llangorse Lake in excellent spirits, having proven themselves equal to the challenge.

“The weekend was possible thanks to the many volunteers who give up so much of their time, and to St Andrew’s School who loaned us their minibuses,” said Roy Thompson, district Explorer Scout commissioner.

“It was a welcome return to the Brecon Beacons after COVID. All the participants trained very hard in challenging times, having had fewer opportunities to develop their camping, fitness and navigation skills during the last few years.

“They demonstrated tremendous teamwork, self-discipline and maturity to complete the expeditions.”