Duke Of Edinburgh Award- Gold Expedition

At Gold level this is where the Duke of Edinburgh Award really comes into it own and once you are on your qualifying expedition you will be really remote and will have to rely on the skills and knowledge learned over your training period. 

As with previous programmes we will have a standard 2 days of intensive training which will cover all aspects of the syllabus. From then we will have a longer practice expedition to ensure that you are familiar with the Award. The qualifying expedition is the 4 days and 3 nights of remote walking or Canoeing. We use a number of sites across the country and can offer advice on the best locations for Gold Awards.Examples  for water based expeditions would be River Spey, River Wye, Loch Tay, River Severn, River Dee. For walking expeditions we would look at Snowdonia, The Lake District, The Berwyn mountains, The Clwydian Range, The Cheviots to name a few. 

A sample programme would be as follows:

Two days intensive training.

This will be based in a bunkhouse or YHA and will include all aspects of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. 

Three day/ two night practice expedition. This will include one night camping. You will be given additional training until our leaders are happy and confident that you can be let off on your own. After this you will be remotely supervised by our experienced and qualified Duke of Edinburgh staff teams.You will be met at your camp by our leaders who will supervise campcraft and cooking and will offer debriefs.  

Four day/three night Qualifying Expedition.

This will be remotely supervised by our qualified Duke of Edinburgh assessors. 

One day route planning day 

We believe in adding in an extra day for route planning and paperwork. 

Your gold expedition can be undertaken on foot or in an Open Canoe or Kayak. Additional training may be required for water based expeditions. These will be charged at £175 plus expenses per group per day.

Cost: From £400 per person based on a walking expedition. (additional costs will be incurred for water based expeditions)This is based on a group of 8. (discounts available for larger groups)

We don't include campsite fees or food costs in our pricing as we believe that each group should be allowed to budget for themselves and organise their own campsites. We will be available at route planning stage to offer advice on suitable campsites and during training will offer advice on food choices. 

First Aid

All groups at this level need to fully versed in first aid techniques and as an addition to the normal package we offer a day of first aid aimed at Duke of Edinburgh groups. They leave the course with an HSE recognised EFAW qualification which is valid for 3 years and will mean that if they come into any difficulties whilst on expedition they will have the skills to help themselves.

Price: £225 for a group of up to 12. There will be an additional £8.50 cost per student for certificate and work book.

Check out our blog on Duke of Edinburgh Award: http://sasoutdoors.blogspot.com/