Overseas Expeditions

The OA Department plans and leads an overseas expedition every summer, alternating between a shorter, seven-to-ten day European trip and a three-week long-haul excursion. These are generally open to all those in the Hundred (Year 11) and above, which reflects the physical and demanding nature of these events. Our expeditions are planned by the Department with meticulous attention to detail and safety, offering our pupils the adventure of a lifetime.

Previous European destinations have included Iceland, the Italian Dolomites, the Swiss Alps and dog sledding in Northern Sweden. Further afield we have travelled to Ladakh in the Indian Himalaya, summiting a 6,000-metre peak, and the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, scaling 5,000 metres. We have also trekked the Inca Trail, including climbing Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain, Peru

Each year pupils in the Shell have the opportunity to participate in an exchange with Shell pupils at Marlborough College Malaysia (MCM). The group departs during the Lent half-term, landing in Singapore and exploring the city for a few days, before heading across the border for two weeks boarding at MCM and taking part in all normal school activities there. During the middle weekend pupils undertake an adventurous weekend on Sibu island, and on the second weekend they visit Sungai Melayu (a mangrove and eco-tourism destination) and the beach resort at Desaru. Pupils from MCM take the place of these Shell pupils in their houses here whilst they are away in Malaysia.