Gordonstoun students have followed in the footsteps of HM The King by completing a challenging mountain hike in the Cairngorms.
In 1965, the then 16-year-old Prince Charles completed almost 29 miles trekking through forests and mountains in winter weather during his time as a student at Gordonstoun.
The Prince and four other students took part in the expedition in October 1965, ascending heights of 850m, as part of his Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE).
After three days, the group successfully completed the 28.4 mile route from Balachroich to Rothiemurchus Lodge, taking in Glenfeshie Forest and passing by Ben Macdui on the way up Glen Dee.
Now, 60 years later, and after discovering the expedition log in the school archive, seven Gordonstoun students have re-traced the route through the Cairngorms.
The four-day expedition, between 19-21 June, took them from Glenfeshie to Rothiemurchus, via the Lairig Ghru, the best-known hill pass in Scotland.
The five girls and two boys, aged between 15 and 16, were inspired to replicate The King’s footsteps as a teenager, as part of their own Silver DofE Award. Another team of seven students walked the route in reverse.
The students spent three nights camping in the wilderness, navigating along the route and cooking their own food.
Gordonstoun is the birthplace of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award after school founder Kurt Hahn first set up a scheme in 1936 called the Moray Badge, to connect with the local community.
With the support of Prince Philip, one of the first pupils at Gordonstoun, this evolved to become a national programme in 1956.
Gordonstoun Principal Peter Green said:
“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award remains as relevant today as it was over 60 years ago, when the then Prince Charles undertook a 30-mile expedition through the Cairngorms.
“It is deeply encouraging that the resilience and determination His Majesty The King continues to demonstrate today still serves as a source of inspiration for students at Gordonstoun.
“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.
“Experiences like these embody the spirit of adventure that lies at the heart of the Gordonstoun ethos.
“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to flourish at Gordonstoun. While participation is voluntary, most of our Year 13 students complete the Gold expedition and many go on to achieve the full award. A clear testament to the enduring value and relevance of the programme’s principles.”
Prince Charles undertook his expedition for his Silver DofE between October 1-3 in 1965. According to the written log, when he and his fellow students started out on the Friday, it was raining and there was a “stormy wind”.
The following day, the weather was “overcast” with showers and “low mist”. Despite the conditions, Prince Charles and the other four adventurers were said to be in “good spirits”.
Student India Lewis, 16, said:
“To be, quite literally, retracing the footsteps of The King was so cool, and something we can always say we have done. 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 do keep going and we all got there in the end. Mindset does really matter.”
Student 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.”
Former Gordonstoun student Michael Fabianski, who completed the expedition alongside Prince 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.”
Currently, nearly all the students at Gordonstoun – aged between 13 and 18 years – voluntarily take part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Most Year 13 students complete the Gold expedition and many achieve the full Gold DofE Award.