DofE G0826 Gold/KSA Practice/Qualifying Expedition August 2026

DofE Gold/KSA Wild country, four-day walking practice or qualifying expedition 14-19 August 2026 in the North Lakes area of Cumbria. Cost for the event is £120, which includes supervisor and assessor fees, camp site fees, first and last night dinner, but excludes all other food and transport. Transport to and from Penrith station and the camp sites can be arranged on request. Please arrive between 3-6pm on Friday and depart by 10.00am on Wednesday. All participants will need to have completed a full day First Response course within the three years prior to the expedition. All practice expedition participants will need to have completed their DofE Silver/CS Diamond expedition section, or have equivalent hillwalking experience, and have completed the Kent Scouts Gold/KSA training weekend in advance. Qualifying participants will need to have completed a wild country Practice either with Kent Scouts or another Approved Activity Provider.
It is probable that Practice and teams aged under 18, will be based at Oak Lodge, Sebergham, Cumbria CA5 7DY. Qualifying teams and over 18s teams will probably be based at a nearby campsite; Howbeck lodge, Hesket Newmarket, Pasture Ln, Hesket Newmarket, Wigton CA7 8JN. The planning for this expedition will be on Sunday 31 May 2026 at Lower Grange Farm and ALL participants should attend. Please bring laptops with you and at least one OS map OL4 & OL5 per team. Those that are attending that training weekend will already be there. Those who have attended previous training weekends, or are planning their Qualifying Expedition only need to attend on the Sunday, bring a packed lunch, and there is no charge.
Please Note: Walking in wild country terrain can be a strenuous experience and participants must be physically fit enough to carry their full pack throughout. This is because in an emergency situation in the hills they may need all their equipment, so walking with a lighter day bag is not an option. Those that consider they might not be fit enough should consider a lowland terrain option instead, where they are also more likely to be able to walk with a day bag. Please book at:  https://www.cognitoforms.com/S...