Twenty-four pupils from Bohunt School, Liphook, swapped home comforts for tents, campfires and Canadian backcountry this August as they set off on an eighteen-day expedition they’re unlikely to forget. The group travelled through the Western Uplands, Killarney Provincial Park and Algonquin Provincial Park, hiking long trails, paddling across glassy lakes and wild camping far from civilisation.

The trip followed months of preparation. Students raised money, trained on canoes and paddleboards, and tackled a four-day practice expedition in the Brecon Beacons to sharpen their navigation and teamwork before taking on Canada’s vast wilderness.

Once overseas, daily life quickly became routine: tents up at dusk, tents down at dawn, lunches eaten on the trail, and a mix of hiking and canoeing that often included several portages a day. They encountered incredible wildlife, including a bear, beavers and a snapping turtle, and stargazing under skies untouched by light pollution.

Bohunt student Luca W said: “The trip really made me appreciate nature and how careful we need to be not to disturb it. I learned a lot about teamwork too, like sharing out jobs when we got into camp, and picked up proper bushcraft skills that I’ll use again. The scenery was incredible every single day, especially when we were canoeing. Being completely self-sufficient out there felt amazing.”

Head of School Randall Jull added: “When we talk about once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, this most certainly qualifies, and I am hugely grateful to my staff who have enabled these brave adventurers to have such a life-changing experience. They truly epitomise our mantra of wanting to ‘create game changers of the future’ and have returned to us with lifelong memories, jaw-dropping stories, and a vigour for their schooling and life beyond. Well done to them all—from the fundraising to the training and then the 18 days in the wilderness. They are remarkable young people.”