
King's 1965 schoolboy Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition recreated by students
Pupils at Gordonstoun School in Moray completed the four-day trek in June for their own Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, after discovering the log of the original 1965 expedition in the school archive.
Seven students – five girls and two boys – retraced Charles's steps from Balachroich to Rothiemurchus Lodge, taking in Glenfeshie Forest and passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee.
Another team of seven completed the route in reverse.
India Lewis, 16, was one of those taking part in the expedition, which saw the students spend three nights camping in the wilderness, navigating along the route and cooking their own food.
'To be, quite literally, retracing the footsteps of the King was so cool, and something we can always say we have done,' she said.
'I really enjoyed the challenge of it, especially on the second day.
'In the back of everyone's mind we remembered our motto, Plus Est En Vous, and we remembered that you have more in you.
'We do have more in us, because even at times when we thought we couldn't do it, we were still able to keep going and we all got there in the end.'
Sixteen-year-old William Griffin, who also completed the route, said he had been struck by the diversity of the landscape it covered.
'We started off in dense woodland, going along the banks of a dried-up river that led out into a wide valley with thick heather,' he said.
'We then went through the mountains, into a massive open plain with the river meandering through it. It was so impressive.'
Charles was 16 when he and four other pupils set out on the hike in October 1965, spending four days trekking through forests and mountains in winter weather, and ascending to heights of 850m.
According to the written log, when the then-prince and his fellow students started out it was raining and there was a 'stormy wind', and the following day the weather was 'overcast' with showers and 'low mist'.
Despite the conditions, Charles and the other four adventurers were said to be in 'good spirits'.
Former Gordonstoun pupil Michael Fabianski, who completed the original expedition alongside Prince Charles, recalled the journey.
'My memory from the expedition was camping for the first night on the banks of the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee, whilst walking up Glen Dee to the Corrour Bothy, where we camped for the second night,' he said.
'It's very atmospheric walking up Glen Dee with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other.
'I appreciated the steepness of the valley later when we scrambled up its side to Carn a' Mhaim during the Gold expedition in which I took part the following July.'
Gordonstoun principal Peter Green said it was 'deeply encouraging' that the 'resilience and determination' shown by the King were continuing to inspire young people today.
'In the spirit of our founder, Kurt Hahn, I firmly believe that students must be regularly challenged to grow, both inside and outside the classroom,' he said.
'The recent expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing the footsteps of the King, was a powerful illustration of that philosophy in action.
'Spending four days camping in one of the most remote regions of the UK presented a genuine test of the students' resilience and teamwork, and they responded with remarkable perseverance and strength of character.'
Gordonstoun is the birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, after Mr Hahn first set up a scheme in 1936 called the Moray Badge, which then evolved to become a national programme in 1956.
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Telegraph
11 hours ago
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Gordonstoun pupils recreate teenage King's 28-mile Cairngorms hike
Gordonstoun pupils have recreated the King's 28-mile Caingorms hike 60 years later. The teenage Prince of Wales went on a three-day hike through 'rain and stormy wind' in October 1965 for his silver Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award. This year students from the King's old school tracked down the archived records of his route before setting out to recreate the challenge, following the King's footsteps across the Highlands in their hike from June 19 to 21. While handwritten notes detail how Charles ascended 2,788ft peaks to find a view shrouded in mist, the students chose a warmer time of year for their hike. Temperatures reached as high as 27C (80F). They followed Charles's route from Balachroich, through Kingussie, to Rothiemurchus Lodge in Aviemore, taking in Glenfeshie Forest and passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee. Another group followed the same course in reverse. With the help of the handwritten notes and accompanying map, a team of seven – five girls and two boys – retraced Charles's route to obtain their own silver awards. Hiker William Griffin, 16, said: 'The most standout thing for me on the expedition was how diverse all the landscape was. 'We started off in dense woodland, going along the banks of a dried-up river that led out into a wide valley with thick heather. 'We then went through the mountains into a massive open plain with the river meandering through it. It was so impressive.' The records reveal Charles was a member of group two, under its pupil leader Michael Fabianski. The group was found in good spirits when a 'Mr Varney' checked in with them on the Saturday, according to the notes. Mr Fabianski said: 'My memory from the expedition was camping for the first night on the banks of the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee, while walking up Glen Dee to the Corrour bothy, where we camped for the second night. ' It's very atmospheric walking up Glen Dee, with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other. I appreciated the steepness of the valley later, when we scrambled up its side to Càrn a' Mhàim during the gold expedition in which I took part the following July.' Mr Varney's written account talks of 'overcast skies' and 'stormy wind' but suggests the Sunday was 'a fine day' and the prince's group reached their final destination just after group one at 3.20pm. India Lewis, 16, one of the pupils who went on the expedition, said it was cool to follow in the King's footsteps and she really enjoyed the challenge. Miss Lewis said: 'In the back of everyone's mind we remembered our motto, 'Plus Est En Vous', and we remembered that you have more in you. 'We do have more in us because even at times when we thought we couldn't do it we were still able to keep going and we all got there in the end. Mindset does really matter.' The DofE award has its roots at Gordonstoun, where it was known as the Moray Badge until Prince Philip championed the experience. It evolved to become a national programme in 1956. In the 12 months to March a record 572,802 pupils participated in the scheme at bronze, silver and gold levels. Peter Green, the Gordonstoun principal, said: 'In the spirit of our founder Kurt Hahn, I firmly believe that students must be regularly challenged to grow, both inside and outside the classroom. 'The recent expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing the footsteps of the King, was a powerful illustration of that philosophy in action. 'Spending four days camping in one of the most remote regions of the UK presented a genuine test of the students' resilience and teamwork, and they responded with remarkable perseverance and strength of character.'


Times
14 hours ago
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Gordonstoun pupils recreate King Charles' DofE trek, 60 years on
At the age of 16 the future King Charles set off on a three-day character-building hike across the Highlands in 'rain and stormy wind', according to logbooks unearthed at his Scottish boarding school. In pursuit of his silver Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award, the young heir to the throne trekked almost 29 miles in winter weather, including 'eight miles up Glen Feshie'. Over the course of three days, the prince ascended 850m peaks to find, the records reveal, a view cloaked in mist. He is listed as a member of group two, under its pupil leader Michael Fabianski, who were found in good spirits when 'Mr Varney' checked in with them on Saturday October 2, 1965. It was Gordonstoun students preparing to undertake their own DofE expeditions this year who tracked down the records of that adventure in the school archives. With the help of the handwritten notes and accompanying map, a team of seven retraced Charles's route 60 years on to obtain their own silver awards. Fabianski, who successfully completed the walk alongside Charles, said: 'My memory from the expedition was camping for the first night on the banks of the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee, whilst walking up Glen Dee to the Corrour bothy, where we camped for the second night. 'It's very atmospheric walking up Glen Dee, with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other. I appreciated the steepness of the valley later, when we scrambled up its side to Càrn a' Mhàim during the gold expedition in which I took part the following July.' Despite the 'overcast' skies and 'showers' that overshadowed their journey, Varney's written account suggests the Sunday was 'a fine day' and the prince's group reached their final destination just after group one at 3.20pm. The 2025 team completed the same route from June 19 to 21 in heat and sunshine, temperatures reaching as high as 27C. India Lewis, 16, one of the pupils who went on the expedition, said it was 'cool' to follow in the King's footsteps, adding that she really enjoyed the challenge. She said: 'In the back of everyone's mind we remembered our motto, 'Plus Est En Vous', and we remembered that you have more in you. We do have more in us, because even at times when we thought we couldn't do it, we were still able to do keep going and we all got there in the end. Mindset does really matter.' A fellow hiker, William Griffin, 16, said: 'The most standout thing for me on the expedition was how diverse all the landscape was. We started off in dense woodland, going along the banks of a dried-up river that led out into a wide valley with thick heather. We then went through the mountains, into a massive open plain with the river meandering through it. It was so impressive.' The DofE award has its roots at Gordonstoun, where it was known as the Moray Badge until Prince Philip championed the experience and it evolved to become a national programme in 1956. In the 12 months to March a record 572,802 pupils participated in the scheme at bronze, silver and gold levels. Peter Green, the Gordonstoun principal, said: 'In the spirit of our founder Kurt Hahn, I firmly believe that students must be regularly challenged to grow, both inside and outside the classroom. The recent expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing the footsteps of the King, was a powerful illustration of that philosophy in action. 'Spending four days camping in one of the most remote regions of the UK presented a genuine test of the students' resilience and teamwork, and they responded with remarkable perseverance and strength of character.' The route took Charles and today's adventurers from Balachroich, Kingussie, to Rothiemurchus Lodge in Aviemore, taking in Glenfeshie Forest and passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee. Another group followed the same course in reverse.


STV News
15 hours ago
- STV News
King's 1965 schoolboy Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition recreated by students
Students at the King's former school have recreated the 28-mile hike through the Cairngorms which he completed as a teenager for his silver Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Pupils at Gordonstoun School in Moray completed the four-day trek in June for their own Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, after discovering the log of the original 1965 expedition in the school archive. Seven students – five girls and two boys – retraced Charles's steps from Balachroich to Rothiemurchus Lodge, taking in Glenfeshie Forest and passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee. Another team of seven completed the route in reverse. India Lewis, 16, was one of those taking part in the expedition, which saw the students spend three nights camping in the wilderness, navigating along the route and cooking their own food. 'To be, quite literally, retracing the footsteps of the King was so cool, and something we can always say we have done,' she said. 'I really enjoyed the challenge of it, especially on the second day. 'In the back of everyone's mind we remembered our motto, Plus Est En Vous, and we remembered that you have more in you. 'We do have more in us, because even at times when we thought we couldn't do it, we were still able to keep going and we all got there in the end.' Sixteen-year-old William Griffin, who also completed the route, said he had been struck by the diversity of the landscape it covered. 'We started off in dense woodland, going along the banks of a dried-up river that led out into a wide valley with thick heather,' he said. 'We then went through the mountains, into a massive open plain with the river meandering through it. It was so impressive.' Charles was 16 when he and four other pupils set out on the hike in October 1965, spending four days trekking through forests and mountains in winter weather, and ascending to heights of 850m. According to the written log, when the then-prince and his fellow students started out it was raining and there was a 'stormy wind', and the following day the weather was 'overcast' with showers and 'low mist'. Despite the conditions, Charles and the other four adventurers were said to be in 'good spirits'. Former Gordonstoun pupil Michael Fabianski, who completed the original expedition alongside Prince Charles, recalled the journey. 'My memory from the expedition was camping for the first night on the banks of the River Feshie and wading across the River Dee, whilst walking up Glen Dee to the Corrour Bothy, where we camped for the second night,' he said. 'It's very atmospheric walking up Glen Dee with Cairn Toul on one side and Ben Macdui on the other. 'I appreciated the steepness of the valley later when we scrambled up its side to Carn a' Mhaim during the Gold expedition in which I took part the following July.' Gordonstoun principal Peter Green said it was 'deeply encouraging' that the 'resilience and determination' shown by the King were continuing to inspire young people today. 'In the spirit of our founder, Kurt Hahn, I firmly believe that students must be regularly challenged to grow, both inside and outside the classroom,' he said. 'The recent expedition through the Cairngorms, retracing the footsteps of the King, was a powerful illustration of that philosophy in action. 'Spending four days camping in one of the most remote regions of the UK presented a genuine test of the students' resilience and teamwork, and they responded with remarkable perseverance and strength of character.' Gordonstoun is the birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, after Mr Hahn first set up a scheme in 1936 called the Moray Badge, which then evolved to become a national programme in 1956. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country